Director, A&R

Concord is the world’s leading independent music company. The Company supports more than 125,000 artists and songwriters whose works are licensed, marketed, and performed globally. Concord's growing catalog of 1.3 million songs, compositions, sound recordings, films, plays, and musicals is one of the most impactful and culturally relevant collections of creative rights in history.

Concord is headquartered in Nashville with additional offices in Los Angeles, New York, London, Berlin, Melbourne, and Miami.

Stem, a subsidiary of Concord, empowers artists and their teams to thrive while retaining full control over their music careers. Through a comprehensive distribution offering, including artist-development services and data-driven insights, Stem arms artists with the tools & resources needed to flourish creatively & commercially. Utilizing Stem’s bespoke servicing and data-driven approach are artists and labels of every genre and size such as Julia Michaels, Ashe, bbno $, Duckwrth , Richy Mitch & The Coalminers, Hamdi, IDK, Mac Ayers, Sonderhouse , Boom Records, Bethel Music, Thriller Records, and Versewire . Recognizing the innovation and lucidity of this ecosystem, Billboard deemed Stem one of their Top 20 Distributors, Fast Company hailed Stem among its “Most Innovative Companies” in 2021, while BuiltIn named it one of the “Best Places To Work” for the last 5 years.

Position Purpose

Stem is looking for a strategic, deeply connected, and driven A&R & Label Partnerships executive to join our client team. This role is focused on discovering top-tier emerging talent and boutique labels by managing every stage of the A&R research and artist acquisition process. The ideal candidate has a proven track record of sourcing and signing emerging and established Hip-Hop and R&B artists and a nuanced understanding of the distribution landscape. This is a full-time role, and we are prioritizing candidates based in Los Angeles and New York. This position works under the general supervision of the VP of A&R and Label Partnerships.

Responsibilities

What you’ll do:

• Conduct A&R research across the wider Hip-Hop & R&B market to develop a pipeline of potential future signings for Stem.
• Identify and sign high-potential artists and labels to Stem by managing the full courting and deal process from outreach through execution.
• Maintain and actively expand a curated target list of artists and key industry stakeholders (e.g. managers, attorneys, business managers, and label operators).
• Educate prospective clients on the value of Stem’s unique business model, clearly articulating our advantages over competitors.
• Build and maintain a strong presence in the culture by attending shows, festivals, industry events, and hosting community activations on behalf of Stem.
• Consistently meet and exceed annual signing goals by collaborating with our investment team to propose and close competitive deals.
• Maintain rigorous pipeline tracking in Salesforce to ensure visibility, efficiency, and data-driven performance throughout the sales cycle.
• Provide ongoing insights to Stem’s product and marketing teams based on artist/label feedback and emerging trends in the marketplace.
  
  

Qualifications

What you’ll need to succeed:

• 7 years of experience in A&R, business development, or a related signing/strategy role within music distribution and/or a label
• Proven track record of courting and signing established artists and labels.
• Deep understanding of Hip-Hop and R&B culture, trends, and ecosystems.
• A wide and growing network of artists, managers, lawyers, and tastemakers.
• Experience with A&R research and pipeline building.
• Highly motivated self-starter with exceptional interpersonal and organizational skills.
• Strong deal instincts and an ability to analyze financial opportunities.
  
  

Nice To Have Skills/knowledge

• Proficiency in Salesforce or other CRM tools preferred.
• Proficiency in industry standard tools (i.e. Chartmetric , Vibrate, etc.)
  
  

Salary Range: $100,000-$120,000

• This is a hybrid role requiring 3 days minimum on-site.
  
  

At Concord, we offer comprehensive medical and wellness benefits, generous time off, parental leave, charity match , paid time off for volunteering, and other fun company perks. We have beautiful new offices and a culture committed to supporting everyone’s growth and development.

Concord is an equal opportunity employer. We employ, train, compensate and promote regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law. We believe that diversity, inclusion and equity is paramount for the creation of music, theater and film that celebrates and empowers all cultures.