Category: A & R

The Changing Role of A&R and ‘The Dark Arts of Record Making’ at New Music Seminar

Via Billboard It’s no secret that the music industry is in a state of upheaval, and one of the key tenets of this year’s New Music Seminar was tracking how exactly the industry has changed in the past ten to twelve years, with panels focusing on the new roles of managers, label owners, booking agents…


Paul Worley is head of A&R at Warner Brothers Records Nashville

In this clip from www.artistshousemusic.org – Paul Worley is head of A&R at Warner Brothers Records Nashville. Also a guitarist and producer, he has produced albums for some of country music’s biggest stars, including Big & Rich and the Dixie Chicks.


THE COMEBACK OF A&R (OR THE ROLE OF A RECORD LABEL)

Chris Dixon wrote a great post on the not so common knowledge that industry incumbents fail and die not because of competition, but due to irrelevance or ineptitude. […] when you examine the history of technology, incumbents usually decline because the world changes and they lose relevance, or because they lose visionary founders and the organization decays. Some…


Loyola University Forum with A&R VP at Concord Music Group Nick

In this clip from www.artistshousemusic.org – Nick Phillips is Vice President of A&R at Concord Music Group, one of the world’s largest independent record labels. In this clip, Nick talks about his entrance into the music industry, working with artists, the future of the music business, and many other insightful music business-related experiences and thoughts.


Jonny Shipes – Smoking And Joking

This one is a little bit different. We invade Cinematic Music Group Founder/Big K.R.I.T’s manager Jonny Shipes apartment to shoot our next Allindstrom.com feature. What ensues is a mix of information (we talk about Shipes come up in the game, finding Sean Kingston, and what went wrong with Nipsey Hussle and Epic) and hilariousness (see…


Report: Facebook Plays a Relatively Minor Role In Music Discovery

The industry’s addiction with likes, friends, and followers is reaching junkie status. So maybe this is a step towards recovery.  Or, at least a little more balance: according to a new finding from NPD Group, social media’s role in music discovery is actually minor compared to other formats.  In fact, far stodgier platforms like AM/FM…


A&R Review: Last Nights Live A&R Review with Jeff Sledge

Last night’s Ustream Review went both good and bad. It went well because we launched from a brand new spot, stayed on for a full hour, and even the big homie Just Blaze checked in on the fun. It was bad because we didn’t hear a lot of good music. Sit back and watch the…


A&R Department Interview with Melanie Fiona


Mike Harris On The Difference Between Music Criticism and Reviewing

Music critic and teacher Mike Harris explains the difference between a music critic and a music reviewer, and offers his view on how and why this distinction has been gradually disappearing.


Def Jam’s VP of A&R Bu Thiam – Ear Hustling

While out in Atlanta we sat down with Def Jam A&R Bu Thiam. During our interview we talk about how he made his way into the music industry, signing T-Pain and Gaga, and Young Jeezy’s Soul Survivor was meant for another rapper.