The Music Industry Behind Closed Doors and How to get Signed

So what is it? And what do A&R people actually do? Here I go through the basic responsibilities of A&R, what makes a good A&R person, and how the role has changed within the modern music industry.

Learn about the difference between signing artists and signing song-writers. As well as having an insight into the politics of song-writing splits and the different kinds of publishing deals that are typically signed.

Learn about the processes of A&R departments and the hierarchy, pressures and expectations that exist. Understand the motives of A&R departments and how that relates to the behaviours of the music industry as a whole.

Learn about the responsibilities and behaviours of each role in A&R departments. I will also explain what label imprints are and how they work.

Understand the motives of A&R scouts so you can recognise what it means if one of them reaches out to you and learn how best to deal with it.

Why do A&R people get called sheep? A&R’s share tips with lots of different people in the industry which means that everyone shows interest in the same acts at the same time.

Major labels are so competitive with each other… this lesson will teach you why this makes them sign people out of fear.

A&R’s and good industry gossips will hype up a deal. Watch this lesson to learn how the major labels act when this is happening, so you can stay smart when dealing with them!

What you should and shouldn’t do to attract and maintain the attention of A&R’s through media, streaming and self-marketing.

Managers are responsible for guiding the artist’s career, overseeing business affairs, and advising on professional matters. This lesson will help you understand just how important a manager is and how to tell a good one from a bad one.

Develop your awareness of different terms of a typical management contract and learn how best to handle the process of signing a management agreement.

A good manager often develops and self-releases first. This lesson will help you understand why this is advantageous within the context of the modern music industry.

Should you sign to a big management company? Or a manager who works on their own? There is no right or wrong answer… but this lesson will help you decide what is best for you.

Tips on how to go about getting a manager. In the modern marketplace, managers are aware that they need to do more of the heavily lifting for artist development. 

Lawyers serve many purposes in the music industry. They are real power brokers. They negotiate deals and key terms and are very well connected. They also have a reputation of being the first to find new talent.

The lawyer is the artist’s key advisor, so they are of fundamental importance. This lesson will help you decide on the kind of lawyer that is right for you and make you aware of just how influential lawyers are through the contracts, deals and terms that they negotiate.

In the last few years there has been a huge evolution in the music industry due to the advent of streaming. Corporate label groups now make over 50% of their money from streaming. This lesson will teach you how the changing landscape of the music industry has affected the network of the major record labels.

This lesson explains the structure of the average major label with extra information about the responsibilities and behaviours of each role.

This lesson explains the difference between in house and out of house promotions teams and weighs up the pros and cons of each.

I don’t like to sit on the fence, but both have competitive advantages! This lesson will explain the differences, pros and cons between each and will increase your understanding this aspect of the industry.

This lesson explores the key terms in a record contract. A recording contact is often the thing musicians dream and strive for but nowadays they seem to be offered when an artist is further on in their career. It’s important to approach with a modern view to deal structures and terms.

It is very common or a successful artist to renegotiate with a label. The bigger you become as an artist, the more leverage you have.

In the 60s to 90s, artists made the majority of their money from recorded music sales. But online sales and piracy changed this, so labels had to think of different ways to make money from their artists.

Singles labels are great for new artists and provide an alternative to major labels when putting out your first few releases. This lesson will explain how singles labels operate and contribute to attracting the attention of major labels.

Label services have seen huge growth. For a percentage fee, they can provide the same services of major labels across sales, distribution, promotion and marketing. Artists are able to plug into a global infrastructure. This lesson goes into the details of how label services actually operate.

Most label staff are ridiculously overworked and have way too many artists to work on. This lesson gives you ways of getting around this and making sure you are always a priority!

What to expect? Now the real work begins… Don’t lose momentum! You need a constant stream of content, more shows and a continuing digital strategy.

Labels are not in control of the live aspect of an artist’s career. Agents oversee the booking of all live shows whilst promoters take all the financial risk and guarantee the money. This lesson goes into detail about each role and explains why they are so important for an artist’s career.

This lesson will teach you about how early touring is funded. What tour support is and how and when to apply for it.

This lesson discusses all the different ways to try and get support tours. Ultimately the headline band gets final say… but it’s also about utilising different relationships to try and secure them.

Festivals are so important for breaking artists but they are selected differently than tour support. There are a lot of politics with promoters, this lesson will explain why and help you make sure you get the best slots at the right time for you.

Tours used to be seen as a way to promote records. But now artists make most of their money live. You need a great manager, strategy and discipline to maximise profits.

There is a difference between a song and a recording of a song. They have different rights so are dealt with differently. This lesson will teach you about royalties, different licences and how publishers operate.

How to handle your music publishing depends on a lot of factors. With an admin deal you still own 100% of your songs but doesn’t include creative services! Weighing up which to choose is complicated. This lesson will give you an idea of the pros and cons.

Some accountants offer a full scale ‘business manager’ service. Accountants have an important role in overseeing all financial aspects of life. This lesson outlines the criteria you should have when choosing an accountant.

Your music has to be amazing! Nothing else will do as it’s too competitive a market. Spotify have 15,000 new songs ingested every day. Getting the music perfect is the difference between doors opening and them not. This music discusses strategies to get the music right.

What does a producer do? It means different things to different artists and people. This lesson explains all the components of production and how producers are involved with the creative process.

Good producers and songwriters have talent and great connections, so it’s common for big producers to have imprints or their own labels. A production deal is when a producer takes a bigger role in developing the artist. This lesson goes through the details of this kind of deal.

Artist welfare is hugely important. Being a musician and artist is VERY challenging, whether you are successful or not. Sadly, getting dropped is a common reality, which we explore.

Making it in music is very, very hard. Although perseverance is key, it’s important to have a life outside music and keep a balance. Make sure you love the process as the realities and frustrations pre-record deal do not change after success!

The recent evolution of the music industry has changed how success is measured. Streaming money drips in slowly over time, and you don’t need to be signed to be streamed!