High School

Most A&R workers have a college degree, so in high school you should pursue a college preparatory track. Classes in business, mathematics, speech, and English will be helpful. The most important thing you can do is to become involved in music, be it playing in a school band or with a group of friends, going to shows, or simply listening to a wide variety of music in your spare time.

Postsecondary Training

Executives in the music industry come from a variety of backgrounds. You'll likely need a college degree, but experience with a record company will be the most valuable training. An internship is highly recommended, and is useful for making the right connections. Some A&R workers have degrees in communications, business, marketing, and music.

Certification or Licensing

There are no certification or licensing requirements for artist and repertoire workers.

Although prior experience is not required, a part-time job or internship at a record company will provide useful experience to aspiring A&R workers.

Mainly, you'll need a love for music and an interest in the business end of the music industry. You should have a good sense of the history of popular music as well as the acts that are currently on the scene. You'll also need to be very organized; A&R workers for big companies generally must handle many different acts in different stages of production. Other important traits include perseverance, strong communication and interpersonal skills, and curiosity.