RECORD COMPANY
Director • Senior Director (a&r)
JOB OVERVIEW
Atlantic's Rich Christina and Arista's Pete Ganbarg specialize in different genres of music, but their primary roles are similar. They discover new talent, facilitate the artist signing with the label, and develop music for release. Within that scope, they help find material for the artist to record, help select the right producer and engineers, and oversee the entire recording process, including whether to record on digital or analog tape. They also guide the artist through the process of imaging and marketing. Christina is involved in finding already recorded material, and artists from foreign markets, to release in the United States.
The story of how Santana's hit song “Smooth” came to be is a perfect example of what an A&R person does. “I got a call one day from a friend of mine who was working with a new songwriter that had written a song with Santana in mind, and asked if I had a few minutes to hear it,” explains Ganbarg. The writer came to the label and played the song for Ganbarg, and although he didn't think the lyric was right for Santana, he liked the music. He suggested that the writer leave a copy of the music and let him find someone else to write new lyrics. “I called a music publisher friend and I played him the music without the lyric over the phone.” The publisher liked what he heard and suggested one of his writers, Rob Thomas from Matchbox 20, to take a crack at writing the words. The music was sent to Thomas and the resulting song, “Smooth,” earned a 1999 Song of the Year Grammy for Santana and Thomas, who also sang on the recording.
PREREQUISITES
You should have an overall love and appreciation of music, an understanding of how the industry works, and contacts within it. The ability to find and nurture recording talent is essential.
A DAY IN THE LIFE
Rich Christina's day begins the night before, going through trade magazines and other material to research records that are doing well, or showing potential throughout the world. When he arrives at the office the next morning he makes calls to and e-mails record companies, artists, attorneys, and other international contacts about records that interest him. Because he deals with R&B, rap, pop, and pop rock, he rarely attends shows to discover talent, like rock and country A&R people do. Instead, he deals more with producers, songwriters, and studio-based artists. By noon he starts taking meetings with songwriters, producers, or attorneys who have artists they feel would be great for Atlantic Records. Throughout the day he listens to music (including on the drive to and from the office), attends interoffice meetings, and returns phone calls. He works with artists on various recording projects, including film sound tracks.
“I usually get in around 11 in the morning,” says Arista's Pete Ganbarg. “I'll check in with my projects that are recording in the studio, speak on the phone to all the producers, artists, and writers involved with a specific project.” Next he verifies radio airplay, sales, and press on any projects currently in release to get a sense of what is working and what needs some help. Throughout the day he listens to songs or meets with the rest of the A&R department, or the head of the label. At night he often sees a band showcase or a concert by one of the label artists, or stops by a recording studio.
CAREER TIPS
“An A&R person is only as good as the new talent he discovers. So, the future is definitely bright for young people who have a desire and skill to be able to identify amazing new talent.”—PG
Put a smile on your face and do whatever you're asked with a positive attitude so that people will want to work with you. It is a very competitive business. If you're not positive and easy to work with, particularly when trying to get your foot in the door, you'll be replaced by someone else who is.
Hang out in clubs and attend showcases, and listen and look for new talent that knocks you out.
POINTERS FOR THE JOB SEARCH
“When you're an intern, you've got people's attention for six months. In that time you've got to look for ways to stand out and fit in.” Look for areas of the company where someone is needed to complete a task that is not being covered. “Don't try to do another person's job better, that won't fare too well with the person that already has that job, and the record company will just see that as redundancy. Come in and carve your own path.”—RC
“Immerse yourself in music. Listen to every record that comes out. Know who produced it, who wrote the songs, what label it's on. If you're doing that, you're going to be on top of what's going on and in a position to be turned on to new and exciting things that will hopefully lead you to a connection that helps you find a job.”—PG
RICH CHRISTINA, SENIOR DIRECTOR A&R, THE ATLANTIC GROUP
By the time he entered college, Rich Christina had amassed an extensive record collection, which afforded him the opportunity to make money working as a deejay. At Rowan University he studied advertising and hated it. “I was going to leave school for a year so that I could mentally regroup and decide what I was going to do with my life.” A discussion with a relative who pointed out, “You love music. There must be something you can do in music,” influenced Christina to switch his major to mass communications and set his sights on working for a record company. Through a fraternity brother who worked in the video department at Atlantic Records, and who happened to be in the right place at the right time, Christina got a shot at working for the label. His friend walked into the human resources office just as a call came from the dance department in search of an intern with deejay experience. Christina was recommended.
THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT THIS JOB:
“The thing I like the least about the music business, or my job specifically, is that there is a high failure rate. I don't know the exact number, but around 90 percent of all records produced don't perform; they don't make their money back. It's hard when you work with someone for a year or two and they put their heart and soul into a record; they've waited their whole life for this opportunity and nothing happens. I hate failing for other people; not being able to help them fulfill their dreams.”—RC
“Sometimes there is a lot of red tape and bureaucracy that you have to deal with in any corporate business. The music business is becoming much more business oriented.”—PG
THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS JOB:
“I love music. I always have, since I was a small child. I love the fact that I can make a career out of something I love. You only have one life to live so you might as well enjoy every moment.”—RC
“I love being able to create something and watch it grow and be successful. There is nothing more thrilling than finding a record or an artist that you think is fantastic, coming up with a great single, the photos come out great, the video is fantastic, and launch it and it sells a million records.”—RC
“I like hearing a song and working with the writer or the artist to get that song to be a hit, hearing it on the radio, and going into the record store and seeing people buy the record.”—PG
Determined to turn the internship into a full time position, Christina volunteered for extra work and began looking for a way to create an opportunity. “I had researched the music business enough to know that it's very difficult to get into, and I figured this was my one and only chance to turn this into a job. I did whatever they asked me to do with a smile on my face and in the meantime I looked around the department to see where there was a hole, something that wasn't being covered.” At the time, radio stations were giving club deejays their own shows, and airing remotes from clubs. Christina recognized an opportunity to get records played through servicing the club deejays and calling on them to promote records. He approached his boss with the idea and was given the go-ahead to begin making calls. Within a year, nearly every label was doing the same thing. Later, this became a way for the label to discover talent and sign record deals for music that was being played on the club scene.
When the first record he found became a Top Forty success, Christina stepped up from intern to a position in promotion and A&R. A year later, when Everything But The Girl's “Missing” sold three million copies worldwide, he was able to leave promotion and move into A&R full time. In addition to his work with individual acts, Christina has also been involved in sound tracks for several films, including Space Jam and Dr. Doolittle. www.atlanticrecords.com
PETE GANBARG, SENIOR DIRECTOR A&R, ARISTA RECORDS
In his early teens, Pete Ganbarg discovered Billboard magazine at the local library and his fate was sealed. He immersed himself in reading the record charts to find out which records were currently popular and began to amass a record collection. He began to work as a deejay at parties around Rockland County, just outside Manhattan. Because he loved being a deejay, a good campus radio station was one of his prime requirements when it came time to select a college.
On his first day at Wesleyan University, Ganbarg went to the radio station and basically spent the next four years there as its music director, overseeing the music, programming, and whatever else needed to be done. Over time, he also began booking acts for campus concerts, and managed several local bands.
Armed with some significant music business experience and an education degree in high school English as a backup, Ganbarg got a job doing radio promotion for an independent New York record label. He landed the job on the recommendation of a college friend. A year later, the same friend arranged an interview when his father was starting up SBK Records. Ganbarg began as an entry level A&R manager, and during the next eight years, he was promoted to vice president of A&R, and saw the label merge with EMI Records. When EMI closed their American offices, he moved to Arista Records as senior director of A&R, where he oversaw the multiple Grammy Award winning album Supernatural Santana.
In 2001, Ganbarg joined Epic Records as senior vice president A&R, where he signed and developed new artists and worked with the label's existing roster. While there, he signed rock band Revis and worked on releases of Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, and Keb Mo's 2005 Grammy Award winning CD Keep It Simple.
Ganberg left Epic in 2003 to open Pure Tone Music, a full-service music company. His A&R consulting clients included Arista Records, Virgin Records, Warner Brothers Reoords, RCA Records, and Burgandy Records. Banbarg has A&R'd CDs for Taylor Hicks, Daughtry, Santana, Aaron Neville, Donna Summer, Kenny G., and Chaka Khan. www.puretonemusic.com
Additional topics
- RECORD COMPANY - Manager • Senior Manager (a)
- RECORD COMPANY - Senior Vice President International A • Director International A
Job Descriptions and Careers, Career and Job Opportunities, Career Search, and Career Choices and ProfilesCareers in the Music BusinessRECORD COMPANY - Executive Office (major Or Large Label): Chief Operating Officer • President, President/general Manager • Vice President/general Manager