{"id":22712,"date":"2020-06-02T00:15:14","date_gmt":"2020-06-02T00:15:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/?p=22712"},"modified":"2021-09-26T15:21:45","modified_gmt":"2021-09-26T15:21:45","slug":"tips-musicians-ar-reps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/tips-musicians-ar-reps\/","title":{"rendered":"Music A&#038;R Reps and How to Approach Them"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Whether you want to be signed to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicindustryhowto.com\/best-major-record-labels\/\">a big record label<\/a> or a more modest but equally <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indiemusicacademy.com\/blog\/10-indie-music-labels-you-should-know\">awesome indie label<\/a>, you gotta learn how to approach music A&amp;R reps. These guys have been getting flocks of demo reels and e-mails a day that you really have to know how to sell yourself.<\/p>\n<p>Here are some tips to follow if you&#8217;re planning to approach a label:<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_83 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-light-blue ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a136a67b16b9\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a136a67b16b9\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/tips-musicians-ar-reps\/#you-must-be-proactive-in-achieving-success\" >YOU MUST BE PROACTIVE IN ACHIEVING SUCCESS<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/tips-musicians-ar-reps\/#approaching-a-label-when-youre-not-100-ready-is-bad\" >APPROACHING A LABEL WHEN YOU&#8217;RE NOT 100% READY IS BAD<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/tips-musicians-ar-reps\/#if-youre-generic-dont-even-try\" >IF YOU&#8217;RE GENERIC, DON&#8217;T EVEN TRY<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/tips-musicians-ar-reps\/#come-up-with-a-sellable-story\" >COME UP WITH A SELLABLE STORY<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/tips-musicians-ar-reps\/#find-your-match\" >FIND YOUR MATCH<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/tips-musicians-ar-reps\/#know-when-youre-not-wanted\" >KNOW WHEN YOU&#8217;RE NOT WANTED<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"you-must-be-proactive-in-achieving-success\"><\/span><strong>YOU MUST BE PROACTIVE IN ACHIEVING SUCCESS<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-33315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/YOU-MUST-BE-PROACTIVE-IN-ACHIEVING-SUCCESS-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/YOU-MUST-BE-PROACTIVE-IN-ACHIEVING-SUCCESS-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/YOU-MUST-BE-PROACTIVE-IN-ACHIEVING-SUCCESS-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/YOU-MUST-BE-PROACTIVE-IN-ACHIEVING-SUCCESS-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/YOU-MUST-BE-PROACTIVE-IN-ACHIEVING-SUCCESS-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/YOU-MUST-BE-PROACTIVE-IN-ACHIEVING-SUCCESS.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Unlike before when the labels pick up talents that from scratch, today, labels through their music A&amp;R reps want musicians that are already doing things to achieve music career success.<\/p>\n<p>The days when a good band with great music could think of a label as their savior are over.<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"approaching-a-label-when-youre-not-100-ready-is-bad\"><\/span><strong>APPROACHING A LABEL WHEN YOU&#8217;RE NOT 100% READY IS BAD<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-33316\" src=\"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/APPROACHING-A-LABEL-WHEN-YOURE-NOT-100-READY-IS-BAD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"349\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Because everyone\u2019s so tightly wound and there are fewer A&amp;R to go around, the consequences of shopping too early can be drastic.\u00a0Before you even think about labels, you should invite other industry (like managers, producers, media or former A&amp;R) to a showcase and get their opinions. If you approach too early and the label aren&#8217;t convinced, it would take six months before you can re-apply.<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"if-youre-generic-dont-even-try\"><\/span><strong>IF YOU&#8217;RE GENERIC, DON&#8217;T EVEN TRY<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-33318\" src=\"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/IF-YOURE-GENERIC-DONT-EVEN-TRY-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/IF-YOURE-GENERIC-DONT-EVEN-TRY-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/IF-YOURE-GENERIC-DONT-EVEN-TRY-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/IF-YOURE-GENERIC-DONT-EVEN-TRY-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/IF-YOURE-GENERIC-DONT-EVEN-TRY-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/IF-YOURE-GENERIC-DONT-EVEN-TRY.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Music A&amp;R reps don\u2019t want to sign clones so you better have something original to put on the table.\u00a0\u00a0Find your signature sound and make sure it\u2019s current. Even if you want to do the indie route, a pinch of originality is a must.<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"come-up-with-a-sellable-story\"><\/span><strong>COME UP WITH A SELLABLE STORY<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-33319\" src=\"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/COME-UP-WITH-A-SELLABLE-STORY-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/COME-UP-WITH-A-SELLABLE-STORY-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/COME-UP-WITH-A-SELLABLE-STORY-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/COME-UP-WITH-A-SELLABLE-STORY-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/COME-UP-WITH-A-SELLABLE-STORY-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/COME-UP-WITH-A-SELLABLE-STORY-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/COME-UP-WITH-A-SELLABLE-STORY.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>You might think &#8220;Bollocks. So sell out!&#8221; but that&#8217;s the way the cookie crumbles. People are not just interested in music, they&#8217;re interested in the lives of the artists behind the music. &#8220;What&#8217;s your story?&#8221; is one of the top three questions that the A&amp; R will ask you. You better come up with a good one but make sure it&#8217;s authentic. You must not fake this. You just have to know which one to highlight.<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"find-your-match\"><\/span><strong>FIND YOUR MATCH<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-33320\" src=\"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/FIND-YOUR-MATCH.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"476\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/FIND-YOUR-MATCH.jpg 580w, https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/FIND-YOUR-MATCH-300x238.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Approach\u00a0A&amp;R who work with your style of music to increase your chances of winning. If they work with your type of music, then they&#8217;re experts at selling your type of music. Plain and simple.<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"know-when-youre-not-wanted\"><\/span><strong>KNOW WHEN YOU&#8217;RE NOT WANTED<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-33321\" src=\"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/KNOW-WHEN-YOURE-NOT-WANTED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"430\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/KNOW-WHEN-YOURE-NOT-WANTED.jpg 512w, https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/KNOW-WHEN-YOURE-NOT-WANTED-300x215.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/KNOW-WHEN-YOURE-NOT-WANTED-322x230.jpg 322w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Following up once or twice to see if they got your package is fine, as long as you\u2019re polite. If you haven\u2019t heard anything after a month, though, move on. Approach them again after a few months if you really find them a good fit for you but make sure you make some changes.<\/p>\n<p>________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><b><i>James Hill<\/i><\/b><i> is a veteran of the music industry. He first worked at Warner Reprise Records then later joined Interscope\/ Geffen Records where he managed producers and songwriters and got his first platinum record for Keyshia Cole&#8217;s The Way It Is. He is now helping indie artists with branding and manufacturing through his company <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/\"><span class=\"s1\"><b><i>Unified Manufacturing<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/a><i>, a CD\/DVD\/vinyl and merch company in LA.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Whether you want to be signed to a big record label or a more modest but equally awesome indie label, you gotta learn how to approach music A&amp;R reps. These guys have been getting flocks of demo reels and e-mails a day that you really have to know how to sell yourself. Here are some [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":22922,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,17,13,24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22712","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artist-tips","category-film-music-marketing","category-music-distribution-news","category-musicmakers-filmmakers"],"contentshake_article_id":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22712","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22712"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22712\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33560,"href":"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22712\/revisions\/33560"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22712"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22712"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unifiedmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22712"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}