Learn From The Experts - Career As An A&R

What is the job in reality and what skills does it take to be a top A&R?

 

Rajitta Hemwaani: Senior VP Creative Content & New Business, 9X Media

From being a degree holder in interior designing to landing up as the A&R head across prominent parts of my over 20 years in entertainment business, life sure does play musical games! From having produced/launched names like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Jagjit Singh, Asha Bhosle, Abida Parveen, Shankar Mahadevan, Pandit Jasraj, Kailash Kher to Aqeel, Suketu, Indian ocean, Raghav, Whosane, Mohit Chauhan,  Rishi Rich and Jassi amongst multiple other new musicians, its been a massively different A&R experience, both in terms of genre of music and musician personalities and talent.

What is A&R?

A&R or Artistes & Repertoire,  is a term widely used and respected internationally and  is the very backbone of a music label. Strangely, not many people outside the music business knew its full form or function in India until some years back. Sadly, even today, I don’t see too many A&R specialists with experience in the Indian music industry. Something, I strongly believe music content creators or labels need to seriously nurture currently.

What is the role and quality of an A&R Specialist?

An A&R specialist is the person who is the StarMaker. He keeps a sharp eye out for new talent in music, be it singing , music or writing. There are many stories globally, including India about how and A&R person has discovered  some of the biggest music icons today from leading ordinary lives! I  believe an A&R person cannot be limited by who, what or where is the world’s next big star. He has to have the grit of a sharp business , sales and marketing person to know exactly what people want to hear, are open to hearing next, does the music have sales value and how should the talent be molded both creatively and physically to turn him into a sell-able star! Only then can he be a succesful A&R person. This is done brilliantly in the west with a lot of time given to grooming and nurturing a talent.

Where are the typical Hunting Grounds for A&R specialists?

Over the years at Universal music, Times Music and Tips music I remember finding some of the biggest names in today's music business in a  Mela in Ludhiana , a rejected demo tape from another label, a DJ who lost the war of the DJS twice, singers at weddings and of course, YouTube. It's a fun job that is sometimes stressful.  You balance the requirement  and expectations of the label  and the audience to the capacity & the emotional expectations of a raw star. Which is never easy. To sum it up, A&R is never about what kind of music the person himself likes.  It is and always should be about what the market likes, or is waiting to embrace next. About what is the next vaccum that can be or needs to be filled up musically. Once you ace that formula which applies globally, nothing can stop you from being a top A&R!