Director, A&R

About Sony Music Entertainment

At Sony Music Entertainment, we fuel the creative journey. We’ve played a pioneering role in music history, from the first-ever music label to the invention of the flat disc record. We’ve nurtured some of music’s most iconic artists and produced some of the most influential recordings of all time.

Today, we work in more than 70 countries, supporting a diverse roster of international superstars, developing and independent artists, and visionary creators. From our position at the intersection of music, entertainment, and technology, we bring imagination and expertise to the newest products and platforms, embrace new business models, employ breakthrough tools, and provide powerful insights that help our artists push creative boundaries and reach new audiences. In everything we do, we’re committed to artistic integrity, transparency, and entrepreneurship.

Sony Music Entertainment is a member of the Sony family of global companies.

Under the direction of the Head of A&R, the role of Director, A&R will initiate and implement an A&R strategy to discover new artists who have the potential to be commercially successful, with an eye toward signings that have commercial appeal to the core CCM and/or worship consumer, as well as an intentionality to create music that serves faith-based genres. The Director, A&R will actively seek and identify the right songs for new and current assigned artists and will oversee the ongoing development, brand management and song recording of all signed artists. Through deep connection with the A&R team and the label marketing / creative team, this team member will act as lead label contact, providing vision, direction and creative input for all assigned artists.

What you'll do:

• Identify potential new talent, concepts and projects using every available resource including social media platform
• Develop and coordinate the signing of new talent to Provident Entertainment, as well as act as the key liaison between assigned artists / new acts and label, advising on their sound and brand
• Source potential talent through online research, social media platforms, industry relationships, artist websites and social media as well as provide feedback and report findings from social media, YouTube, TikTok and DSP streaming data in weekly A&R team meeting
• Attend live performances at showcases, concerts, churches and other venues both locally and on the road
• Work closely with other label departments/employees including marketing, promotions, finance, media, and sales to determine follow up steps working toward commercial success of recorded material
• Develop and maintain ongoing relationships with assigned artists and managers
• Oversee the recording process, providing creative input and direction, in support of the artist’s creative output including...
  • Help artist find the most suitable producer(s) and recording studio as needed
  • Coordinate pre-production and production, mixing, mastering, and sequencing
  • Schedule recording sessions and evaluate recording and mixing progress for each project
  • Plan recording budgets for assigned projects, keeping within agreed budget and timeline
  • Proactively seek and find songs and songwriters
  • Ensure timely delivery of finished masters
  • Advise the artist on all aspects of a high-quality recording
• Develop a network of resources including songwriters, producers, engineers, managers, booking agents, attorneys, concert promoters, trade and consumer press and tastemakers

Who you are:

• A self-starter with a strong knowledge of industry wide CCM/worship and faith-based musical genres, typically gained from at least 4 years of music industry experience working directly with artists, such as A&R, management, digital marketing, music production, publishing or with a church/worship ministry
• A music aficionado with an uncanny ability to identify great musical talent, find the needle in the haystack and separate the highest level of talent from the pack
• A trustworthy professional who has a strong desire to support music and platforms of Christian music artists and/or worship brands, with a working knowledge of CCM/worship consumer and an understanding of the current tastes and trends of the genre
• A creative visionary who has prior experience with the creative recording process from start to finish, utilizing strong problem solving, social, and interpersonal skills
• A detail-oriented individual with strong organizational and excellent communication skills, the ability to prioritize and multi-task, work independently and as a team and has a skillful approach that is complemented by diplomacy, empathy and patience