How Data is Redefining A&R's Role In The Modern Music Industry - Hypebot

Although A&Rs are still looking for the same qualities in an artist as they were fifty years ago, what they're looking for in that same artist's data – and they way they're looking for – it has changed dramatically. Editor's Note: Tommaso Rocchi is a 2020 Master of Arts graduate of The Global Entertainment and Music Business program at Berklee College of Music in Valencia, Spain. Data-driven A&R has been a buzzword for quite some time in the music industry, but also one of its most guarded secrets. Even before the acquisition of Sodatone by Warner Music Group, major and big indie record labels started to switch their mindsets and focus on the advantages of a data-driven approach. Compared to the classic "gut-feeling" expertise of a senior A&R, data analysis allows today's A&Rs to validate their intuition and justify talent acquisition with predictive modeling.