The Importance of A&R Professionals: Nurturing Talent, Shaping Sound, and Driving Music Industry Success

The Importance of A&R Professionals: Nurturing Talent, Shaping Sound, and Driving Music Industry Success

As an A&R (Artist & Repertoire) manager for record companies in the past, I understand the importance of knowledgeable A&R professionals for modern artists. Without their guidance, many artists are left clueless about which songs could propel their careers. A&R people play a crucial role in helping artists navigate their projects and ensuring that recording companies handle the technical aspects, allowing artists to focus on their creativity and artistry. Unfortunately, most artists today lack experienced professionals behind them, which is a loss for the industry and can hinder their success.

Many recording artists did not like some of their hit songs for various reasons. The late Bella Tan of Universal Records questioned my decision not to sign up Cooky Chua's band, Color It Red, when their song "Paglisan" became a hit. I showed her the demo tape they submitted and pointed out that the song was not included. 

The same was the case with Noel Cabangon. I insisted that if I were to sign him up, he should include "Kanlungan" ("Panapanahon"). In his album produced by the Jesuit Communication, he did include it, and the song became a big hit, but only after several years since we last talked.

Initially, Marco Sison didn't like his hit song "Make Believe," stating that there was something wrong with the lyrics.

The Company, a jazz-pop group, recorded a song in their first album titled "Everlasting Love," which they didn't want to promote because it wasn't jazzy enough. They didn't even like the title. I informed their producers that it was the only song in the album that was going to be a hit, and people would remember the words "Everlasting Love." True enough, it became a hit, and they had to record another similar-sounding song as their follow-up single.

Many of Barry Manilow's hit songs were not written by him. In fact, he didn't want to record "I Write The Songs," composed by Bruce Johnston, a former member of the Beach Boys, because he believed that the lyrics "would be misinterpreted as a monumental ego trip." However, Johnston explained that the "I" in the song represents God, and that songs originate from the spirit of creativity within everyone.

Clive Davis, the president of Arista Records, persuaded Barry to record the song. Another song Barry hesitated to record was "Mandy," originally titled "Brandy" and written by Scott English and Richard Kerr. It had been previously recorded by Captain and Tennille. Barry, considering himself a singer-songwriter, felt insulted by the suggestion to sing songs by other composers. Clive emphasized the need for hit songs and highlighted that Barry's own compositions didn't meet that standard.

Here are the other hit songs recorded by Barry Manilow which were not written by him:

I Made It Through The Rain

Copacabana

Ready To Take A Chance Again

Trying To Get The Feeling Again

The Old Songs

Somewhere In The Night

Can't Smile Without You