RECORD COMPANY
A&r Administration And Production: Vice President • Senior Director (production And A&r Administration)
JOB OVERVIEW
These administrators manage and oversee A&R administration and production departments. At Arista Nashville, Susan Heard oversees a staff of four people who are responsible for the payment of all recording costs, including artist and producer advances, and recoupable expenses, such as video. Approval of recording budgets, and responsibility for the master tape vault, also fall under her direction. She and her staff gather and check the production credit information that appears on each release, such as producer, engineer, and musician, publishing and songwriter information, and so forth, and deliver it to the creative department. Heard's department ensures that the production master finds its way from the mastering studio to the manufacturing plant. They arrange for film of the paper inserts to be sent to the printers, and oversee the manufacturing of cassettes, CDs, and singles.
PREREQUISITES
To succeed, you should have experience in A&R administration for a label, studio, or producer, and an understanding of the entire recording and manufacturing process. The ability to manage and motivate people is essential.
CAREER TIPS
Stay abreast of changes in recording technology. “If the production and A&R administration department don't keep up with technology innovations, we are doing a tremendous disservice to the company because what the artists and producers are turning in as masters will become inaccessible for the record label.”
A DAY IN THE LIFE
Susan Heard starts her day by checking voice mail as she drives to the office and e-mail upon arrival. Throughout the day Heard meets with her staff, reviews and approves budgets and expenditures, and attends meetings with other department heads. “I try to plan ahead and set the course for the projects and once the course is set, the rest of the department can maintain the course. I put out the fires along the way.”
POINTERS FOR THE JOB SEARCH
“Experience is the best teacher. Hang out in a studio or join whatever organization you can to learn more about the recording process.”
THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS JOB:
“My real love is the recording process. That just fascinates me.”
SUSAN HEARD, SENIOR DIRECTOR PRODUCTION/A&R ADMINISTRATION, ARISTA RECORDS NASHVILLE
“I have always been involved in music,” says Susan Heard. “I played clarinet in band for ten years, studied classical piano for twelve years.” So it was no surprise that she chose music as a major when she enrolled at Baylor University. In her junior year, Heard changed her emphasis to radio and television communications, serving internships in both radio and television news, before completing her undergraduate work in 1982. After graduation, she went to Los Angeles where she made contacts at recording studios through friends, but was unable to find a job. Within 24 hours of returning to Texas, she got a phone call from one of those contacts, offering an interview.
Without a definite job, but wanting to live in Los Angeles, Heard made the move. Upon her arrival, she interviewed and landed the job of production assist-ant and session booker to Grammy Award winning producer Bill Schnaye, and remained at his recording studio for two years. “I had a great time working at the studio and seeing the inner workings of how records are made. It was fascinating, hanging out with incredible musicians.” Session work with the band Toto led to an introduction to the group's management team of Larry Fitzgerald and Mark Hartley, which in turn led to a five-year job with Fitzgerald Hartley Company as an administrative assistant.
Heard's new job gave her experience in many different areas, from publicity to publishing to tour promotion, with groups as diverse as the Jacksons, Glenn Frey, Toto, and Paul McCartney. The firm opened a Nashville office in 1985, partnered with songwriter/producer Tim DuBois. With a second child on the way, she quit her job in 1989 to sort out her next career move. Heard's husband, also in the music industry, lost his job soon after. When a string of promising offers failed to pan out, the couple decided that they would starve slower in Nashville than in Los Angeles. Heard relocated in 1990, once again without having a job in place.
After a round of interviews, she was hired as A&R administrator for Christian label Sparrow Records. Three years later, DuBois, now head of Arista Records’ Nashville office, hired her to transfer the label's A&R administration from the New York office and head up the department. When Arista bought Reunion Records in 1994, Heard was charged with setting up and hiring staff for an in-house production department. After that, she became senior director of production and A&R administration. In 2000, Heard followed DuBois to Gaylord Entertainment Company to become vice president of production.
Additional topics
- RECORD COMPANY - Manager A Administration • Director Of A Administration
- RECORD COMPANY - Manager • Senior Manager (a)
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