A&R executives are being forced to change their game. Today, the search for talent is not only more reactive to market conditions, but also more reliant on data. Services like BuzzAngle, Next Big Sound and Crimson Hexagon are quickly becoming essential tools for music discovery as are social media metrics from the likes of YouTube, Spotify, and Pandora, and others. During this panel, we’ll talk about the roles of traditional A&R versus A&R research, showcasing how important each one is to the music business decisions being made on a day-to-day basis. We’ll touch on record label signing decisions; how playlists on Spotify are made; and how this data effects the live music space.
