Ross Allen speaks to Robert Luis about Ross’s 30+ years of experience as an A&R at independent and major labels. As well as signing and nurturing talent from the underground, Ross has A&R’ed a pop chart number 1, so has seen many different sides of how music is developed behind the scenes from a creative standpoint. Ross has A&R’ed his own labels Filter, Island Blue, Casual and now Foundation Music and worked at Ninja Tune, Domino, AM/PM and many other labels. He has A&R’ed for London Grammar, DJ Shadow, Talvin Singh, Spacek, DJ Q, Amy Winehouse and more recently Lady Blackbird plus many others.
If you are interested in what is involved with being an A&R from a creative side or just want to hear some good stories on how some great music gets released….press play.
0.00 Intro
1.00 Getting into A&R via running. A record shop, writing for Straight No Chaser magazine and working at labels
2.10 Working at Dorado records doing club promo leading to getting an A&R job there and setting up the Filter label and signing Sunship, The Underwolves, DJ Q and The Amalgamation Of Soundz.
6.00 The practical side of working your first A&R job and how Ross had not initially paid attention to the business side.
7.45 A&R at an independent label versus a major label
9.00 Arthur Baker’s comments to Ross about A&R at a major label.
10.30 The A&R ideology of Filter
11.30 Why Ross left Filter and the fallout. Ross in hindsight understanding why he had pressure from the owners to release a specific album and the lesson he learnt from that on why even at a very creative level you must sometimes compromise on your A&R opinion.
20.00 Working with London Grammar and how the mixdowns made the difference.
21.40 After Filter Ross got offered jobs from Pete Tong, Heavenly, Leftfield but moved to Island to set up his own label Island Blue.
23.40 Having no idea how he could get into the music business with no contacts as people from his school either got jobs in the City or in the building trade.
25.00 Advice on how to make steps into the music industry if you have no contacts.
27.00 Eat, Sleep & Drink music.
29.50 Finding new music is the magic.
30.00 How the business side works as an A&R on getting paid at independent and major level. Advice if you have a job A&Ring at a major.
33.00 A&R’ing Talvin Singh’s Mercury Prize winning album.
33.40 Being at Island from 1997-200.
35.30 How everything changed when Island merged with Polygram / Universal as an A&R and how Napster was changing the music industry.
37.30 Working with DJ Shadow.
38.00 Working with Peshay.
39.30 The external forces at play which effect a label that is possibly seen as too creative. Lucian Grainge’s influence and change on A&R policy. The reality of how the “food chain” works business wise at a major label and what Ross understands much more now compared to then.
44.15 Taking the Zero 7 album to Island but not being allowed to sign it.
44.50 Early days of hearing Dizzee Rascal and Wiley. How Island turned down signing Pay As You Go Cartel and then when it got in the carts asked Ross to try and sign them to Island.
48.00 Trying to explain to Island about the Grime scene. Working with Nick “Cage” Denton to set up deals for Dizzee Rascal, Wiley and Roll Deep but the bosses at the label changing their minds and how it should work.
56.00 Ross getting his first number 1 in the pop charts via the Sugababes through his A&R suggestion about reworking a bootleg officially with the original producer Richard X.
59.00 Grateful for the grief Lucian Grainge gave him as an A&R.
59.49 The job of management has become an extension of A&R.
1.01.00 The terrain for A&R has changed but the job has not.
1.09.30 Casual Records, Country Got Soul, Arcade Fire.
1.11.00 How A&R meetings worked at a major when Ross was there.
1.12.00 Arcade Fire story continued.
1.14.30 The A&R meeting where a Badly Drawn Boy record got picked up and thrown from the turntable.
1.16.30 Casual Records set up and Lady Sovereign.
1.18.00 Ross trying to sign Switch but his boss kept skipping the tracks after one minute.
1.18.50 Working with Lady Sovereign at Casual and the tough side of the music business when dealing with losing an artist.
1.25.40 Ross working at Domino.
1.30.00 Working with DJ Shadow. Signing The Heavy to Ninja Tune.
1.32.30 How working with London Grammar helped Ross develop the song part of A&Ring. DJ’ing for Sade.
1.36.00 The importance of listening to new Black music genres.
1.37.30 How doing a radio show helps the A&R process and the importance of record shops.
1.42.50 How playing Lady Blackbird on NTS helped the A&R process.
1.48.30 Working with Zach Witness, management and running Foundation Music.
1.51.10 Understanding what a good song is.
1.52.00 Having an understanding on how the business side of music works.
1.56.00 The important melting pot of British music culture.
1.57.30 Ross’s advice for anyone looking to get into A&R. With music it is OK to get high on your own supply.