Breaking the Mold: Record Label & Sync A&R

"Sometimes I feel like smaller labels are often better because they can help you without you having to do things you don’t want to do. When you sign to a big label, you need to play the game if you want to get the max benefit." Our guest on this episode is May Mahmoudi, A&R at Ninja Tune’s Big Dada Records, as well as working in the sync department of Ninja Tune’s Just Isn’t Music. This episode is an insightful introduction to publishing and record label deals. How to get your music synched and what are the expectations from artists at the various levels of the music ecosystem? May was brought on to do A&R when Big Dada decided to do a big relaunch in early 2021. The label put a new focus on where they wanted to go and who was going to take them there. They are now actively working to amplify Black, POC and racialised voices. Big Dada Records looks to shift the narrative around this music, bypassing stereotypes to allow and encourage the freedom to express oneself for who they are and want to be. The goal: supporting and offering resources to a new generation of artists. May approaches music first by relating the vibe and the artist’s community. Then it is the nitty-gritty of how the music might be properly promoted and what the artist’s vision is, who they are and what they want. Having someone who works both the publishing side as well as the label side of the music ecosystem in for a conversation brought up a lot of new strategies. May is also very interested in having artists develop their music and career, being ready for their next step, whatever level that might be. Show Notes: #HowWeListen Live: In Conversation Ninja Tune Big Dada Records May Mahmoudi reviewed by Pitchfork 00:10 - Byta.com 03:36 - Virginia Tech, Beach Fossils, Wild Nothings 05:00 - Me and my friends all moved to LA, I got a job at Universal Music 06:23 - How got my job at Ninja Tune 08:36 - The difference between the publishing world and the record label world 10:00 - What don’t artists know about publishing 10:35 - Just DM Beck… 11:24 - What does May’s day-to-day look like 12:51 - What are publishers looking for in an artist 14:42 - Chicken and Egg, how do artists get synchs? 15:28 - What does synch-able mean exactly? 17:03 - Bid Dada is looking for people pushing boundaries 18:11 - How do most indie labels approach new signings these days? 19:18 - The luxury of being Big Dada Records, under Ninja Tune. 20:42 - What are publishers looking for in an artist 21:10 - Why would anyone sign a record deal? 23:25 - Bandcamp is your best option 25:22 - May’s back story and her music career 27:50 - Byta.com 29:00 - You need to be ready for the level of label you sign to 31:16 - Music pollution 34:45 - Technology has changed everything & made music more accessible 38:09 - The importance of giving back to your community 40:00 - HowWeListen Live: In Conversation 41:18 - How does May find new music and artists 43:41 - How does A&R work inside the label 46:12 - What makes a great songwriter 47:30 - Byta.com Music by Fin Productions and Oliver Lyu Episode Credits: Artwork by Jen Pmphrey Hosted by Marc Brown Series coordinated by Jamie Ford Produced and edited by Colin MacKenzie Music by Fin Productions and Oliver Lyu