Artists and repertoire (A&R) is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label; every activity involving artists to the point of album release is generally considered under the purview of, and responsibility of, A&R.

Responsibilities[link]

Finding talent[link]

The A&R division is responsible for discovering new recording artists and bringing them to the record company. They are expected to understand the current tastes of the market and to be able to find artists that will be commercially successful. For this reason, A&R people are often young and many are musicians, music journalists or record producers.^[1]

An A&R executive is authorized to offer a record contract, often in the form of a "deal memo": a short informal document that establishes a business relationship between the recording artist and the record company.^[1] The actual contract negotiations will typically be carried out by rival entertainment lawyers hired by the musician's manager and the record company.^[2]

A&R executives rely mostly on the word of mouth of trusted associates, critics and business contacts.^[3] They also tend to favor bands that play in the same city that the record company is located.^[3] Contrary to popular belief, their decisions are rarely based on unsolicited demo tapes sent by musicians (Citation needed). (However, major labels outside the United States and various independent labels may accept demos.)

Overseeing the recording process[link]

The A&R division oversees the recording process. This includes helping the artist to find the right record producer, scheduling time in a recording studio and advising the artist on all aspects of making a high-quality recording. They work with the artist to choose the best songs (i.e.repertoire) to record. For artists who do not write their own music, they will assist in finding songs and songwriters. A&R executives maintain contact with their counterparts at music publishing companies to get new songs and material from songwriters and producers.

As the record nears completion, the A&R department works closely with the artist to determine if the record is acceptable to the record company. This may include suggesting that new songs need to be written or that some tracks need re-recording. A key issue is whether the album has a single: a particular track which can be used to market the record on radio. As Tom Petty sang in "Into the great wide open", the industry cliché, "I don't hear a single!", refers to this process.

Assisting with marketing and promotion[link]

Once the record is completed, the A&R department (with assistance from marketing, promotion and the artist) chooses a single to help promote the record.

History and influence[link]

The tastes of particular A&R executives have influenced the course of music history. A&R man John H. Hammond discovered Billie Holiday, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin and Bruce Springsteen. Hammond's colleagues were initially skeptical of these artists because none of them appeared to be creating "commercial" music. However, Hammond's instincts proved to be correct and these artists went on to sell hundreds of millions of records.^[4] Geffen Records' Gary Gersh signed the band Nirvana at a time when alternative rock music was not considered commercial.^[5] Gersh was able to convince his co-workers to push the record in spite of their misgivings.^[6] In cases like these, A&R people have radically changed the direction of popular musical tastes and introduced large numbers of people to new sounds.

However, this kind of prescience is the exception, rather than the rule. Historically, A&R executives have tended to sign new artists that fit into recent trends and who resemble acts that are currently successful. This has caused several waves of similar sounding music, including teen pop (1998–2001), alternative rock (1993–1996), hair metal (1986–1991) and disco (1976–1978). This practice, however, can be counter-productive, since it has often led to a backlash. Towards the end of each wave record companies have found themselves faced with enormous losses as consumers' tastes changed. For example, at the end of the disco boom in 1978, millions of records were returned by record retailers, causing a deep recession in the music business that lasted until 1983, when Michael Jackson's Thriller finally brought the public back into record stores in large numbers.^[7]

This trend-following mindset has taken even greater precedence as record companies have become more corporate and financially oriented. The general move towards more conservative and business-minded signings from the 1980s onwards is seen to be symptomatic of an industry where the most powerful figures are no longer music fans or people with musical backgrounds, but business people. Traditionally A&R executives were composers, arrangers and producers - Atlantic Records's heads Jerry Wexler and Ahmet Ertegun were producers and composers respectively - but an A&R with musical ability and knowledge has become a rarity, with Ron Fair and Martin Kierszenbaum being notable recent exceptions.^[8] The composer and arranger Richard Niles has said,

"What you've got now is huge multinational companies where most of their A&R staff are businessmen. They’re people who look at music from the standpoint of marketing, not from the standpoint of music and talent. They will say, 'Go out and get me anything that’s popular now.'"^[8]

Regional variations[link]

According to Rhythm King Records and Lizard King Records founder Martin Heath, the A&R community in the UK is more integrated than it is in the US, being very London-centric and encompassing a relatively small number of people.^[9] "If scouts are chasing a band, you’ll see the same thirty people in one room. You get a herd mentality in the UK, but also some very diverse signings as well," he said in an interview with HitQuarters.^[9] Heath believes that in the USA it is more typical for A&R to wait until a band is established - having attracted other offers or achieved a level of sales - before taking action, a technique which often works out as being more expensive.^[9]

Recent changes[link]

New forms of digital distribution have changed the relationship between consumers and the music they choose. Gerd Leonhard and others argue that the wide selection of music on digital services has allowed music consumers to bypass the traditional role of A&R.^[10] In the wake of declining record sales, a large number of A&R staffers have been terminated.^[11] It is unclear whether A&R executives will shape the future of musical tastes as they have in the past.

Citations[link]

References[link]

• Albini, Steve (1993), "The Problem with Music", The Baffler (Chicago: Thomas Frank) (5), http://www.negativland.com/albini.html  (Reprinted in Maximum RocknRoll #133 (June 1994) and later various websites.)
• Goldberg, Danny (2009), Bumping into Geniuses, ISBN 1-59240-483-9 
• Knopper, Steve (2009), Appetite for self-destruction : the spectacular crash of the record industry in the digital age, New York: Free Press, ISBN 1-4165-5215-4 
• Krasilovsky, M. William; Shemel, Sidney; Gross, John M.; Feinstein, Jonathan, This Business of Music (10th ed.), Billboard Books, ISBN 0823077292 
• Kusek, David; Leonhard, Gerd (2005), The future of music : manifesto for the digital music revolution, Boston: Berklee Press, ISBN 0-87639-059-9 
• Prial, Dunstan (2006), The producer : John Hammond and the soul of American music, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, ISBN 0-374-11304-1 
• Shoemer, Karen (October 30, 1992), "Some Alternative Boundaries Fall", New York Times, http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE0D7123EF933A05753C1A964958260 
• Weissman, Dick (2003), The music business : career opportunities and self-defense, New York: Three Rivers Press, ISBN 0-609-81013-8 

External links[link]

• A&R Interviews - Database of interviews with A&R people

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Steve Ralbovsky is a retired Yugoslav-American soccer player. He was the 1975 Hermann Trophy winner as the outstanding collegiate soccer player of the year. He then had an extensive professional career including time in the North American Soccer League and the American Soccer League II and III.

High school and college[link]

Born in Yugoslavia, Ralbovsky moved to the United States in 1970. He played soccer at DeWitt Clinton High School in New York City. His excellent play led to his receiving the Public School Athletic League Iron Horse Pegasus Award in 1971-1972 for soccer.^[1] After graduating from high school, he attended Brown University where he starred on the school’s men's soccer team. He played both defender and defensive midfielder. During his four seasons with the Bears (1972–1975), Brown dominated the Ivy League. Harvard had been the team to beat in years past, but beginning in 1972, Brown reeled off five straight Ivy League championships. In 1973 and 1975, the team made it to the NCAA Final Four, losing both times in the semi-finals. In 1973, they lost to St. Louis University and in 1975 to the University of San Francisco. Ralbovsky garned numerous individual awards during his time as at Brown. He was selected as All Ivy League in 1974 and 1975. In 1975, he was named as a first team All American, ironically enough as a forward;^[2] the NCAA Tournament Defensive MVP and the Hermann Trophy recipient as the year's outstanding collegiate soccer player. He was inducted into the Brown University Athletic Hall of Fame.^[3]

Professional[link]

When Ralbovsky finished his four years at Brown, both the North American Soccer League and the de-facto second division American Soccer League (ASL) vied for his services. The Los Angeles Skyhawks of the ASL managed to lure him to the lower league with a higher compensation package then the NASL’s Los Angeles Aztecs offered him. Both the Skyhawks of the ASL and the Aztecs of the NASL had selected Ralbovsky with the number one pick in the leagues’ respective college drafts. Ralbovsky had an immediate impact on the Skyhawks as they ran away with the 1976 ALS championship, defeating the New York Apollo 2-1 in the title game. Ralbovsky was named joint Rookie of the Year with John Roeslein of the New Jersey Americans.^[4] While Ralbovsky’s play with the Skyhawks brought him to the attention of the national team, he didn’t stick around to play a second season in Los Angeles. Instead, he jumped leagues to NASL where he joind the Chicago Sting for the 1977 season. Once again he played only a single season with his team before moving again, this time to the Colorado Caribous, also of the NASL, for the 1978 season. He moved yet again after only a single season, this time his last move, to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, where he rejoined his former Skyhawk manager, Ron Newman. He played with the Strikers for three years, 1979–1981, as a left back. In 1979, he played only 11 games. However in 1980 and 1981, he became an integral part of the Strikers back line, playing 28 and 22 games per season. In 1980, the Strikers made it to the NASL championship game before losing to the New York Cosmos by a score of 3-0. In 1981, the Strikers again went deep in the playoffs before losing again to the Cosmos, this time in the semifinal game. After the 1981 season, Ralbovsky returned to the American Soccer League, this time for good. In 1983, he played for the league champion Jacksonville Tea Men which had jumped leagues from the NASL after the 1982 season. However, this was the last year for the American Soccer League as it folded at the end of the season and the Tea Men played in the United Soccer League in 1984. Ralbovsky then spent several years as a construction foreman and played for and coached Sloga of the amateur Gold Coast League.^[5] In 1988, Ralbovsky played one season Fort Lauderdale Strikers in the third American Soccer League.^[6]

National team[link]

That year, Ralbvosky also made his debut with the U.S. national team. He earned his first cap when he came on as a substitute in an October 3, 1976 scoreless tie with Mexico. He went on to play fifteen times with the national team, taking part in most of the team’s games in 1977 and 1978.

References[link]

External links[link]

• NASL stats

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (June 2009)

Mike Caren (Born May 5, 1977) is an American record producer, songwriter, and music executive. As of 2009, he was the executive vice president of A&R for Atlantic Records,^[1] and the co-president of Elektra Records.^[2]

After completing jobs with SRC/Loud Records and Ruthless Records, Caren started his career at Atlantic in 1995 at the age of seventeen as Manager of Rap Marketing for the label's Big Beat imprint. He has since been responsible for signing numerous artists that have earned gold and platinum-selling records. His signings include: Trey Songz, T.I., Flo-Rida, Cody Simpson, Trick Daddy, Twista, Trina, Wiz Khalifa, Juvenile, Prince Royce, and Brianna.

As a record producer and songwriter, he contributed to the production of T.I.'s Grammy Award-winning "Swagga Like Us", and produced Asher Roth's "I Love College" (platinum), Trick Daddy's "Sugar (Gimme Some)" (gold), Cobra Starship's Hot Mess (gold), Flo Rida's "Jump" (gold), Bruno Mars' "The Other Side", Kanye West's "Hell of a Life", B.o.B's "New York, New York", and Jennifer Lopez's "Everybody's Girl", among others. He is also credited with co-writing Flo Rida's hit single, "Sugar", and David Guetta's "Where Them Girls At".

In 2009, Caren established a boutique publishing company, Artist Publishing Group (APG), in association with Warner/Chappell Music. The company has placed songs with Madonna, Beyonce, Justin Bieber, The Black Eyed Peas, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Flo-Rida, Chris Brown, B.o.B, Enrique Iglesias, Sia, Toni Braxton, T-Pain, T.I., Keyshia Cole, Lupe Fiasco, Sean Kingston, Birdman, Chamillionaire and numerous Television programs and films. APG has had more than ten top 40 Billboard hits to date.

References[link]