Republic Recommends: Saint Harraway & Justin Davis

Here are some more amazing career recommendations from our SVP of A&R Saint Harraway, and our A&R Justin Davis. Help us continue to elevate Black access.

What does your role/department oversee? 

The A&R department is the division of a record label that oversees discovering and signing talent. We oversee artistic development by maintaining and fostering relationships with song writers, producers, and artist, while interfacing with various departments on behalf of the artist and their vision.

Different A&R’s have different strengths.

Saint is hybrid creative; not only does he discover talent, but he is also a music producer and musician who stresses relationships in the business are everything.
Justin comes from a music production and technology background.

What do you like to see most in an application? 
From Saint:
Entrepreneurial skills. A lot of being an A&R is being a self-starter.
Internships show passion. It tells me you are willing to work your way up.

From Justin:
Actively pay attention to what’s happening in the market place.

What are 3 tips for people looking to work in the industry?
From Saint:
Trust your ear!
Know who you are. Trust your philosophy (how you do your job)
Know that hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work!

From Justin:
Know that you’ll get a thousand no’s before you get your yes. Be persistent and hustle! 
If you believe in an artist / music / person, build a relationship with them. As long as they’re driven and motivated and you’re around them, it’s super energizing.
Be focused and attentive.

Any resources you know of that tell people how to make a good reel/portfolio?
From Justin:
Some Facebook groups will have jobs posted directly from the seeker before they’re made public. Requirements to join the groups are pretty easy, they just want to see that you’re broadly involved in the industry.
I came from an HBCU background–the career centers there should expand into music more and that’s something that I want to address.

From Saint:
We definitely need more resources and that’s the sad part.