Al Schlesinger's Experience with A&R's

As a master’s student, I have a foggy direction of where I’m headed in my career. I never came from a musical family, I’m the only one who has an understanding of the music business, and roles within the music industry are not always clearly defined. I found myself searching for answers that the Internet could not begin to supply with just a simple search of terms. I knew I had to go to the professionals for some guidance. When I heard the great Al Schlesinger was arriving on campus to meet with students, I knew that speaking with him would be a great start.

Some background on Schlesinger: He is a music attorney with an emphasis on intellectual property. He served as Chairman and President for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for two terms. He has also taught music business courses at UCLA and Full Sail University. The accomplishment that I formulated most of my questions around was his experience working as an artist manager and dealing with A&R representatives while managing the group Bread.

Schlesinger revealed that he was practicing law in the 1960’s; he had David Gates (lead singer of Bread) as a client. In 1968, Gates told Schlesinger he wanted to bring some friends over and perform for Schlesinger. After performing, the group wanted Schlesinger as their manager. Schlesinger wasn’t sure if he wanted to accept the offer, but after seeking advice from another attorney, took on the band.

A&R representatives are the people in a label that you have to sell your group’s sound to; in the 1960’s and 1970’s, which was by cassette tape. Schlesinger met with Elektra Records where both he and Bread were impressed with the company, the artwork, and the caring nature the label conveyed. Schlesinger took a three to four demo to Elektra’s headquarters in New York and presented it to their A&R who loved Bread’s sound.

Schlesinger has seen A&R do a complete 360 since the ‘60’s. “A&R started 30-35 years ago,” Schlesinger said. “In the ‘60’s it was about cassette’s, in the ‘70’s disco came along and changed everything. There were no record sales, so A&R’s were getting fired. It became about the live show. A&R’s had to travel to concerts to see if the live show was marketable. They would bring the public relations representative, the marketing representative…it became a company decision. It took six months to a year to sign an act.”

It seems as if the signing process was simpler 30 years ago; acts could be picked up off of a few songs. Now, it’s about the complete package and the value the artist(s) would bring to the company in terms of dollar signs. A&R’s have to be confident in their decisions because the burden of who to sign is no longer as simple as the talent’s sound. Interviewing Schlesinger helped me to see how far the industry has come since the days of Bread, and how A&R’s developed.