A&R / Release Project Management

Matt O'Connor, one of Australia's most successful A&R guys, is appointed as Executive Producer/A&R Manager on an album release. With O'Connor at the helm, The A&R Department will manage, oversee, consult on and be involved in the day to day process as the project moves forward, progressing through these below steps:

1) SONGS and SOUND: It all starts with the music. We work with our artists to ensure their music is right for their target markets from an A&R perspective.
 

• We determine the "big picture" – working with the band and their management/label to establish both the creative and sonic direction of the project, including which radio stations and markets the music will target.

• We will – through listening to demos, attending rehearsals and live performances, if necessary – work with the band to develop their repertoire. This includes refining the arrangement of songs as well as the selection of songs for the album and the selection of potential singles thereafter.

• We spend time with the artist to search for the truth of the artist and discover who they really are, which aids the whole process – giving it a purpose and a reason that helps define the sound.

We next determine the right sonic direction for the project, and build a strong creative team, bringing in the industry's top producers and engineers to achieve it. We define a sonic direction that best suits the music and positions the band in the marketplace with a point of difference. We focus on maintaining the artist's credibility, honesty, fanbase and then expanding it when the artist progresses onto radio.
 

• We will acquire the best local and international producers/engineers and select the right recording studios to achieve the best sonic result that suits the album's creative and sonic direction.

• Matt will attend all tracking of all singles to ensure that the full commercial potential of the project is realised – and indeed laid down to tape.

• The A&R Department will select the best-suited people in the local and international industry to mix the album, with special attention paid to the mixing of singles.

• The A&R Department will then select the best mastering engineers and mastering studios to master the album.

4) DIGITAL MARKETING: We devise and execute a strategically timed grassroots below-the-line marketing strategy, boosting your presence on MySpace, Facebook, Last.fm, imeem, Bebo, etc. and increasing the demand for your music upon its release. This marketing strategy can progress through to a traditional above-the-line strategy (ie print media, radio, TV, etc) if it suits the project.

ARTISTIC DIRECTION: We determine the right image to suit the artist, the visual perception that we wish for the target demographics to have of the artist, manifest in video clips, artwork, live performances, etc.

• If video clips form part of the strategic plan, The A&R Department will source and select the right video treatments treatment, as well as find the right Director, Director of Photography (DOP) and Editor.

6) DISTRIBUTION: We help to find the right distribution partner for the release of the album/EP/single as well as assist in taking the music to radio and/or music television.

7) TOURING STRATEGY: We assist in devising a touring strategy that will best compliment the marketing of the album.

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Below are just some of the albums that The A&R Department's MD Matt O'Connor and our producers have worked on in recent years.