Much has been written about the music side of pop recording industry, but until now, little about the business side, about the men and women who actually make the albums happen. Bill Flanagan, senior vice president with VH1, in his first novel, "A&R," has brought to the light the swirling and sometimes sleazy recording business.
With this work of fiction comes the standard disclaimer of 'any resemblance to actual people or events are completely coincidental, because the novel is a product of the author's imagination.' One cannot help but feel that because of whom the author is, however, much of this either has happened or has happened in a very similar manner.
The story is based around one man, Jim Cantone, an up-and-coming A&R man. A&R stands for artists and repertoire, and the people in that position have the job of finding, signing and nurturing the careers of new talent. Working for what is little more than a mom and pop operation, Jim is about to sign the largest and potentially the most lucrative band when his boss blows the deal. Upset and having already received a very generous offer from the industry giant, WorldWide Records, Jim bolts, following the band and signing on with the big boys.
Once there he becomes the head of A&R for the East Coast, which means he deals primarily in rock and roll, a little pop and some country. The West Coast division takes the rap, r&b and the rest of the pop. Though he feels as though he has sold out to the "establishment," Jim is enjoying the perks of his new job, and the amount of power it seems to give him.
His most promising band, Jerusalem, which he convinced to continue dealing with him, is looking to have the biggest selling album of the year and to become a megastar in years to come. In fact, all seems to be going well and Jim sees his future as bright and rosy as he continues to perform the job that he loves.
But life is not as perfect as Jim thinks. As the story progress Jim becomes a pawn in a power struggle between president Wild Bill DeGaul and vice president J.B. Booth, which will eventually determine the direction of WorldWide, and perhaps even the music industry as a whole.
"A&R," though well written and a fun read, does not stray far from time-tested story lines. The setting may be one that does not traditionally gain much exposure, the business of pop, but the characters and the progression of the story is fairly unoriginal.
Flanagan relies on the traditional good guy/bad guy setup, with the good guy too trusting and na
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