Roles & Contracts
Record Companies
A&R (Artist & Repertoire):
Duties:
An A&R's primary job is to scout fresh and new talents that are yet to be discovered, hoping that they are the next big thing. However it's not as easy as it sounds as they have to search far and wide to find a "gem in the trash". Once they find a new talent with potential to achieve commercial success, they must convince them as to why their label is right for them and their direction of music.
Salary/Hours/Working Environment:
A&R's arguably have one of the most enjoyable roles in the whole industry and this is one of the reasons. Their working environment? Located everywhere that plays live music because when they hear a good submission from a band/artists, an A&R has to see the act perform live to actually see the artist/band in action before approaching them.
The hours are flexible as record companies can't give them a set amount of hours to work as most of the time, A&R's are going to gigs to see live performances and listen to music that are being submitted by unknown acts hoping that their music catches the ear of an A&R.
The salary is completely dependent on various factors such as experience and where you're located in the world but also mainly on yourself. One of the biggest factors would be the label you're working for because "the bigger the label, the bigger the pay check". It won't be surprising if you start off earning no money, however you gain something very important once you start and that is "Networking". Networking is perhaps one of the most important things you can get and expand on while working in the music industry as it can point you in directions you probably never knew existed before hand, which comes really handy for an A&R when they want to look for new talent. Also, one of the biggest factors that influences your salary is your track record. For example, if you've been recruiting acts that ended up in success then you get a bigger reputation and a bigger pay check, however if you recruit acts that are shelved/scrapped by the label after an album (or even a song), it's likely you'll be shown to the door.
Skills/Education Needed:
One of the main things that is mainly needed is experience in the music industry. For example, you can be an artist and be an A&R (i.e. Many sight that Jay-Z is responsible for the upstart Kanye West's career). Don't forget that it's always possible to enter such a career with little or no experience. A few examples of skills needed to be an A&R are:
*A wide knowledge of various musical genres
*A good understanding of songwriting, production & composing
*Very good communication in order to present themselves well
*Have an understanding of marketing in the music industry
Type Of Contract:
As mentioned earlier, a label can't place a set time for an A&R and their work so they'll most likely base it off their track records of who they have recruited for the label. The more successful acts they've recruited, the longer they stay on the label.
Payment Method:
It's highly likely that when you're in a major label, they'll pay A&R in points (points are percentage points from album sales, deals, etc). An A&R generally wouldn't ask for a ridiculously high percentage, but the more successful the act is, more money goes into the pocket of the A&R. A&R's can also get paid in bonuses from the success of the acts they've signed.
Risks Associated With Contract Type:
If you're not finding good acts and constantly going through "droughts" of not finding new acts, you will be shown the door.
Radio Plugger:
Duties:
Radio Pluggers are one of the many connections in the music industry that can take you somewhere, given the right time & place. Their main role is to make sure to get the artist's/band's new releases (typically singles) into the hands of producers and DJ's of radio shows, however depending on the popularity of the artist/band, the plugger may even bring them a whole album for them to play. Even if they can't get the artists/band on the playlist, let alone a rotation, the plugger will at least try and get a few plays. They also attempt set up the artist/band with a live radio session or interviews mainly based around upcoming gigs and projects yet to be released, but they both tend to go hand in hand. The whole point is to give the artist/band more exposure to the world.
Salaries/Hours/Working Environment:
The work environment of a plugger would typically be their home or they'd be working from an office. The hours vary as it depends on how much work they can find and how much work they can handle. The salary for a radio plugger is a little bit more complicated however.
There is no regular income for a plugger so they'll only get paid when they do their job but when they do their job well, they get paid really well. However, to get yourself in such a position, that takes work ethic and time. There are various methods on how a plugger can get paid, which will mainly be dependent on the client (client being record labels mainly) that hires the plugger and the reputation of the plugger. For example, the plugger could be paid upfront (if they have a really good reputation), get paid bit by bit as the band's/artist's exposure increases or get paid once the job is done.
It's not uncommon for new pluggers to charge the client at a much lower price. Some will even charge absolutely nothing just to gain experience and build up contacts within the industry. It also wouldn't be a surprise if even the high-end pluggers will do some jobs at a reduced rate or free of charge because they may simply believe that the artist/band involved has the potential to become big.
Skill/Education Needed:
*Contacts - Without contacts, radio pluggers are essentially useless.
*Patience - It won't happen all the time but artists/bands won't gain a ridiculous amount of exposure overnight.
*Good Communication Skills - If you talk to a contact the wrong way, you can kiss that contact goodbye. Also have to be persuasive so artists/bands choose you.
*Drive - If you're not determined to become a great plugger and try your best to expose any of the artists/bands that approach you, you will be left behind to bite the dust.
Type Of Contract:
For radio pluggers, it will be based on their track record. The more clients they satisfy, then more jobs will come their way.
Payment Methods:
Radio Pluggers can be paid either upfront, at the end or either paying by result (meaning the more exposure is gained, the more money the plugger gets paid). Pluggers can even get paid bonuses for gaining certain results (i.e. the artist/band gains a high demand, etc)
Risks Associated With Contract Type:
If people don't want to hire you to give their artist/band exposure, then you'll soon be facing a reducing income (or no income at all).
PR Officer:
Duties:
Public Relation (PR) Officers handles the reputation of their clients, so they do this through the use of media and their communication skills to make, manage and maintain their client's image and reputation. They also deal with the public & press should they want their client's attention (i.e. interviews), analyzes the media and any coverage they do about any of their clients and provides their clients with information about things like promotional opportunities, etc.
Salaries/Hours/Working Environment:
The working environment is pretty standard as you'd work from an office working 9am till 5pm, however it may may vary dependent on workload, meeting deadlines or responding to a "crisis" (i.e. client may find themselves in a mess where the media play the roles of vultures and rip apart their reputation) and they'll also need to travel to meet clients and attend events. Salaries can start from £18,000 per year but can increase as you grow in experience and rise in ranks, meaning that the yearly salary can go up to £100,000+.
Skill/Education Needed:
To become a PR, you don't need a degree to become a PR officer, however since the PR industry is very competitive, having a degree will surely play to your advantage however since any degree is accepted, some employers would prefer that you have a degree in Business, Politics, English, Marketing, etc. Some skills many successful PR officers possess are:
*Good teamwork - If you can't work as a team, you may be seen as a "thorn" by your colleagues.
*Creativity
*Communication - As a PR, you'll be speaking to many important people.
*Good presentation skills - You cannot present your clients in a negative way if you're to manage and maintain their reputation.
Contracts
What if I want to get out of it?
It's not unusual for an artist/band to want to leave a contract deal after signing one because of various reasons such as "the deal isn't for them" or maybe they didn't read the contract well enough and found out things they agreed to that they didn't understand at the time, etc.
It's really hard to escape from a record label for an artist and it always has been. Record labels always look for a way to keep artists/bands tied to their labels for as long as possible and mainly do this through contracts hoping that the artist/band slips up. The most common ways to escape from a contract with a record label is either buying yourself out of the contract or to simply see out your contract till the end of the agreed term.
Will it protect me?
When you sign with a record label (especially major), they'll look out for you so long as you are signed with them. They'll protect you from various things such as your songs getting sampled by another artist/band without permission (or someone making a case of you sampling someone else without permission) to hiring a fine lawyer for you should you be in court potentially facing time behind bars.
What guarantees will it offer?
One guarantee is that the label will push you and your music out there as far as they can push it, meaning they'll push towards radio slots, getting you interviews, selling merchandise, etc. They'll definitely provide you with a studio and time to produce music for the label.
Another guarantee is that the label won't cover all of your costs (unless they 100% believe in you and your music) as they'll charge you for measly things that will build up such as ordering lunch everyday to the studio, covering travel costs (should you be touring), etc.
How will I get paid?
When signed to a contract with a record label, you'll tend to get paid in royalties and royalties are based on the percentage of the standard retail selling price. However your royalties that are earned from outside your base country may be calculated differently, for example, 50% in America, 40% in Australia, 25% in Japan, etc. You can also get paid other ways such synchronization fees (i.e. your music appearing on adverts, games, movies, TV shows, etc)
Pros:
*They provide you with things you may have not been able to afford before singing (i.e. a state-in-the-art studio).
*They have enough money to afford costs to promote you (i.e. create and sell your merchandise, advertise any upcoming singles/projects you've made, etc)
*If a record label (especially major) signs you or wants to sign you, it can indicate that you have some talent (Miles Davis signed to Warner Bros., Nas signed to Columbia, Jimi Hendrix singed to Capitol, etc)
Cons:
*They look out for themselves before the artist (i.e. look at people like Toni Braxton).
*They'll be shady when it comes to contracts, meaning they won't tell you everything you NEED to know, they'll tell you everything you want to hear.
*Once you sign to any contract they hand over to you, it'll be so hard for you to escape the contract.
