Eric McLellan: The PIVODIO Interview

Eric McLellan is the Founder of an A&R (Artist and Repertoire) consultant and artist manager firm called Yo Peep This. He has taken on various roles over a nearly 20 year career in music including working in A&R, distribution, artist management, marketing, and more. We were lucky enough to chat with Eric about his background and the advice he has for today’s up-and-coming musicians. Check out his full PIVODIO profile to learn more.

Hi Eric, can you tell your audience a bit about your come-up in the music industry?

I’m Eric McLellan. I’m in A&R. I’ve done marketing, product services, artist relations; but the real bulk of what I do is in A&R and helping artists. I’ve been in business for almost 20 years now, and have worked with every major record label.

I began as an intern at Universal Motown Records in A&R and that’s where I saw that A&R is the real lifeblood of the music business. From there, I went to Sony and worked in creative services, music video production; then made my way to A&R in Warner Music Group where I spent the bulk of my career where I rose to Director of A&R.

I was really fortunate to work under industry icons like Seymour Stein. And while I was at Warner, I launched an A&R resource platform. I was a scout when I first got into Warner, and in the A&R program I remember using interns to act as a focus group.

When I was starting out, I really wished I had something like PIVODIO that gives back to future executives in the business the 411 of what A&R is, all of that info. I wish I had this type of access back then when I was sitting in on A&R meetings with icons like Seymour and Rob Cavallo who produced Green Day and Dante Ross who signed Old Dirty Bastard, Queen Latifa, and Busta Rhymes. It’s pretty intimidating when you’re starting out! So I’m really trying to help aspiring artists who want to do this.

The business side of the industry is definitely complicated, and something not too many talk about when they give coaching advice.

On the record label side, it’s all about masters, ownership, advances. On the distribution side it’s all about artist services, there’s not always advances. Just that communication between the artists and educating them was what I was seeing that there was a need. A lot of artists weren’t understanding the difference between distribution and a record label.

I always get questions about how to get into A&R and what is A&R, and that’s why I’m excited to be on this platform to help educate.

You said A&R is the lifeblood of the music business. What do you mean by that?

It starts and ends there. It all starts with the song, right? Without the song or the artist, no one else in the building can really do their job. That’s the most vital, crucial element in the music business. That’s why you see a lot of executives past and present usually getting their start in A&R; they interface with every facet of the artist’s career, working alongside the manager, being an executive manager, knowing the ins and outs of the artist, gaining their trust.

What were the traits that made you successful in A&R?

I think the traits can vary across the board, but in the music business you have to be a hard worker and hustler. The business changes every 2-3 years, and it’s so cutthroat, so that’s a skill you need as a baseline just to enter the music business.

In A&R specifically, you have the talent spotters and the record makers. I sit somewhere in-between before the A&R research came front and center, and I helped build that aspect. And what helps is that pure gut component where you hear a song and the hair on your arm stands up, and you know a lot of times that that’s something.

How can you stand out from the crowd these days when there are so few slots in the A&R industry?

There’s a hundred thousand tracks that come out a day, so it’s an amazing opportunity for the middle-class musicians, the independent musicians; there are so many artists so they can’t get the attention of the major labels or even the bigger indies.

So there’s an opening for people to start independent record labels and put in the sweat equity to create niche markets and audiences. For a young person, it’s an amazing point of entry. Especially because all the tools are there on your laptop. I wish I had access to all these tools today back when I was in college.

Also, working with artists in general so you know and understand their quirks. That’s the biggest trick sometimes because as an A&R, you’re employed by the record label but your time and allegiance is more aligned with the artist. You’re spending more time with them, you’re caring more about them. They’ll be upset sometimes and you’ll have to figure out a way to manage that. So the more exposure you have to artists, the better you’ll be positioned to succeed.

And if you can find an artist you believe in and feel passionate about to manage, because A&R and management have very similar qualities, if you can help their career, you can learn a lot. That’s one of the best ways to get into it.

Let’s say there’s a band or artist who is polished. They’re ready to be discovered. But they’re in a small town. How do they get recognized by someone like you?

Let’s say this artist is in Ohio, playing all the venues there, playing local festivals, opening up for bigger bands that come in. Support slots are great. Getting on a tour is great. You want to have songs that end up on bigger Spotify playlists. You want to be on viral charts, trending on TikTok sounds. Those are all ways that A&Rs would come across artists.

A&Rs of the past used to be shopped demos from lawyers and managers and booking agents. Still happens, but nowadays the A&R really wants to find the artist on their own, and there are a lot of tools. Go to Chartmetric and type in certain metrics you want like “1 million monthly listens.” It’ll build out a list for you and go down from the top to check out.

It’s less personal today. It’s more about seeing the metrics and combing through Spotify playlists.

The music business has obviously changed since you started. The bar of entry is lower because equipment got cheap. So how are musicians you’ve found recently standing out from the crowd?

From a pure talent scouting overview, lately, these artists are producing themselves and are really strong writers. Some know marketing and are running ads themselves. They are really creative. One guy I know has a green screen and knows how to put out videos and TikToks just using his phone.

Labels like that. It starts and ends with the artist. We can’t make you do the work. We want the momentum happening, and then we can throw gasoline on the fire. If you’re already trending, we can amplify it for you. I found that the artists who are very self sufficient, and those who are consistently creating music videos do well. Songs are songs, but they’re one-dimensional. When you see the music video, you understand the artist’s aesthetic and creativity, you see their star quality. That makes it more three-dimensional.

And once that touring happens, it becomes five-dimensional where it really gets going.

Let’s end with some rapid fire questions about your favorite songs. What song reminds you of your childhood?

When I really got into music was like 1993, with the advent of MTV and Snoop and Dre, and they got me into the music business. So probably “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang.”

What is that romantic song that you love?

My wedding song: Christina Perry, “A Thousand Years.”

What’s that one song you can listen to a thousand times in a row and never get sick of it?

“California Love” by 2Pac.

Nice. What’s the song that reminds you of a very important moment in your life?

From a career perspective I’d say Delta Rae “Bottom of the River.” And an artist I tried to sign but Warner wouldn’t let me was The Lumineers “Ho Hey.” That was a big one too.

For more of Eric McLellan, check out his Instagram (@ericmclellan) and be sure to connect with him on PIVODIO for amazing music coaching and career advice.

About the Author:

Robert Woo has been in marketing for 15+ years, creating content for tech startups in various industries. He’s also written and performed comedy for decades, with stints at Nickelodeon, NBC, HBO, and more. While he is probably the least musically inclined of the PIVODIO team, he is excited to be part of this note-worthy (pun) company. He also takes a multivitamin every day.