what is a&r in music industry

A&R stands for "Artists and Repertoire," which is a traditional role in the music industry sometimes also called a "Talent Scout". A&R representatives are responsible for finding promising new artists for a record label or music publisher to sign. They spend most of their time listening to music, scouring clubs, reading blogs, watching social media, and tracking industry buzz on the hunt for promising new musical artists. A&R representatives have a keen ear for spotting new talent and a finely tuned and constantly evolving understanding of current music tastes and trends to identify acts with talent, drive, buzz, and more. They also have strong relationships with producers, engineers, and other professionals in the music business who can help take an artists career to the next level. A&R executives play a major role in shaping the sound and direction of popular music. They carefully launch new artists at the right time and try to ride the global popular wave to kick-start their careers. A&R representatives also work with the artist to craft the best marketing strategy for the album and promote it on relevant channels, based on the budget established in the initial contract with the label. They make best use of their industry connections and the label to heavily promote the new album and make sure its in constant rotation. A&R representatives are crucial to the music industry because theyre in tune with whats actually going on in the local music scene.