Why A&R Needs a History Lesson, by Atlantic Records’ Pete Ganbarg (Guest Column)
variety.comPete Ganbarg Pete Ganbarg is a two-time Grammy-winner, president of A&R for Atlantic Records and also president of Atco Records.
His most recent signing is Gayle, a 17-year-old pop artist from Dallas via Nashville whose debut Atlantic single, “abcdefu,” topped the singles charts in several countries.
His “Rock & Roll High School” podcast, a series of interviews with legends of contemporary music, is available on all DSPs.I recently asked my A&R department at Atlantic Records to create playlists of the songs that best define them.
It was an exercise as much for me as it was for them. There were a few Beatles tracks, an errant Coltrane song, one Dylan’s “Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands.” But for the most part, it was a lot of Kanye, and that got me thinking.
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