Artist Repertoire interview prep.

Behavioural questions to expect

1. Walk me through your CV.
2. Tell me about an artist you would have signed - or did sign / push for - and why.
3. Tell me about a weakness, a failure, or feedback you have received.
4. Why A&R - vs management, agenting, label marketing, or going artist-side?
5. Which kind of label appeals - major, indie, publisher, distributor with label services, DSP creator-services arm?
6. Why the firm?
7. How do you read the firm's current roster and where it is going?
8. What is the biggest A&R challenge the firm faces in the next 12-24 months?

Technical concepts to master

• Taste + signing judgement

  Signing thesis vs fan opinion · Inevitable vs contrarian signings · Scene-time vs desk-time · White space + scene reads

• Artist development + records

  A&R notes that improve records · Casting the room - writers + producers · Sequencing + single strategy · Body of work vs one hit

• Deal mechanics + recoupment

  Advance is a loan against royalties · Recoupment basket + cross-collateralisation · All-in vs net royalty rates · 360 deals + label-services models

• Data + DSP + fanbase signals

  Streaming velocity vs monthly listeners · Save rate + conversion + repeat-stream depth · Editorial vs algorithmic vs user-generated playlist routing · Geo + demo + social signal + sync triangulation

Practical drills

• Pitch me an artist you would sign at the firm right now. Give me the thesis in one sentence, then defend it. Tell me the deal you would offer (advance band, term, splits, distribution model), the first 12 months (producers / writers, single + release strategy, DSP + sync + touring routing), and the kill criteria - what would make you walk before signing or fire the bet post-signing.
• A developing pop artist has 800k monthly listeners growing 15% month-on-month, save rate of 18%, one TikTok-driven viral moment, no live story yet. Three majors are bidding. Build the deal you would put on the table at the firm: advance, term + options, recorded vs 360, splits, recoupment basket. Show the recoupment math - how many streams to recoup the advance under your terms.
• [Interviewer plays / describes a song or describes an EP / album in progress - lead single options, weak deep cuts, sequencing call, missing tempo.] Walk me through your A&R notes - what you protect, what you fix, what you kill, and what you bring in writers or producers to solve.

Smart-question anchors

• A&R direction - what the current head wants the roster to look like in 12-24 months
• Signing strategy - frontline vs developing vs catalogue mix + risk appetite
• Deal culture - advance bands + 360 stance + label-services hybrids + artist-friendliness
• Development model - in-house writer / producer rooms + sync + touring tie-ins
• Data + DSP culture - which signals drive signings + how much editorial routing the label can deliver

Sourced from

Music Business Worldwide (MBW) — A&R + deal coverage · Billboard + Variety + Hits Daily Double — charts + industry coverage · Donald Passman — All You Need to Know About the Music Business · IFPI Global Music Report + RIAA / BPI / MIDiA Research · Water & Music + Trapital + Penny Fractions — modern A&R + creator-economy commentary · Glassdoor + LinkedIn — A&R + label interview reports