Rachel Holmberg, Senior Head of A&R at Decca Records.
Most people with some knowledge of the music industry are aware of A&R professionals…but it seems that not everyone understands exactly what they do. Historically, they were known as the people who discovered talent and had a hand in creating hits. This remains true, but there’s so much more to the role, and of course, it differs from company to company, from person to person. To understand what the job entails today, I spoke to Rachel Holmberg, Senior Head of A&R at Decca Records.
Decca Records is one of the most respected names in the music industry, and it has a relatively small team of four A&R professionals and administrative staff. When asked about Decca’s approach to A&R, Holmberg said, “We look at signing talent that’s for global audiences that are world-class musicians.”
A&R is not a one-size-fits-all job. Every artist has different needs, and an A&R professional must adapt for each person. When asked to summarize her job in a sentence or two, Holmberg described her role as such: “It’s like nurturing talent development. And it’s trying to get the best out of what they’re already creating.”
For more established artists, A&R professionals work hard to make something happen for them so they can create the best art possible. “Ultimately they will do the creative,” Holmberg admitted. “We are there to shape what it is that they want. Often those types of artists are likely to deliver us a finished record, and it might be that we help them with extra collaborators or things like that.”
At Decca, the ethos is to be involved but not to change what the musician is doing. “We are facilitators, like in the way that an editor, a book publisher would make recommendations. We do a similar thing, but we’re only there to enhance and elevate what they’re already wanting to do.” They recommend writers or sessions if that’s what the artist desires.
Holmberg notes that this is in contrast to what many people assume an A&R professional does. “A stereotypical A&R would be somebody that’s coming in, bulldozing over an artist, tearing apart a song, throwing in 20 writers.” This is absolutely something that happens, and there have been many instances of singers and bands at major labels disagreeing with their A&R teams, sometimes to disastrous effects. While this approach may work for some labels, it is not Decca’s style, and it’s not what Holmberg has to do.
This “bulldozing” is just one of several misconceptions about A&R jobs that Holmberg set straight during our chat. She commented that she is “a woman with a young family running the A&R department,” which is not necessarily the norm or the stereotype. A&R jobs are not just for men, and the position is not as wild as some people may think. While she and her team might attend as many as three concerts a week, she said, “I’m not drinking or anything like that.” The crazy days of partying until all hours and consuming drugs on the job…they don’t appear to be around any longer.
With newer artists, the job can be very different. At Decca, Holmberg says there is currently a big focus on talent development. Some artists are in touch constantly to perfect what they’re working on. Holmberg described working with one brand new musician, saying, “Last night she was sending me the latest version of the production over WhatsApp.” The artist asked, “I’m not sure of this structure. Can you have a listen?” In these instances, Holmberg provides suggestions, from shortening the tune to changing lyrics to adding a collaborator. “It’s very much a partnership with whoever the artist is.”
A&R professionals need to keep up with what’s happening, who is rising, and what names will matter soon, especially behind the scenes. They also need to connect the right people, with a sense of what collaborations and partnerships might work. Holmberg mentioned upcoming meetings with artists to nail down the narrative of their new album, to discuss recording budgets, and to sit down and potentially sign a new act that’s been a discussion for a while now.
Speaking of signing a new act, this is likely what most people associate with an A&R job. Discovering what’s next and snagging it before someone else comes along with a better offer. Holmberg didn’t dive into this part of her role until later in the conversation, but it’s clearly one of the most important–and time-consuming.
Holmberg and her team are constantly listening to music, receiving submissions, and even going out to bars and venues like in decades past to find new acts. While there is undoubtedly excitement in discovering new talent, she admits that there is also nervousness when signing an unknown. “It always comes with a degree of anxiety, but excitement” she confirmed, and with good reason. If it doesn’t work out, sometimes the A&R behind the project can receive the blame…but if that musician goes on to do incredible things, they can also earn the praise.
Nevertheless, Holmberg and her team approach their work with the best intentions, despite the fact that “nothing is ever guaranteed in this industry.” While there has recently been an emphasis in the music industry on signing talent based on their performance on TikTok or streaming platforms–that’s not everyone. For most people who work in A&R, Holmberg explains, “it’s all about that gut feeling and hearing that special song or seeing that special something in an artist.”
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2023/02/24/what-exactly-does-an-ar-professional-actually-do-in-the-music-industry/