To become a successful A&R one needs to have an array of skills, however out of the many skills you need to become an A&R here are 10 skills that will have you ahead of everyone else.
The first skill is you must have a great knowledge and understanding of music trends and styles. The second skill is you must have a great ear for music because every artist believes they are going to be the next big thing but it’s up to you to actually find the next talent that has the most star potential. The third skill is great written and verbal communication because being an A&R requires you to be the channel of communication between the artist and label or artist and producer. The fourth skill is being well organized because not everyday is going to look the same so you must have all your work organized so when work is needed you can hand it over with no delay.
The fifth skill is you must be patient because finding talent requires time and with your already signed talent the music making process could also be a lengthy one, just remember that great art requires time and patience. The Sixth skill one needs is to be able to multitask because there is a lot of things that go on behind the scenes and you must be able to answer phone calls while doing other work. The seventh skill is that you must have a good personality because the life of an A&R requires you to meet with a lot of different people with different personalities of their own and you must have thick skin. The eighth skill you need is knowing whether an artist is marketable or not because a lot of artist make great music but are not marketable and some artist may not have an impressive catalog as other artist but are extremely marketable. It is up to you to distinguish what artist can be marketable and you must know how to improve an artist marketability.
The ninth skill is you must be flexible because sometimes you wont have to report to the label, sometimes you might have to meet an artist at a studio in a different city or event that they might be doing. The tenth and final skill one needs to be a successful A&R is the ability to Network and build strong relationships. Networking can help when looking for a producer to make beats for an artist or finding an artist to collaborate with your artist as well. These 10 skills will help you start on a strong foot when becoming an A&R.
