What makes a hit? Part 2

Being an A&R representative requires being able to identify the components that make a song or artist a hit and coordinating the right elements to ensure a successful result.

Think About

What makes music. . .

• a hit?
• a slow burner classic?
• a flop?
• stand out in your memory?

Get Started

Pump It or Dump It

Imagine you are working as an A & R representative and helping artists choose the right song to make a hit. 

You have the following 3 sets of songs to choose from.

1. Listen to all of the examples in each set of songs
2. Choose the song that is the certified hit in each set
3. Be ready to explain your choice to others

 

Set 1

Set 2

Set 3

Go Further

1. Practice explaining to the artist you are working with why you think they should go with the songs you chose 
2. Imagine that one of your artists prefers one of the songs you chose to “dump”
   1. Convince your artist that you’ve made the right choice in only 30 seconds

Go Even Further

1. Can you think of a song from the past year or two that you think was pumped but should have been dumped?
2. Can you think of a song that you think should have been a hit, but never made it that far on the charts?

Show What You Learned

Link to the songs you think are hits and explain why you think your artist should perform these songs rather than the other available songs.