{"id":61501,"date":"2023-11-28T09:05:16","date_gmt":"2023-11-28T14:05:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2023\/11\/28\/have-labels-hit-a-breaking-point-with-data-driven-ar\/"},"modified":"2023-11-28T09:05:16","modified_gmt":"2023-11-28T14:05:16","slug":"have-labels-hit-a-breaking-point-with-data-driven-ar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2023\/11\/28\/have-labels-hit-a-breaking-point-with-data-driven-ar\/","title":{"rendered":"Have Labels Hit a Breaking Point With Data-Driven\u00a0A&R?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\tThe A&R position has historically been one of music\u2019s most glamorous executive roles. But it\u2019s common to hear today that the job is closer to that of an anonymous Wall Street number-cruncher \u2014 many of the creative aspects have been removed.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tPop Stars Aren\u2019t Popping Like They Used To \u2014 Do Labels Have a\u00a0Plan?\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

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\n\tTraditionally, A&Rs were tasked with finding the next generation of important artists, and then helping those acts make commercially successful songs. In the modern industry, in many cases, the A&R executives who play key roles in music-making decisions have been supplanted by those who are more interested in using hard analytics to find the next big hit. Taking advantage of the flood of data from digital platforms, music companies now often seek an edge over their competition by ingesting and analyzing reams of information from streaming services and social media sites.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cOver the past five years, everything has been centered around the data, the data, the data,\u201d says Mike Weiss<\/strong>, head of A&R for the distribution company UnitedMasters. The industry now prioritizes \u201cA&R guys who know that 10 is bigger than nine,\u201d jokes Jeremy Maciak<\/strong>, a manager and former major-label A&R.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tBut label sources say that while the data can predict a hit single, it is far less effective at indicating who will become an enduringly popular artist. \u201cWe\u2019ve all been burned to a certain degree,\u201d says Tab Nkhereanye<\/strong>, a senior vp of A&R at BMG.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tArguing about the state of A&R is also arguing about the extent to which record companies can still provide artists with additional creative value. In theory, basing signing strategy on data helps labels unearth acts who are already exhibiting upward momentum and thus reduces the companies\u2019 risk. And it\u2019s a shortcut to nabbing market share in a hyper-competitive business where executive salaries \u2014 and shareholder confidence \u2014 are often tied to such metrics.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tPushing Songs Up the Charts Was a Label Job. Then Fans Took\u00a0Over\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

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\n\tRelying on this type of quantitative research makes sense at a time when listeners have more choice than ever. Discovery has splintered in the era of personalization, and attention spans have evaporated. Since most of the levers the major labels once had to ensure exposure have lost their potency, signing artists who are already finding exposure on their own functions as an insurance policy.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe world is different; the way that people connect with music is different; thus the A&R process has to be different,\u201d says Jordan Weller<\/strong>, head of artist and investor relations at indify, a platform that helps independent acts find funding and support. \u201cNo executive can snap their fingers and guarantee that the world will buy into an artist anymore, because the consumers can finally decide what they want to listen to.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tStill, there is a concern \u2014 most pronounced among veteran A&Rs and managers \u2014 that the pendulum has swung too far towards analytics. \u201cI have a saying to the A&Rs who focus all their time on data: You will be the first people replaced by a computer algorithm,\u201d adds Mike Caren<\/strong>, who built up APG, his own label and publishing company, and served as a major-label A&R. He counsels younger employees, \u201cdon\u2019t take the easy and short-term route of being 100% data reliant.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAll that data doesn\u2019t communicate much about the artist behind the music. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t tell the whole story,\u201d Nkhereanye explains. \u201cCan you perform live? Can you interview? Can you make more than two records that stream?\u201d <\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tHip-Hop\u2019s No. 1s Shortage: Is It Actually a Crisis or Is It \u2018All Cyclical\u2019?\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

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\n\tIn reality, managers and A&Rs say, few of the data-centric signings that landed big deals in recent years have been able to make even two tracks that stream. A number of these artists have been quietly dropped. <\/p>\n

\n\tA former research-focused A&R acknowledges that the data-driven process surfaced a lot of duds. \u201cI was getting frustrated because of the sheer amount of stuff coming up on research and then seeing it not really pan out a year later,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\n\tLabels are all also reviewing much of the same information \u2014 meaning everyone sees the next viral phenomenon within a day or two. \u201cThe companies get the same data, they\u2019re all chasing the same artists,\u201d longtime music attorney Don Passman<\/strong> recently told<\/a> Billboard<\/em>. If no one has a number-crunching advantage anymore, the labels that can provide the most creative assistance to the acts they sign might have the upper hand.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut that skill set may be in short supply precisely because the music industry has emphasized data so heavily in recent years. In Nkhereanye\u2019s view, \u201ccompanies started cutting back on paying great A&R talent. They would rather pay 10 research kids 100 grand and give them fake titles.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tMusic Leaks Have Become More Common \u2014 But Less\u00a0Harmful\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

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\n\t\u201cThere are less A&Rs than ever that can help an artist cultivate their sound, and make better records for a broader audience,\u201d adds J Grand<\/strong>, who has spent more than 15 years in A&R roles. \u201cIf all we do is rely on 0\u2019s and 1\u2019s, that\u2019s a problem, especially with the rise of AI. We have to bring something else to the table.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn this environment, \u201conce the artist is signed, A&Rs don\u2019t know how to help them,\u201d explains Dave Gordon<\/strong>, a streaming consultant who worked at two major labels. And while not every artist needs help, some presumably would benefit from guidance. <\/p>\n

\n\tIn those cases, according to Gordon, the artist-label conversation becomes, \u201c\u2018Do your thing; I don\u2019t know how the f\u2014 you did it last time. Make another one for me, and I\u2019ll turn it in for you.’\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWeiss distills the challenge facing contemporary A&R departments. \u201cThe people that have been able to catch things in that well of TikTok and data and research are all the ones that have been getting promoted,\u201d he explains. Now, \u201cthe research well has essentially run dry. Everyone\u2019s kind of looking around saying, \u2018OK, how do we go back?’\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Aller \u00e0 la source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The A&R position has historically been one of music\u2019s most glamorous executive roles. But it\u2019s common to hear today that the job is closer to that of an anonymous Wall Street number-cruncher \u2014 many of the creative aspects have been removed. Related Pop Stars Aren\u2019t Popping Like They Used To \u2014 Do Labels Have a\u00a0Plan? […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-61501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-musique","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61501","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61501"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61501\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61501"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61501"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}