HOW TO GET YOUR MUSIC HEARD BY A&R’S

- avatar  By Songmonk magazine - 4 years ago

For many they are still considered the most important gatekeepers in the music business - the A&R's! A&R stands for Artists and Repertoire. This division is responsible for talent scouting and also for the artistic and commercial development of an artist. An A&R can sign new or established talent to the company’s roster. Finding talents, supervising the creative process of the music and giving decisive impulses for the artist's profile and the marketing strategy - this is the daily business of these key players. 

But how do you actually get your music into the ears of an A&R? Their time is limited and in demand and their working days are usually quite full. So what should you do as an aspiring artist, songwriter or artist with a good track? 

We've put together some tips for you on how to increase your chances of being heard by A&R's:

  1. Do your homework! Everything depends on good music! Be self-critical enough not to present crap and confident enough to send your strong tracks out into the world with courage and confidence. Work hard and constantly on making your songs better and sharpening your artist profile. 
  2. Be proactive! Don't expect anyone to be out there waiting for you. Invest your time not only in your music, but also in building a mailing list. This can mean spending days researching email addresses and sending hundreds of cold emails.
  3. Be efficient! If you have managed to get to the email addresses of some A&R's, write to them briefly and efficiently. A&R'S get hundreds of requests and don't have time to read a long email. Who are you? What does your music sound like? What is your inspiration/your style? Don't send big attachments: use links to present your music (e.g. Soundcloud, Dropbox).
  4. Be a networker! Get informed about industry relevant meetings and concerts, be wherever people from the music industry might be. Contact artist managements and try to arouse interest and benefit from their networks. At conventions like SongsCon or We Create Music, you have the possibility to book one-on-one sessions with A&R's. You can find more information here: https://we-create-music.com/shop/one-on-one-sessions (will be updated as soon as more information on events during COVID-19 are released)
  5. Use the few direct contact possibilities! Rarely you get the chance to get in touch with A&R's directly and play music to them. Use these possibilities: SONGMONK offers you the opportunity to present your music in live video calls with Major Label & Publisher A&R's. Check out our Artist Services: https://songmonk.com/ar-landing-page/
  6. Be live on the road! If you are an artist, take every chance to perform live and make a good name for yourself!

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