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The executive office manages and directs the vision and daily operations of assigned company holdings. Executives need a well-rounded knowledge of the music industry. They must possess the foresight, reputation, integrity, experience, and drive to formulate a strategy and direct its execution. “Professional persistence, with a heavy emphasis on professional. People need to believe that you …
At The Atlantic Group, Ron Shapiro managed and directed all aspects of the company's worldwide operations, beginning at the point an artist is signed to the label through the marketing and sales of the music in the United States and abroad, and overseeing the administration and human resources concerns. Good communication skills are essential. You must be able to articulate a point of view …
Ultimately responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of LaFace Records, Mark Shimmel concentrates his efforts on long term promotion and marketing strategy of label-signed artists' careers. He is heavily involved in each artist's touring plans and spearheads label, radio, and retail support. Internet projects are another scope of focus for him. Executives must have a solid u…
These executives oversee the day-to-day operation of the record label. At independent label HighTone Records, Darrell Anderson not only manages, but performs many of the tasks under his direction. He oversees radio promotion, marketing and sales, stock maintenance and shipping, and management and training of staff. He is also the first step in the A&R process. Two important qualities are th…
These executives chart the direction of the company and oversee daily operations. As president of a new independent label, Monty Hitchcock is hands-on with everything from answering the telephone to signing new artists. “My main responsibility is to make sure that marketing plans, budgets, and relationships with the artists are developed, and that budgets and plans are adhered to.” T…
Doug Howard and Nancy Jeffries discover, sign, and develop musical talent for their respective record labels. They screen potential songs for their artists, oversee the recording process, and find the right producer and studio. Once the record is finished, they work with each label department to ensure the music and artist are presented and marketed appropriately. To succeed, you need the ability …
The purpose of the A&R department is to find and develop new talent. The specific role of the international A&R department is to scour the world for artists who have the potential to break in America and secure rights to release their music in the United States. Some artists may come from the label's foreign affiliates, while others may be signed to another label group and not…
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 proce…
Managers scout new talent for the label to sign and find songs for them to record. Because Renee White also serves as Tony Brown's (label president and a producer) assistant, her main focus is as a facilitator of information to and from him. She prioritizes and schedules appointments and phone calls requested by him or other individuals. White makes him aware of internal and e…
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 dire…
The job of A&R administration begins when the producer and the artist are in the recording studio. You must track recording costs and process invoices, and receive and log in all masters, parts, multi-tracks, mixes—all tapes and CDs—from the recording session. Other duties include arranging for production parts to be cut and sent to the manufacturing plant; logging in and arch…
The production manager takes over the manufacturing master at the mastering studio, ships it to the plant, and then follows through all the way up until the finished product is shipped to the distribution warehouses. The production manager also coordinates with creative services to get their film shipped to the printing plants, the graphics printed to meet up with the CDs and cassettes, and have t…
The creative services office is responsible for the imaging, art direction, and design of CD and cassette covers, media advertising, and other collateral material. At RCA Label Group, Mary Hamilton directs and oversees staff and freelance artists who are responsible for the physical image in print, video, and other forms of the label's artists. They are literally charged with making the art…
The promotion department develops and executes radio promotion campaigns. Lori Holder-Anderson is responsible for obtaining radio airplay in all pop formats, which includes Top Forty, Hot AC, and Modern AC. She manages and directs the field staff to ensure that the promotional campaign is implemented. To succeed, you should have strong verbal communication skills, be focused and self-motivated, an…
The promotion department obtains radio airplay for label artists. Larry Pareigis manages and directs the promotion and marketing efforts to ultimately obtain maximum airplay for Monument label artists. To succeed, you must possess self-motivation, a friendly and outgoing personality, honesty, flexibility, and the ability to manage and motivate others. “Have passion for the music and artists…
People in sales positions are responsible for sales of music and video released by the label. Neal Spielberg's job is to manage and direct the sales, advertising, and merchandising campaigns for Warner Bros., Inc. Nashville, which includes the Asylum, Reprise, and Warner Brothers labels. He is also the liaison for the labels, distribution, and the retail account base. To succeed, you should…
Staff in these areas oversee all aspects of marketing artists and their music. They are responsible for coordinating the efforts of the creative services, marketing, and publicity departments (which include packaging, video, advertising, and sales campaigns) to ensure the consistency of imaging between artists and their music, and to maximize the contributions of each to ultimately i…
These marketers exploit catalog master recordings and handle Internet marketing. At BMG Latin, Guillermo Page coordinates efforts between BMG and the record clubs, such as BMG Direct and Columbia House, and oversees the exploitation of the company's catalog master recordings and all Internet related activities. “You really have to be bilingual and bicultural. In the United States, we…
This office coordinates and manages international marketing efforts for American signed artists. Yumi Kimura serves as the artist and product information liaison between Warner Brothers Nashville and the label's offices around the world. She assists each office in deciding which product is appropriate for release in their country, and helps maximize publicity and marketing efforts. To succe…
Publicity personnel manage and direct media relations for the company and artists. Bob Merlis, spokesperson for Warner Brothers Records, directs and oversees all media endeavors for individual artists and the company as a whole. Under this broad umbrella is the creation of press releases, biographies, promotional literature, and all media related services. Although not all publicists can write, th…
This office handles business and legal affairs and oversees the daily operation of specifically assigned departments or the entire company. In her capacity as senior vice president of operations, Susan Genco is responsible for the day-to-day legal and business affairs for all the labels under the Capitol Records Group, which includes Capitol, Capitol Nashville, EMI Christian Music Group, EMI Canad…
The licensing and business affairs office handles licensing of label-owned master recordings for exploitation, primarily through repackaging and synchronization. At Sony Music Special Products, Vinny Tabone clears master recordings of albums the label group manufactures, including compilations, premiums, CDs, boxed sets, and reissues. He is responsible for both the products released by Sony, or th…
This office oversees business and legal affairs. In the most basic form, Jennifer Jones is responsible for knowing the specific parameters of contracts, such as the label's obligation to the artist, and vice versa, both materially and financially. She negotiates new deals and ensures that current contractual commitments are fulfilled. She also handles licensing and synchronization fees. &#x…
Human resources personnel manage and oversee employee relations, including employee negotiations, orientation and training, benefits and compensation, and performance management. David Gilbert is responsible for the traditional functions of a human resources director, such as salary planning, hiring and training staff. (At BMG insurance and financial benefits are handled by another departme…
At MCA Nashville, Willie Mayhoe is the face and voice of the company. She greets everyone coming into the MCA office, answers incoming calls, routes them appropriately, takes messages, handles concert ticket buys for the company, schedules appointments, and provides other office support. To succeed, you need good people skills, a friendly telephone manner, the ability to perform several tasks at t…
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