A&R Production Manager

Overview

CONCORD IS THE INDEPENDENT, WORLDWIDE LEADER IN THE DEVELOPMENT, ACQUISITION, AND MANAGEMENT OF RECORDED MUSIC, MUSIC PUBLISHING, AND THEATRICAL PERFORMANCE RIGHTS.

With offices in Los Angeles, New York, Nashville, Miami, London, and Berlin, Concord has a diverse and vibrant roster of active recording artists, composers, and songwriters, and a vast and historic catalog of works by some of the most treasured names in music history.

As the A&R Production Manager, you'll coordinate the production and delivery of masters for Concord Label Group Frontline releases; Manage the A&R library for physical masters; Liaison between Labels, PMs, A&R, Artists/Management, Mixing & Mastering engineers, Lacquer cutters, Manufacturing plants (Vinyl, CD, Cassette), UMS and Universal International, and Concords Shared Services.

This is a 3 month temporary full-time position

Responsibilities

What you'll do:

• Order production masters for all frontline configurations

• Manage the physical A&R library

• Collect masters for archiving and storage

• Supervise the master delivery process: tracklists, sequencing, assembling audio, distributing audio, getting master approvals, managing physical and digital schedules to meet release deadlines for all Concord frontline labels.

• Sole point of contact for nine front-line labels (Concord Records, Concord Jazz, Fantasy Records, Easy Eye Sound, Fearless Records, KIDZ BOP Kids, Loma Vista Recordings, PULSE Records, and Rounder Records), Concord's International Department, and the distributor (UMS and Universal International)

Outline of Specific Functions:

Production Masters

• Order production masters from mastering studios for all approved new recordings:

• Singles, EPs, LPs (16-bit & 24-bit HRA), Pre-orders, Vinyl (7", 10", 12"), CD, Cassettes,

• DOLBY ATMOS, Deluxe and Remixes (digital & physical), Waterfalls (Standalone, Pre-order, Spotify, ATMOS), TikToks (Sped Up & Slowed Down), DSP Exclusives (Amazon, Spotify, Apple Music), Reissues, Anniversary Editions and other D2C formats

• Manage the Vinyl manufacturing process: Calculate/obtain suggested side splits, lacquer cutting, recuts, comments/approvals, distribution of test pressings, and liaison between artist/management, mastering engineers, and labels.

• Coordinate delivery of the production masters to Universal Mastering Studios(UMS), vinyl manufacturers and foreign distributors

• Communicate all manufacturing locations and deadlines to UMS

• Alert A&R, Production and Marketing and other pertinent departments when masters may be delayed or encounter technical problems

Masters

• Manage and deliver all frontline audio for digital and physical distribution for nine frontline labels with heavy release schedules. Hundreds of components per month.

• Inform A&R of what is needed and when to ensure deadlines and release dates are met

• Relay comments/notes to & from mastering and A&R; Address vinyl comments and/or problems with Artist/Management and find solutions to obtain approvals.

• Obtain approved tracklists and sequences from Management or A&R; Route to Content & Repertoire team

• Route master audio for approval from Artist/Management & A&R; Route timings and PQ sheet to Content & Repertoire team

• Address issues and note audio differences or mistakes between configurations: Digital/CD/Vinyl masters

• Verify that master delivery is complete for each project

• Assist with the mixing and mastering process for Concord's staff engineers.

• Deliver masters for distribution across international territories

• Supervise DSD audio & SACD releases for Japan

• Accommodate special requests from A&R and the Physical Supply Chain

• Sourcing & Assembly:

• Source and assemble mixes, sequences, tracklists and masters, often delivering to UMS directly

• Waterfalls:

• Find & Source masters for Stand-Alone Singles: Find and source old masters, often mastered at different facilities, order/assemble the waterfalled tracks in 16-bit, 24-bit HRA, and Spotify versions.

• Assemble masters directly or instruct Mastering or UMS how to assemble for Waterfall configurations.

• Deluxe: Find and source old masters from digital & physical configurations to create Deluxe versions.

• Plant Recuts - Find and source old audio for plant recuts as needed.

Manage A&R library for Physical Masters

• Maintain the A&R library for digital physical masters (Digital vinyl cutting masters)
• Keep all physical masters and copies organized(Vinyl, CD, Cassette)
• Assist with digital archiving when needed

Production coordination

• Create Purchase Orders for all releases delivered to UMS (excluding vinyl)

Qualifications

What you'll need:

• Solid understanding of the recording process and/or technology

• Experience in Release Planning/Production at a record label or Engineering preferred

• Experience managing the releases of Digital & Physical masters (SD, HD, Atmos, vinyl, CD, cassette) preferred

• Ability to manage priorities and meet deadlines

• Outstanding project management skills

• Strong people and relationship building skills

• Exceptional organizational skills

• Diligent attention to detail

• Complete knowledge of MS Office software (Excel, Word, Outlook)

• Excellent follow through skills

• Handle confidential matters

• Strong oral and written communication skills

• Problem-solving abilities for office situations

• Ability to work well within a team

• Must demonstrate good judgment

• General agreement and acceptance of the Company's core values (see attached)

Salary Range: $35-40 per hour

• This is a hybrid role requiring 3 days minimum on-site.

At Concord, we offer comprehensive medical and wellness benefits, generous time off, parental leave, charity match, paid time off for volunteering, and other fun company perks. We have beautiful new offices and a culture committed to supporting everyone's growth and development.

Concord is an equal opportunity employer. We employ, train, compensate and promote regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law. We believe that diversity, inclusion and equity is paramount for the creation of music, theater and film that celebrates and empowers all cultures.