Artist and Repertoire Workers
Requirements
Education and Training Requirements
High School
Most A&R workers have a college degree, so in high school you should pursue a college preparatory track. Classes in business, mathematics, speech, and English will be helpful. The most important thing you can do is to become involved in music, be it playing in a school band or with a group of friends, going to shows, or simply listening to a wide variety of music in your spare time.
Postsecondary Training
Executives in the music industry come from a variety of backgrounds. Youll likely need a college degree, but experience with a record company will be the most valuable training. An internship is highly recommended, and is useful for making the right connections. Some A&R workers have degrees in communications, business, marketing, and music.
Certification, Licensing, and Special Requirements
Certification or Licensing
There are no certification or licensing requirements for artist and repertoire workers.
Experience, Skills, and Personality Traits
Although prior experience is not required, a part-time job or internship at a record company will provide useful experience to aspiring A&R workers.
Mainly, youll need a love for music and an interest in the business end of the music industry. You should have a good sense of the history of popular music as well as the acts that are currently on the scene. Youll also need to be very organized; A&R workers for big companies generally must handle many different acts in different stages of production. Other important traits include perseverance, strong communication and interpersonal skills, and curiosity.