Anything Under the Sun

First of all, thank you for all your comments on last week’s article, ‘How Record Labels Operate‘. Yes, it’s true. We can only give you a general crash course on record labels and their ways. The industry itself is infamous for its complexity, so to delve into its depths through more comprehensive articles would probably leave us all hairless!

Record Labels Revealed: A&R – Where It All Begins

This week, we focus on what is the most important record label department of them all, A&R. It would be difficult to exaggerate the significance that A&R has in the industry, since it is with them that the whole industrial process – from artist discovery right through to music legend – begins. Madonna might have remained in obscurity if she hadn’t been signed by Michael Rosenblatt, the Sire Records A&R man who also signed Depeche Mode; Mariah Carey might have continued as a backing singer if it hadn’t been for Tommy Mottola, who also signed Jessica Simpson to Columbia Records.

Madonna’s First Single

In 1978, Madonna relocated to New York to pursue her dreams. She said of her move to New York, “It was the first time I’d ever taken a plane, the first time I’d ever gotten a taxi cab. I came here with $35 in my pocket. It was the bravest thing I’d ever done.”

In October, 1982, music executive Michael Rosenblatt of Sire Records signs Madonna to a one-off deal to record Everybody as a dance single.

A&R is the shortened version of the far more cultured sounding ‘Artists and Repertoire’, but when it comes to the realities of the business, it’s basically the department that signs and nurtures new signings. It’s referred to as ‘The Gatekeeper’ as it is only through A&R that musicians can make it into the music industry. As you can imagine then, A&R personnel attract most of the executive spotlight. They are highly sought after by ambitious hopefuls, loved by those who are accepted and hated by those who are rejected. Make no mistake about it, the pressure on A&R personnel is massive, and the popular notion that their lives are a haze of wild parties and crazy rock concerts is actually very different from the truth.

An A&R executive is employed to find new talent, so a record label expects a fresh supply of new marketable acts from them. The search entails a lot of time listening to demo recordings submitted either by colleagues, friends, associates or directly from bands and artists, as well as traveling to gigs in all kinds of small towns and out-of-the-way places. Once upon a time, an A&R executive would have been regularly swamped by hundreds of unsolicited demo tapes each week. These days, unsolicited submissions are no longer accepted (for legal reasons mainly) but executives still deal with hundreds of demos. In the modern era, they also keep a close eye on the internet – the reason why, Charice, for one, can tell you all about.

When a signing is made, the A&R department sets about getting all of the other departments working together on a plan to develop the artist’s career. The entire weight of the label’s resources row in behind the new ’star’ to promote, develop and publicize them, in the hope of creating a new marketing phenomenon. The idea is to get their story in every magazine, their face on every TV channel and their music on every radio station.

It all seems great, but the problem is that, once an executive has signed a new band or artist, he is responsible for that artist’s career direction, and their fates are often tied together. While talent is an integral part of success, it is not a guarantee. As one of the industry’s biggest A&R men, Columbia Record’s Tim Devine, once pointed out: “When the history of the music business is written, there are always big chapters on Dylan, Hendrix, Springsteen, Bowie, Sly Stone, Kurt Cobain, etc. An A&R person would give their eye teeth to discover just one of them. However, ‘new and different’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘good and marketable’.”

So, if the signing fails to make the impact that was expected, then the executive’s career can fall as flat as the band or artist he signed.

It means that A&R is where the action is. The drama, the glamor, the success, the failures: everything that is human about the music industry is handled by the A&R department, while the mechanics and finances are handled elsewhere.

Next week, we’ll continue this series with a look at the business end of the music industry spectrum. If you want to know how a record label actually makes money from their stable of stars, or how a band or artist gets their first record out, then check it out right here.

By Robert Sheen, Charicemania.com

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Another repost from here.

Charice will be part of a superstar line-up that will perform in the 13th “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” Special.

“The star-studded holiday special will feature performances by … (these artists)… with a mix of current hits and holiday classics,” the statement said.

As per NBC’s statement, a powerhouse ensemble will be there in the event, including:

◦Grammy winner Mariah Carey is considered as the most successful recording artist of all time, with more than 60 million albums sold.

◦ Sheryl Crow has nine Grammy awards on her belt and has just released a new album with the title “100 Miles from Memphis”.

◦ Josh Groban is known for his excellent vocal quality and for fusing pop with classical influences. In case you don’t know him, Groban jokingly said, “I am Joe Jonas to your mothers.”

◦ Jessica Simpson has developed from a full time recording artist into a full-fledged philanthropist, after helping an orphanage and also as Operation Smile’s International Youth Ambassador.

◦ Susan Boyle is a testament to the saying that one should not judge a book by its cover. She joined the UK talent show, “Britain’s Got Talent”, showing other people that there’s a lot more to her than meets the eye.

◦Annie Lennox , formerly of the band “Eurythmics”, is the most successful British female in pop history. She has won ten Grammy awards including the 1993 Album of the Year for her compilation, “Diva”.

◦ Katherine Jenkins has received multiple multi-platinum awards, and is known for her specialty – opera and classical music. However, she wants to show her versatility after releasing US debut Album, “Believe”, produced by 15-time Grammy winner David Foster.

◦ Kylie Minogue is one of the most enduring figures in the world of music. Having started in the 1980’s with the hit remake “Locomotion”, she continues to churn out hit after hit, with “All the Lovers”, released in 2010.

◦ Jackie Evancho is a rising young star who was first recognized in Youtube, and later via the talent show, “America’s Got Talent”. Her angelic voice has wowed not only America, but also the rest of the planet.

Hosted by NBC’s Natalie Morales and Al Roker, the said event will celebrate the lighting of the Rockefeller Center’s world-famous Christmas tree.

“The 78th annual holiday extravaganza will feature a tree that is 74 feet high, 40 feet in diameter and weighs a whopping 12 tons,” it added.

NBC will air the event live on Tuesday, November 30th at 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM eastern. WNBC and other affiliate stations nationwide will also broadcast an additional live hour of the event from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM.

Aside from this, Charice, unaffected by sushi, is also scheduled for performances in the following events:

Citadel’s 9th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Show (Los Angeles, CA; November 20th)

Charice will be with Cody Simpson to cheer up the crowd with their performances. The show will be held at the Citadel Outlets in downtown Los Angeles.

Kiss 98.5 Kissmas Bash 2010 (Buffalo, NY; December 4th):

Charice will perform at the HSBC Areana with Maroon 5, Kelly Rowland, Kevin Rudolf, Miranda Cosgrove, and Neon Trees. Tickets for this much anticipated event were already sold out.

2010 WNCI 97.9 Jingle Ball (Columbus, OH; December 7th)

She will be with other top bills rock band “Train” and 22-year-old Billboard chart topper Mike Posner. The event will be held at the Lifestyle Communities Pavilion.

XL 106.7’s 2010 XL’ent Xmas Show (Orlando, FL; December 12th)

Charice will perform again with the rock band “Train”, the group who popularized the song “Drops of Jupiter”, among others.

By RJ Nieto, charicemania.com

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Claudine Grant of Fox5 interviewed Charice, the 18 year old singing sensation who was discovered by Canadian music mogul, David Foster, and Oprah Winfrey, before her performance with David Foster and friends in Mandalay Bay on October 15, 2010. Ms. Grant questioned Charice about her career, her part on the hit show, Glee, and rumored Botox injection. On stage, Charice is a little girl with a commanding presence and booming voice. Off stage, Charice is a little girl who is sweet, charming and modest. Two very different personas but still the same Charice we have all come to love.

“This lady has taken the music world by storm, giving Celine Dion, Mariah Carey and all the big names a run for their money,” Ms. Grant started by saying as a modest Charice stood by giggling shyly. “I’m telling you,” continued Grant, “this is Charice and when this woman sings, she sings like angels.” At this point she turns to Charice, who is still giggling modestly and says, “You are amazing, Charice.”

Our sweet, charming Charice answers with, “Thank you. I don’t know what to say but thank you.” And what does one say to such a mighty compliment, one that she has heard many times before and one that she continues to prove true?

The interview continues with Grant asking Charice what it is like to be billed in such a star-studded event, to which Charice replies, “It’s really an honor, you know? Being part of this big concert is like always new to me, I feel real excited, I feel really blessed, you know, that’s why… it’s such a blessing working with David Foster, he’s a really nice person.”

Foster and Charice have been working together for three years now and he speaks very highly of Charice. He was once quoted as saying that “with Charice instructions need only be said once and she gets it precisely and accurately, just like a laser beam.”

When asked about her role on the hit show, Glee, Charice admitted that Glee is the coolest thing that happened to her life. She says it is a perfect show for her and her role as “Sunshine Corazon” is so Charice.

Claudine Grant takes the interview in a slightly new direction when she questions Charice about the rumor that she had Botox injections before she began performing on Glee. To these accusations Charice responds, “No, that is so ridiculous. I mean when I found out that news I was like I don’t need Botox. First of all, I am young. Second, I love my face. It’s God’s gift and I’m not gonna change it.”

Speaking of God’s gifts, besides her face, God blessed Charice with another gift, and that is her voice! At this point Grant asks Charice if she would be putting her on the spot by asking her to sing. Without skipping a beat Charice answers not at all and asks what Grant would like her to sing. Charice loves to sing any chance she gets! Grant could not come up with a request so Charice broke out into a verse of All By Myself, which according to Celine Dion herself, is a ridiculously hard song to sing. Not for our Charice! She sang the verse angelically, giving Ms. Grant goosebumps.

When asked what Charice wanted to say to Fox5 viewers to close out the interview, Ms. Grant could not have said it any better herself, “Thank you for watching.”

This is a repost from here.

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