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Gone are the days of label execs lurking at sticky-carpeted pub gigs, plucking the \u201cnext big thing\u201d straight off the stage. In 2025, the art of A&R (artist and repertoire) is less about late-night scouting and more about artists who are building sustainable careers in an era defined by streaming, social media, and global connectivity. At its core, though, the role hasn\u2019t changed \u2013 it\u2019s still about spotting sparks of authenticity and helping artists turn them into lasting fires.<\/p>\n
With BIGSOUND 2025 <\/a>about to kick off in Brisbane next Tuesday, some of the world\u2019s most influential A&R figures are in town, and they\u2019ve shared what they\u2019re looking for in an artist today. Representing a cross-section of cutting-edge music companies \u2013 from Some Action (the London-based management and A&R hub founded by Ollie Hodge), Secretly (home to indie powerhouses like Bon Iver<\/a> and Phoebe Bridgers<\/a>, represented here by Lau Frias), Nettwerk (the Canadian-born label and management group that\u2019s championed alt-pop and folk icons for decades, repped by Rachel Cragg), and Third Man Records (Jack White<\/a>\u2019s celebrated Detroit\/Nashville imprint, with Camille Augarde at the helm) \u2013 these execs bring unique perspectives shaped by their rosters, but united by a common thread: the hunt for music that moves people, no matter the noise of the algorithm.<\/p>\n For Rachel Cragg<\/strong> of Nettwerk, it all starts with emotion. \u201cWhen I\u2019m introduced to a new artist, the first and most important question I ask myself is: Does this music make me feel something?\u201d<\/em> she explains. That emotional spark, she says, is what transforms a good artist into a great one \u2013 something that resonates, lingers, and ultimately endures. \u201cWhether it\u2019s a lyric that hits home, a vocal that cuts through, or production that shifts the atmosphere \u2013 [it\u2019s] the foundation\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n She continues: \u201cIt might sound simple, but genuine emotional connection is rare and powerful. It\u2019s the difference between something that\u2019s just good and something that resonates deeply, lingers, and stays with you. That connection is what gives artists longevity \u2013 because fans remember how they felt, not just what they heard.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Lau Frias<\/strong> of Secretly echoes the importance of connection, but frames it through world-building. \u201cI\u2019m drawn to artists that embrace the scope of their limitations, those that can naturally establish entire worlds through their music,\u201d <\/em> Frais tells Music Feeds. \u201cFrom their sound, to their visuals, to the performance itself \u2013 art that evokes a deeps sense of wonder; bold in manifestation yet playful in process.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n For Ollie Hodge<\/strong> of Some Action, the equation is broader. He\u2019s looking for a mix of talent, vision, and grit \u2013 and an understanding of how to build and nurture a fanbase. \u201cAll artists are different and so their paths to success will be different,\u201d <\/em>he says. \u201cI have high expectations for artists I\u2019m working with so I\u2019m looking for artists who are exceptional on one or more of the following measures:\u00a0talent,\u00a0 individuality, clarity of vision, songs or songwriting ability, soulfulness, application, focus and resolve, the team around the artist and finally their understanding of fanbase building and how they\u2019re going to do that.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n He continues: \u201cOccasionally I\u2019ve been in the right place at the right time and it\u2019s just all there ready to go and it has just hit me, but often the artist is in some ways still developing so I try to work out where they need help and then if I think i can provide that support to them to help them reach their potential.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n As for longevity, Hodge adds that the artists he\u2019s worked with who\u2019ve had the most sustained success are the one\u2019s who\u2019ve \u201creally dug deep and pushed themselves\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cAs an a&r you can be saying something is close but not quite good enough even when someone is performing close to the edge of their abilities,\u201d<\/em> he concludes.\u00a0\u201cThe most successful artists lean in and push harder at this point. The longer an artist is in market and the more successful they are the higher the bar moves. Sometimes the bar has been very, very high but I\u2019ve seen them still manage to jump over it. \u00a0 It takes an unusual blend of strength of vision and flexible, open thinking.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n And over at Third Man Records,<\/strong> Camille Augarde<\/strong> is blunt about steering clear of hype-chasing. \u201cWe don\u2019t sign artists based on streaming numbers or TikTok followers. We really try to follow our gut. If we\u2019re genuinely moved by a performance or a recording, chances are others will be too.\u201d<\/em> Her advice for artists is simple but pointed: originality, consistency, and kindness go further than trend-hopping.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no point in emulating what\u2019s popular in the moment because that changes like the wind,\u201d <\/em>Augarde says. \u201cBe original, continue to stretch yourself creatively, be nice on your way up the ladder, and communicate with your team\/label in order to ensure that your vision is being blasted into the world in the way that you intended.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n As BIGSOUND prepares to showcase 120+ artists across Fortitude Valley next week, these perspectives are a reminder that in an industry obsessed with numbers and followers, genuine artistry still cuts through. Whether it\u2019s emotional resonance, world-building, perseverance, or gut instinct \u2013 the fundamentals of A&R are alive and well. They\u2019ve just learned to adapt with the times.<\/p>\n Bigsound Announces Over 100 Bands And Artists For 2025 Conference<\/a><\/p>\n Bad\/Love Unleash Arena-Ready New Single & Ink UK\/EU Booking Deal Ahead Of BIGSOUND<\/a><\/p>\n Bad\/Love vs Bad Juju: We Got Two Of BIGSOUND 2025\u2019s Heaviest Bands To Interview Each Other<\/a><\/p>\n The post The New Rules of A&R: Industry Leaders On What They\u2019re Looking For At BIGSOUND 2025<\/a> appeared first on Music Feeds<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Gone are the days of label execs lurking at sticky-carpeted pub gigs, plucking the \u201cnext big thing\u201d straight off the stage. In 2025, the art of A&R (artist and repertoire) is less about late-night scouting and more about artists who are building sustainable careers in an era defined by streaming, social media, and global connectivity. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1987938,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[358377,21894,357664,358380,358376,358378,346086,358379,344415],"class_list":["post-1987937","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-ar","tag-artists","tag-bigsound","tag-bon-iver","tag-camille-augarde","tag-ollie-hodge","tag-phoebe-bridgers","tag-rachel-cragg","tag-third-man-records"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Industry-Leaders-On-What-Theyre-Looking-For-At-BIGSOUND-2025.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1987937","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1987937"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1987937\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1987938"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1987937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1987937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1987937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\u201cWe don\u2019t sign artists based on streaming numbers or TikTok followers. We really try to follow our gut<\/em>.\u201d \u2013 Camille Augarde, Third Man Records<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Further Reading<\/h3>\n