A&R stands for Artists & Repertoire; by definition, discovering and signing talent (Artists) and delivering works (Repertoire).

Traditionally, an A&R is a position held within a record label or publishing company, and commonly the first entry point for an artist signing. As modern music companies evolve, A&R can be found at management companies, agencies and be done by independent consultants.

The role of an A&R is constantly evolving, but in its simplest terms, A&R responsibilities include:

• Scouting: discovering new talent, including artists, producers, songwriters, instrumentalists, engineers and visual creatives. This can be via social media, live performances, streaming platforms, data analytics tools, submitted demos and word of mouth.

• Signing: once artists are identified, the A&R will also work with record label or publishing company financial teams to build the deal structure based on a number of factors such as historical sales/streams, touring activity, social media reach, brand alignments and project funding needs. Often with new and emerging artists this is also based on a lot of intuition and the A&R believing in the artist's vision. After a deal is modeled and approved, the A&R will generally lead initial negotiations alongside legal representatives until both parties reach an agreement.

• Talent Development: this part of the A&R role can vary between label and publishing, but ultimately at its core is the same function, which is developing emerging talent to be ‘market ready’ and for established talent, facilitating new opportunities to create works and opportunities to grow their catalogue. From an A&R perspective, this is usually done via matchmaking artists/producers/songwriters in creative sessions, sourcing pitch songs (from publishers and writers) scheduling studio time, booking session musicians, providing honest feedback, commissioning collaborations, advising on visuals and branding, vocal and live performance training and more.

• Repertoire: the delivery of works e.g. songs, projects, albums, remixes to a professional public release standard. From a publishing perspective this could also be delivering new works delivered for pitching to artists and labels, or created for sync/licensing placements. Once the works are delivered, A&R’s will generally stay involved during the release process, advising cross-functionally with marketing, brand and promotional departments to make sure the artist vision is aligned releases and provide different formats for exposure e.g. radio edits, remixes, slowed/sped up versions etc.

For A&R tips for and a quick guide to self-releasing music, download our guide below.