How to Develop and Utilize A&r Contacts

Developing A&R contacts is an indispensable tool that should be included in your bands promotional campaign. When used correctly, marketing your bands music, performance dates and special events to A&R personnel can be used to leverage executive level interest by building some excitement about your band and music, combine that with some good general buzz about your music on the local scene and you will have laid the foundation to a new and vital relationship that can be used to open the right doors on your bands journey to landing a recording contract.

First things first

If your band is just starting out and has had limited or little exposure on the music scene, then it may be a good idea to hold off on marketing to A&R people until your band has some substantial playing time on the local music scene. Of course there are always exceptions to the rule when it comes to marketing in the music industry, but your best bet will be to develop a following and fan base, book quality gigs in the most popular clubs and venues, and distribute your bands bio package and marketing items before you attempt to contact an A&R agent.

Most A&R scouts in general are on the look out for musical acts that are seasoned and already causing a stir in the scene. Their ultimate goal is to locate and sign acts that are already on the local scene and only need some fine tuning or marketing adjustments to make them a global attraction.

Focus your efforts

Before you go out and start blasting off emails, and sending promo packages to every A&R agent you can find, developing a well timed and planed marketing strategy will save you and your band time, energy, and maximize your results.

You will be wasting your time and resources marketing to record labels and A&R agents who don’t fit in your bands general genre or will be unreceptive to your bands music. If your band is in R&B category, then sending your demo CD to an A&R rep from a Country music label will more than likely get your CD dropped in that circular file bin (the trash). By focusing your marketing campaign to A&R agents and labels that are in your music genre you will likely generate more interest and positive attention.

Stand out in the crowd

Lets face it, you’re not the only band out there who is looking for an edge in reaching and marketing your music to the right A&R people and record labels, and the fact of the matter is that even though your band may have star qualities and a killer CD just waiting to be released, the only way you stand a chance of being seen is to make everything you and your band does stand out from the rest of the crowd!