My boss knows about my intern-view set for tomorrow and he's been very supportive. As much as I think he could be a better BOSS, he's a nice guy and his intentions are good (like when I called out because I had cramps, and he said he "understood"). So around 6:00 we started talking about interview and if I was ready.
The conversation steered towards my ever out of reach girl to be the big A&R chick. He offered his views on the situation, saying A&R positions were sort of fading out, and its the type of thing you do in addition to something else. I totally get where he's coming from, have heard it before, and have thought about it myself. He showed me a long list of people that are A&Ring some projects and pointed out that although they're doing that, their titles are things like Manager or CEO.
He went into music-industry-nerd details that I ate up with a spoon but won't divulge here, and I asked more questions. I explained what it is about A&R that appeals to me so much which is this: I love the idea of developing an artist from scratch. I love taking that artist and guiding them, creating a niche for them within the genre, picking out songs that I feel best showcase their talents, developing their personalities into an image, pushing that artist during recording sessions to the point where they hate me, and then walking away with an amazing record. Vin looked at me and said that sounded like management.
The funny thing is, people have been telling me to be a manager for YEARS. I HATE the entire idea, and I told him that. He said he was surprised to hear that, I'm not really sure why (does something about me scream manager?). I think I'd be a horrible manager...for one thing, I can be pretty selfish and no one gets in the way of my sleep, so that means if I had an artist who was stuck in Alaska (with Ms. Sarah Palin!) at 2 AM, that artist can hang out until I roll out of bed the next morning.
The conversation neared an end and I said something along the lines of, "I really need to figure out what else I want to do because A&R looks like its becoming a dual role. I just have to come to terms with that" And Vin said this, something that sounded insignificant at the time, but that I will probably carry with me forever.
He said: "People can pick up on negative vibes, and if you've given up inside, but are still looking outwardly, people will still be able to tell your heart's not in it. Don't let anything stand in the way of your dream, no matter how crazy or how hard it is, you'll get there"
And so, onward I go.
Labels: artist and repertoire, boss, intern, internship, manager, motivation
0 comments:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
