Inside Record Labels

3.1

Major Label Departments •CEO of a major label will generally oversee the business affairs of all the affiliated labels under their corporate umbrella.

•Each major label will have its own President who is responsible for all the label activities.

CEOCEO

Warner Brothers

President of President of Warner Warner Brothers Brothers RecordsRecords

President of President of Reprise Reprise RecordsRecords

President of President of Atlantic Atlantic RecordsRecords

Every department at a major label is usually run

by a Senior Vice President, in

charge of one of the following:

Business Affairs Department

Legal Department

Takes care of label finances; bookkeeping, payroll, etc.

Handles all contractual issues and other legal responsibilities.

A&R (Artists and Repertoire)

Department A&R locate and sign new talent. They work with the artist in song selection, choice of producers, recording studio selection and they communicate with the label's Business Affairs Department to make sure all the paperwork and accounting issues involved with the actual recording of an act's record are setup properly. In short, The A&R Department can serve as a liaison between an artist and all the other departments at the label.

Art Department Supervises all product design jobs, (CD/Vinyl cover art etc), trade and consumer press advertising, retail sales posters and flats, and other needs of the print media. Marketing

DepartmentThey are responsible for creating the overall marketing plan for every record the label is releasing. They are also involved in coordinating all the promotion, publicity, and sales campaigns that the label is committed to.

Arranges for any feature stories, interviews, or record reviews in local and national newspapers, magazines, web-zines, as well as the broadcast opportunities for such coverage on radio stations and television. They may also coordinate any of these publicity opportunities with an artist's own Publicist.

Publicity Department

New Media Department

Produces and promotes the music videos for the label's artists that are shown on MTV, VHl, etc. This department also oversees promotions and marketing opportunities on the Internet.

Usually oversees the career planning of artists signed to the label. This department coordinates a consistent marketing and promotion presence for an artist throughout their career with the record label. The Artist Development Department has changed over the last decade. Many labels no longer have such a department. Others have changed the name to Product Development and concentrate more on "breaking," or promoting artists quickly in order to try to speed up the return on their financial investment. The pressure to return a profit to shareholders has changed the face of the music business dramatically in recent years, so the emphasis has been more on Product Development, and securing a hit as fast as possible.

Artist Development Department

Sales Department

Oversees all the retail activities of the label, and concentrates on building relationships with the key record store chains and other mass-market retailers. The Sales staff coordinate their efforts with the major label's distribution company, as well as communicating regularly with the Promotion and Publicity departments at the label.

The person who coordinates the business of the major label's distribution company with the needs of their parent record labels. Street dates, (the date that a new release goes on sale at music retailers), must be approved by the label's distribution company

Label Liaison

Their primary goal is secure radio airplay for their company's new releases. Their ability to get songs played on the radio is central to the success of the whole company. The Promotion department is closely connected to and constantly communicating with other departments within the label to make sure that all strategies being used to market and sell an artist's record are working together properly. Soliciting videos to MTV, VH1, BET and other music oriented television networks and programs may also be the responsibility of this department. At some labels this job is a separate department, or part of the New Media department.

Promotion Department

An A&R Rep’s Primary Job:Seek talent by: • Auditioning demo tapes (solicited, as well as unsolicited, depending on record label policy.) If interested, ask to see artist perform live. • Attending live shows at clubs, showcases, concerts, and other venues. • Following leads from any ‘buzz’ created by artists. • Checking industry insiders (managers, agents, attorneys, concert promoters, label promo reps, retail contacts, trade and consumer press tips, regional ‘scenes’, or other sources.) • Watching for talent on other labels who’s contracts are expiring.

Other Responsibilities • Evaluate talent and match with potential audience tastes. • Sign talent to label with executives approval. • Search for new songs for existing talent on the label. • Coordinate label relationships for an artist, once they are signed to the label. • Provide creative input and direction on artist’s material. • Find suitable producers and recording studios. • Plan the recording budget with the business affairs department.