SPECIAL SKILLS
"Being organized and able to solve problems as
they arise. Problem solving is a big
part of what I do," says Frank McDonough. "My
particular gig is very service ori-
ented. My clients are providing a service to
people and I have to be accommodating
to people when representing them."
A DAY IN THE LIFE
McDonough is up early and in the office by
7
a.m. Throughout the day he listens
to music, but his attention is focused on
answering e-mail and working the phones.
"For instance, RCA just signed a new band and
they're looking for a record producer.
They want `the guy' who produced whatever band
sold ten million records last year,
or they want `the guy' who mixed Santana's
`Smooth' record, or whoever. I represent
some of those people and others who don't have
those credits, but are creatively
similar. I act as a matchmaker by saying, `Have
you considered this producer? They
might be someone you'd want to talk to.' I know
it's hard to imagine how that would
consume 12 hours a day, but it
does."
POINTERS FOR THE JOB SEARCH
"My job is an out-of-the-way niche in the music
business. I'd be surprised if there
were a hundred people in the whole country who
did this job. My advice is to find
someone who does this work and work for them.
That's about the only way to gain
the knowledge you need. A&R is about the
only other job where you would learn the
skills and make the connections you need to
represent producers and engineers."
THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT THIS
JOB:
"There is potential for a lot of conflict and
arguing, and that's not why
I got into the record business. Some people
enjoy a good argument. I
don't. It's my nature to want everyone to come
away feeling good and
that they got a fair shake."
THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS JOB:
"What I love the most is being exposed to new
music. I like being
involved with people who are creating that
music. However tiny my
role is, I like that I have a part in bringing
that music to fruition."
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