One would probably think that an A&R scout is someone who roams the streets at night then randomly selects a bar or lounge to hop in and watch out for potential bands and signee. This person is a musician’s first step to stardom, somewhat like a gatekeeper so he must have been experiencing knee-deep demo submissions by day and earache by afternoons. Well, if this is true then let’s cross our fingers for this person not to turn tone-deaf when our time to be heard has finally come!
Actually, those days were long gone. Let’s just say that modern times need modern techniques as well and in order for an A&R scout to lessen the time constraints on his part, he needs to find other convenient but effective ways of discovering his new star. It appears that, MySpace has given them that freedom and more. A&R scouts are now conveniently browsing through extensive talented members of MySpace; jumping from one rapper’s profile to another band’s. Just imagine how easy it would be for them to assess unsigned bands and musicians—all in one place and just a few clicks away from each other! No more CDs and demo tapes to clutter their place; no more late nights in open-mic nights. Easy enough for the A&R scouts but how about the artists?
As for the artists’ side, all you need is a good, eye-catching MySpace layout, a good number of play counts and a couple of friends/followers on the side. Join groups of your exact music genre and some other general music group promotions out there. You should also interact with your friends by dropping comments and lines once in a while. Of course, let’s not forget to post your music as well.
Do you want to know how effective MySpace is for your music career? Try browsing MySpace and you will find A&R scouts promoting themselves in there as well.
