Where Are the Talent Scouts?
No matter where you are, A&R people are lurking nearby. Fitzgerald emphatically repeated this point. “Columbia has scouts everywhere,” says Fitzgerald. “There is not a city that isn’t being watched. If you make some noise, we are going to hear about it.” You think you need to play a big show to get seen? Not true, says Fitzgerald: “I can’t tell you how many shows I’ve been to where there were less than 10 people in the place.” In fact, she found one of the artists she recently signed in a dive “where there were three other people in the audience, and they weren’t even paying attention. But this kid was a star, and I knew it.” Getting Noticed So the scouts are out there…what can you do to catch their ear? Fitzgerald explains that radio airplay is not critical, due to the dramatic changes in the radio industry that I’ve discussed below. So don’t spend too much energy banging on closed doors. Creating a local impact through live shows and word of mouth is the way to go. “We watch crowds
