A&R Primer II: Ron Burman, Senior VP of A&R for Roadrunner Records

FLATIRON DISTRICT, MANHATTAN: In your quest for integrity within the dark art of A&R, cast your gaze upon Ron Burman, Senior Vice President of A&R for Roadrunner Records. During his 13-year tenure at one of America’s premier rock labels, Burman single-handedly transformed the airwaves with his signing of Nickelback, followed more recently by rising acts like Theory of a Deadman and Airbourne.

Ron Burman

Burman rose up by not only knowing how to pick bands, but how to relate to them. Before he became a success story at Roadrunner, Burman was literally a starving artist himself in the early ‘90’s, surviving as an Alphabet City painter with the thankless task of managing punk  bands like Alice Donut and Ultra Bidé on shoestring labels like Alternative Tentacles.

Today, he may have the proverbial platinum bling on the walls, but he’s as down to Earth as ever. Ron kept it real in his assessment of A&R in 2010.

Q: True or false: The role of an A&R person has changed significantly since you joined Roadrunner.

A: I don’t know if it’s changed significantly. My directive has always been to find great, commercially viable rock for Roadrunner Records. Maybe the means by which I find bands – the vehicles of electronic media — are different, but I’m still scouring the planet for the next big thing. It’s still gotta be in the parameter of rock or hard rock, but something that can also be on the radio and reach the masses.

Q: You signed Nickelback. Could you have predicted their career arc? Why did this band manage to succeed at such a level?

A: I couldn’t have predicted that they’d be this huge. But when I first went out to Vancouver to see them, and heard them play “Leader of Men”, their first hit off of their first album (The State, first released in Canada in 1996, then re-released in the US in March, 2000), I just got this feeling. I got goosebumps. Everyone was singing along, and I could see a lot of people enjoying it. I was really moved by the audience’s reaction to the band and their songs.

That was 11 years ago. Now fast forward, we’re on record #5 (2008’s Dark Horse), and every one of them has been a hit album. They’ve been able to sustain their career, and I feel blessed to be a part of it, and help them maintain their position out there.

Q: Why do you think Nickelback has been able to sustain such a long, successful career, when other bands burn out much more quickly?

A: Because they’ve put in relentless touring all over the world. Also, in addition to huge radio hits, I think they have 12 to 15 songs — at least three off of every one of their albums – that are smash hits. So people know and love their songs.

Nickelback

They tour and tour and tour, and they’ve won their fans over with their live shows, in addition to radio. I think a lot of bands don’t want to put in that kind of work. That was one thing that attracted me to them: their work ethic. They’ve gone overseas, built it up everywhere, and they’re constantly striving to expand their penetration to other markets.    But having universal songs with universal themes that everyone in every country can relate to, and sing along with, doesn’t hurt.

Q: From an A&R perspective, is there a downside to this level of success? How does having such a massive signing affect expectations that people have of you, and that you have of yourself?

A: Good question. I think the bar has been raised so high that my bosses count on me to bring in things they think can be commercially viable and potentially the next huge thing.

Nickelback is an anomaly in the industry, period. There aren’t other bands like them. The Rolling Stones may be bigger live, but there isn’t a bigger rock band out there now in terms of music sales today. That’s a fact. Currently Nickelback’s sales are around 35,000,000 worldwide and counting. Their current record is 3X platinum, and their last record was 8X platinum.

So there’s a lot of pressure. It’s rare and not that easy to come up with something that huge. I’ve been fortunate enough that I have another band that’s doing extremely well and about to go platinum in the states, Theory of a Deadman, whose current album Scars and Souvenirs is gold, and we should hit platinum in the next couple of months. They’re platinum in Canada, where they’re from, and they’re following the model: touring touring touring and winning over fans. And I have a few new bands that we’re developing. It’s a lot of pressure. A hit band like Nickelback doesn’t happen that often. A lot of the pressure is unrealistic. But we do our best.

Q: How would you characterize your A&R philosophy today? How do you strive to be as an “A&R man”, and what kind of bands do you sign?

A: My philosophy has always been the same, it’s just finding bands that have great songs, and that I believe can appeal to the everyman, to the average person in mid- America that listens to rock radio. It’s been the same M.O. all along.

Theory of a Deadman

One thing that’s changed is I find I’m getting more good/decent demos from band than I ever got, because the technology has gotten better or more user-friendly to the masses. The average person can make decent-sounding demos more easily than ever before, and because the business is hurting, they have access to producers and engineers they might not have had access to a few years ago. They’ll work with a baby band to have something on their schedule and make some money.

So I’m getting better-sounding music, but it’s getting more and more homogenous and faceless. Less exciting, and more trying to sound like Nickelback than breaking away from their contemporaries. So that makes my job harder in a way. Most things sound good, so less sticks out to sound really special. I play stuff in my meetings and my boss says, “That sounds cool,” but it’s just pleasant, in a way. It doesn’t stand out.

Q: The other thing I was getting at was, how would you characterize your own commitment to the bands you sign, once you have them on the Roadrunner roster?

A: I don’t sign that many bands. If I signed them, I believe in them. I think they’re special and that they’ll be huge. Some A&R guys are about signing the band, and then letting the rest of the company do their thing. I go to weekly marketing meetings, talk to our radio department daily, and try to be an internal cheerleader for the artists. I’m also involved with our head of artist development and touring manager, trying to secure live touring opportunities for my bands as well.

When we have success, I feel ecstatic. When they fail, I feel the pain. I’m heavily involved and vested in every artist that I sign, and everyone who knows me knows that I’m a straight shooter. Even bands who’ve been dropped still consider me a friend. I’ve treated them all with respect.

Q: People are always taking shots at the major label “establishment” and the A&R reps who sign their bands. Is the bad reputation fair or not, in your opinion?

A: I think that a lot of major label A&R guys are out of touch. I’m not at a major label, so we’re not out of touch. We’ve always been very independent-minded at Roadrunner, and a street-oriented label. So we’re always hands-on, and I think pretty damn in touch because we have to be.

Often some major label A&R people follow trends, and when something changes they go whichever way the wind blows. But A&R people across the board today are under more pressure than they’ve ever been, needing to sell records or music. But with a dwindling market share and a bad economy, everyone feels the pain and everyone feels the pressure.

It’s sort of, “What have you done for me lately?” Hit or no hit. It’s always been that way, but in the past there was a lot more fluff, and everyone was buffered from it. Everyone is under the magnifying glass. Is something selling or not? If not, you’re under the gun and scrutinized more than ever these days.

Q: What do you want artists today who want to get your attention to know? What’s the correct way to get your attention, and should they probably avoid?

A: You have to be a self starter and take the initiative to make shit happen on your own. Don’t wait for us — a label — to come and do it for you. I’m looking for bands that have the fire and blind passion to be successful and make things happen, no matter who’s involved!  Also make sure you have GREAT songs before you send them to me/us. If it’s GREAT we will find you.

Q: What are you working on now that’s got you excited?

A: The band Airbourne from Australia is working their second album, No Guts, No Glory. In one album cycle they went from a small club band to headlining 2,000-5,000 seat venues regularly throughout Europe and Canada. Their new album is ass-kicking rock and roll, in the vein of of AC/DC and Rose Tattoo.

The band Hail the Villain is out of Toronto, and their album is called Population: Declining. They’re an awesome melodic heavy rock band, in the vein of Disturbed. The early response from radio across North America has been phenomenal. They just secured the support slot for Sevendust, North America, and the opening slot for the Uproar Tour in late summer/early fall. I think that the singer, Bryan Crouch, is an enigmatic character and a star.

Madam Adam

Lastly, is Madam Adam – that’s a palindrome – from Charlseton, SC. Their record comes out at the end of the summer. They’re a catchy radio rock band with Foo Fighters overtones and great songs.

Q: You seem like you’re still completely excited about your job. Am I right?

A: Yes! I get excited when I hear stuff that’s great, refreshing, and something I want to listen to. Even if I can’t work with it – it’s too alternative or left-of-center – there’s a lot of young musicians out there with great stuff that’s more exciting than ever. And with the Internet and touring, they can get to their audiences.

I’ve been in the music business in NYC for 22 years. I’ve done a lot of different things – manager, tour manager, booking agent, promoter, festival booker, and now A&R — and I’m still really excited about it. I feel really fortunate to be doing what I’m doing. The business is changing rapidly, but people always need someone to spot new talent and develop it. Hopefully we’ll be doing that for a long time to come. – David Weiss

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