What not to say to an A&R rep

[jazz1bro]

categories..Definitely limiting and doesn't spark creative thinking among the listeners who are now used to being told what to eat , drink and think

[TheGhettostylus]

all the record company really cares about is all the millions of pounds you could make them.

[CherieBakerMusic]

This guy makes a good point. My brother worked in radio and did stuff with Sony and he said the same.

[FreeAgeMusicGroup]

Aeileon.com Lets Collab. (Unsigned and Grinding over 500 songs in my catalog)

[thereneegardner]

Support the movement: HipHopSoul

[tgbitw17]

all I have to say is:

1: Radiohead

2: Ray LaMontagne

3: Death Cab For cutie

these are just a few artist (and there are many more) that don't fit neatly in to the "radio format" label that still sell thousands of records. I honestly believe that it is the A&R guys themselves that has the music industry in the shape it is today. They THINK they know too damn much!

[checkabreak]

@tgbitw17 LOL!! All those artist come from radio you retard.

[tgbitw17]

@checkabreak33

you ill informed moron. All of the bands I've mentioned got their following from a grass roots level (continual touring, self promotion, rabid fan base, ect...)

Only then, and I mean ONLY then did the labels (and hence radio) even consider them. LABELS= RADIO PLAY. Get it? Have YOU tried to get radio play lately without the push of a major?

I at one time was under the same management as Ray Lamontagne so I know what he went through to get where he is today. Schmuck.

[checkabreak]

@tgbitw17 you most be a complete retard.. radio head? radio head? how old are yo? Death Cab was practically out the gate sign to barsukk records and later Capitol? or Atlantic record? i dun remember. Yeah keep believing fairy tales. we did it alone grass roots and all that bullshit you silly silly dude.

[tgbitw17]

@checkabreak

HA HA, it amazes me to what level misinformation runs rampant on you tube from AMATEURS like you!!

wow dude, go and do your research on these bands before I'm willing to even waste my time arguing with you. You're obviously NOT on THE LEVEL... DCFC released 5 records BEFORE they even became somewhat of a "radio band." So back to your original comment "that these artist come from radio." WHAT!??!!! you fucking jackass!!!!

Dude, best shut up now cause now yer just embarassing urself

[checkabreak]

@tgbitw17 Jajaja. so truth tgbiw so truth...

[diees]

So guys at radio stations are monkeys uh.

Uh uh. Uh uh uh!

[TorinoBeats]

Look at how successful Bruno Mars is right now : )

[jeffsocal12]

@TorinoBeats Actually, Bruno Mars started out as a pop songwriter working for A and R guys just like this

[nikgottheblues]

bullshit you dont have to be one thing... what if you had a single on each station, 1-rock 1-country 1-pop 1-blues 1-jazz, and you can attack all fan bases, it takes more than locking yourself into 1 genre now a days, maybe this is true in the past but not now

[nublackmusic]

Check out our video 'niva speaks to the music industry' and see how many artists and musicians are feeling very frustrated.

[djrits]

Oh wait, you can market yourself, do gigs all over the country, sell a couple thousand CDs yourself blah blah, wtf does the label do then? Someone needs to remind him its not 1980 anymore! Just put their darn name on the record and take away half of the revenue? All that this guy just said is all that the "music industry" needs to get rid of! Fortunately, many successful dance music labels sign artists out of their bedroom studios and make them stars (of course only when the music is good)..

[KappaMusic]

I just watched a seminar on Youtube with Chris Blackwell, you can find it in the suggestions, he is the biggest vagina you have ever seen, and now I

m looking at this guy and I'm thinking "fuck the music industry is gonna rot and burn because of greedy cunts like this" .....

i bet this cunt got his info from Google, useless cunt.

Honestly, You know what you should never say to a record label ? ... "I wanna make money" ... I guarantee you will be escorted out of the fucking building by security

[wallymeldrum]

@KappaMusic respect!

[benbrenyefski]

V - Vegan?

[crimsoncitizen]

the word is "VERSATILE" to anyone not feeling like waiting in the intro

[protorobsmos]

Anyone who is whinging about this video, it's about time you started separating music from music business. One is spiritual and one is not. Fact. If you want to make money off your versatile, progressive art music then prepare to work 20 times as hard to make it happen because the people who listen to that stuff don't bother with mainstream mediums of accessing music like the masses do, who'll eat up Lady Gaga because they were told to.

[XSTRAIGHTEDGE4EVERX]

If you are in a band and want to get signed

go to myspace and type:

Sign My band

into a people search. They will help you get a record deal

[jaroddelgado]

FORGOTTEN FABLE ROCKS!!

[vadeviski]

Anybody know this guys name?

[MomoTheBellyDancer]

This guy's attitude is exactly why the music industry is going to hell. A&R people *think* that the public wants crappy music, but they are so wrong.

[soldanolespaul]

You're completely right.

There is also a lot of bull in what he's saying.

Stations are moving away from formatting into more shuffles because labels are growing too lazy to sort music, and it was never originally the artist's position (or desire) to determine his/her best market value.

What he's selling is very stale, typical, and common advice that attempts to keep people out of the industry rather than help due to the influx of bands coming to him or whoever gives him direction.

[cindiburkey]

he is full of crap, but as a practical matter, he's also right. programming music is all done by machines. he's basically saying "tell me what's cool about your band and save the soap opera for when you're famous and people care." if all musicians were self promoters, his way could work. but that's a linear thought process which is not natural for musicians. musicians, just send your stuff to me. i'm on myspace.

[SwordInAir]

@MomoTheBellyDancer So why do they buy it then?

[Shanman91]

I don't understand..

My dad left when I was 8, I picked up music as the escape to getting all of my stress out. I have the most emotion in music, because my peers were not influential.. I learned to pick the most of music that meant the most, not the popular stuff, I grew into that.. But I achieved a higher status of their writings and compositions, and I just want to improve more.

I do the slow soft music, but I can do anything that is thrown at me to compose..

Does that sound bad?

[cindiburkey]

these people just want to hear that your music will MAKE THEM MONEY. they don't care what your heart does even if that's where the music is coming from. they want to know that other people can hear it and will buy it. that's all.

[checkabreak]

Like who Metric5919? name ONE !! Independent artist making a living? buying a house ? a car ? out of their music ? WHO? i want to know........ i know a lot of you putting labels down, but i can name hundreds upon hundreds of great artist sign to labels ..... don't be mad cause you aint got one

[FakeFlourescentSkies]

Thrice

[cindiburkey]

norah jones

[checkabreak]

norah jones? are you serious? BLUE NOTE, Dream Works gave her TONS of money to do film music plus many many publishers on her side

[LittleBigMan81]

@checkabreak Immortal Technique

[checkabreak]

@LittleBigMan81 sure i'm from Harlem... Immortal started doing good about three years a go or so... sure you're rite ... BUT ... make no mistakes i much much rather be sign to a label before digital downloads ..

[daeMTHAFKNkim]

@checkabreak Immortal Technique is making a living.

[checkabreak]

@daeMTHAFKNkim Ok so before the "Evil" record labels tyou could count thousands of artist THOUSANDS living the good life you know rich artist getting rape...But rich none of the less. And now we have Immortal from harlem.. He was still at his moms a few years a go? not sure.. lol

[wisesire]

look if you argue with his points your obviously not getting. Whether you like it or not its how the business works. Your personal tastes and preferences are not the same as the masses. YOu wanna do your thing, be prepared to be an independent - small income, rarely touring and never played on big stations. But hey who ever heard about doing it because you love it right?

[checkabreak]

Name one artist that came independent (not that you got five million dollars laying around) and now is doing good

[IRONICTHEGODMOTHER]

master p

[checkabreak]

@IRONICTHEGODMOTHER yeah got me there 

[mrmoe187]

The taxi convention is cool, their service was good 5 years ago, you will waste your money with them now. Record Companies are so old school. The internet has leveled the playing field. You can make money on your own without a record label. Unless you want your music thrown in a verizon commericial or being endorsed an a Apple iPod commericial, then go to a major label. Half the people at a taxi convention are country artists who still don't understand how a myspace page works.

[toujizanai]

hmmmmm try and make it without a label i dare u

[cqwc]

it's been done before... Lisa Loeb topped the Hot 100 with the song Stay (I Missed You) before being signed to a record label.

[ShaliakhYeshai]

I've been in the industry for 20+ years. Many of my friends are signed. I will tell you the labels aren't needed any longer.

The only reason the labels existed in previous years is studio time, promotion and distribution.

The internet has leveled the playing field. I know minor labels who have just as much reach now as sony or universal. Itunes, tunecore and other places have made labels unnecessary. period.

[ionthegravity]

damn right!!!

[andyjohnD]

Robert Palmer wants said that if Elvis or Chuck Berry came on today; because of the formatting they would have not made it today..

Think about it and these are two of the most versitale performers both mixed R&B and Country, both covered a vast range of genres that we've listened too.

[miamilmt]

LOL, record labels are so 1998. If you can't do it yourself, why even bother?

Someone needs to remind the speaker in this video that Kurt Cobain was married to a heroin addict that eventually had his baby. Missing the point of artistry these dinosaurs are.

[ninetyninenightmares]

@miamilmt fuck this, kurt cobain also helped create a different GENRE all together GRUNGE, you need different styles of music to do this... look at Linkin Park

[christinavelia]

@miamilmt  amen

[madsketcher]

@miamilmt You say that as if Kurt Cobain wasn't an addict. Odd, I thought.

[billyjcoombs]

This proves how out of touch record companies actually are. How little of it is about music at all.

[drummerca101]

My God could the term "suits" be left back with the 80's !!!!!!!!!!!!! Enough already!!! Business men take care of business artists take cake care of art. You don't like labels do it yourself!!!! Don't waste time putting them down, beath the so-called "suits" at their own game. Oh you don't have the work ethic for it? then stop complaining about your situation!!

[SabrinaMessenger]

Most indies I know do have a very STRONG work ethic. Many of us bust our butts on getting our music out there in addition to holding down "everyday jobs" and raising families, too! Maybe if the SUITS (yeah, I'll use it anyway...I don't care if it dates me or not)would stop trying to market musicians like fast food or soda, and instead paid attention to musicians who truly have something worthwhile to say, those who truly CARE about their craft...then the music industry would be better off!!!

[drummerca101]

thanks for responding to me. I will say this, I don't know whwew you are from, so maybe yeah, people you know work hard. I was from Canada where artists can get government grants for their music, I just found that people in Toronto kept banking on getting that grant snd didnt do enough outside of filling out an application. If you are from the states I know its different down here I should't have put everyone from different political systems in the same boat.

[cindiburkey]

suits is a great word, find me a better one

[jeffmara]

thanks for the info

[SabrinaMessenger]

This video is a perfect example why I KNOW I'd rather stay "Indie" than sell out to the suits running the major labels. Talk about putting people in straightjackets musically.