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Record Company Executive
This person would usually be employed at a record label and be a director, vice-president or president of any of the various departments or areas therein.

 

A&R Coordinator
The main duty of the Artist & Repertoire coordinator is to find talent for the company to sign. A&R Coordinators search for new talent by visiting clubs, going to showcases, listening to tapes and demo recordings, and watching videotapes of acts performing. He or she is often responsible for helping find songs for the artists signed to the record label.

 

A&R Administrator
The Artist & Repertoire Administrator works in the Artist & Repertoire Department along with the A & R coordinator. In large companies, the A&R administrators are responsible for clerical functions within the department, planning budgets for artists signed to the label, and working on the annual or semiannual budget for all artists' expenditures. They must analyze previous budgets, and prepare a budget proposal with projected cost estimates for recording current acts. They also monitor the budget in relation to the expenses throughout the year. Staying within a budget means that the A&R administrator is doing his or her job. The individual might work exclusively with one or two studios in order to build up a great volume of studio time. With this volume, the A&R administrator can often receive discounts on time. They also keep track of all money spent for recording studio time, session musicians, talent, and miscellaneous expenses.

 

Director of Publicity (or Public Relations Director)
The Director of Publicity supervises the record label publicity department and develops and oversees publicity campaigns. As director, this person oversees all the work that is performed by the staff of the department.

 

Publicist (or Staff Publicist, Press Agent)
A Publicist handles the publicity and press needs of acts signed to a label. Publicity helps the label sell records and produce income. A publicist must be able to get an artist's name in the news (magazines, music trades, TV, radio, etc.) as often as possible. This is accomplished by writing press releases, sending them to the correct media, talking to media about acts, and arranging interviews. The Publicist often arranges a series of print interviews, radio interviews, and TV appearances in conjunction with the release of a new record. Staff publicists spend a lot of time on the telephone, and are usually the first to send out promotional copies of new records and other important materials to the media. After a new record is released, a publicist may work with the A&R or promotional departments on a showcase booking of the group, and make arrangements for a press party.

 

Assistant Publicist
Assists the publicist, compiling press kits, writing press releases, and double-checking information for accuracy.

 

Artist Relations Representative (Artist Development Representative)
The Artist Relations Representative's responsibility is to represent the label's interest to the artist/band and the artist/band's interest to the label, and maintain proper communication, cooperation and mutual understanding between the two entities. This person's job is to make the artist feel appreciated by the label by thoughtful gestures such as buying flowers, writing letters, arranging promotional appointments that coincide with a new tour, album release or career milestone such as having a certified Gold or Platinum album. If there is a problem or concern that the label or artist have with the each other, the Artist Relations Representative will seek to mediate the situation. The Artist Relations Representative may also advise the artist on creative/performing related issues as well.

 

Promotional Staffer
The prime function of the promotional staffer is contacting radio station program directors to generate airplay for the label's records. Promotional staffers will work closely with program directors, music directors, and disc jockeys in these markets. They set up appointments with these station people and bring a number of the label's new album releases as well as a supply of promotional or press material relating to the artist or band. A promotional staffer may socialize frequently with program directors and music directors to help improve the chances that a radio station will add a song to its playlist. Promotion Staffers often take key radio station personnel out to lunch, dinner, or for drinks. They may also bring a program director to a club in order to listen to a group play a song(s) live and gauge audience response.

 

Advertising Account Executive
An Advertising Account Executive develops advertising campaigns for a record label's products. This person must be creative, aggressive, have good sales skills and may have advertising experience in another area, as well as a strong knowledge of music.

 

Salesperson (Record Label)
A record label salesperson establishes a relationship with various accounts to sell the company's products, and provide continuing service to the accounts. Accounts may include retail stores, rack jobbers and one-stops.

 

Regional Sales Manager
The regional sales manager is responsible for supervising the selling of the label's records and tapes to wholesalers and/or retail outlets in a specific region, creating sales campaigns and policies, and overseeing sales staff.

 

Marketing Representative
The marketing representative is responsible for overseeing specific markets, and reporting sales of records to radio stations and trade publications.

 

Field Merchandiser (or Merchandiser)
The field merchandiser is in charge of distributing and explaining merchandising promotions to record stores/departments in specific markets.

 

Consumer Researcher
A consumer researcher researches and analyzes consumer-buying practices for the record company. This person should have knowledge of research and analytical methods, the ability to write reports, and knowledge of the music business and record industry.

 

College Representative (or Campus Representative)
College Representatives are responsible for promoting a record label's products to students on campus or perhaps to music retailers. They are students working toward a degree who have an interest and/or skill in the music industry, and often times are a music business major in college.