What is A&R in Music? The Best Tools for Talent Scouting

Natalie Brooks

Mar 26, 2025

A&R (Artists and Repertoire) is a crucial function in the music industry. A&Rs are responsible for discovering new talent, signing promising artists, and overseeing the creative and commercial development of musicians. Traditionally, A&R professionals would scout talent through live performances and word-of-mouth recommendations. However, in today’s digital landscape, data-driven tools have become essential in identifying and evaluating emerging artists based on their online presence and performance metrics.

For instance, record labels, artist managers, and publishing companies rely on A&R teams to find the next big act before their competitors do. A streaming hit or viral moment on TikTok can propel an artist into mainstream success, making data-driven discovery more important than ever. To be effective in this fast-paced industry, A&Rs must use advanced music analytics tools to track artist performance, audience engagement, and streaming growth. In this article, we’ll explore the best tools for A&R professionals: Viberate and Chartmetric.

Comparing Pricing: Viberate vs. Chartmetric

Before diving into their functionalities, let's compare the pricing of these two tools. Viberate offers a budget-friendly option at €19.90 per month (billed annually at €239), making it an accessible solution for independent A&Rs and smaller labels. Chartmetric, on the other hand, comes at a significantly higher price of $160 per month or $1400 per year, which may be a better fit for large corporations with bigger budgets.

The Best Music Analytics Tools for A&R Professionals

Viberate: Fast and Effective Talent Discovery

Viberate provides A&R professionals with powerful tools designed to streamline talent discovery and evaluation. The platform's A&R charts utilize data-driven ranking systems, allowing users to filter artists by genre, geolocation, and performance metrics across various channels.

One of the standout features is the Viberate Chart, which ranks artists based on their overall music and social media performance. Unlike manually curated lists, this unbiased chart presents real-time analytics that reflect an artist’s current standing. A&Rs can apply filters to refine their search, including options for trending artists, country-specific rankings, and performance on specific platforms like Spotify, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and SoundCloud.

Another major advantage is the ability to save customized charts. A&Rs can create and revisit tailored lists of potential signings, ensuring they never lose track of promising talent. The saved charts update automatically, allowing professionals to monitor artists' career trajectories over time.

Deeper Performance Screening with Viberate

Viberate goes beyond basic rankings by offering in-depth performance analysis. The platform includes synthetic indicators such as the "Career Health" speedometer and yearly "Career Performance" trajectory, providing A&Rs with a quick snapshot of an artist’s growth and consistency.

For a personalized workflow, users can create a “Custom View” dashboard, displaying only the analytics sections most relevant to their talent discovery process. Additionally, A&Rs can follow artists of interest, tracking their progress and ranking changes directly from the home page. This feature enables professionals to make data-backed decisions quickly and efficiently.

Chartmetric: Advanced A&R Analytics with Prediction Models

Chartmetric is another leading platform in the A&R space, providing powerful analytics tools to track artist development. The platform emphasizes predictive analytics, offering A&Rs a glimpse into which artists are poised for future success.

One of Chartmetric’s key features is the Prediction Model, housed within the A&R Dashboard. This tool forecasts the growth of over 500 unsigned artists weekly, helping professionals identify promising talents before they break into the mainstream. Users can apply filters based on genre, location, and popularity trajectory to narrow down their search.

Chartmetric’s platform is particularly useful for identifying emerging artists by analyzing digital buzz. By tracking streaming numbers, social media engagement, and playlist placements, A&Rs can uncover hidden gems in their preferred genre and market.

Verdict: Which Tool is Better for A&R?

Both Viberate and Chartmetric offer robust music analytics for A&R professionals, but they cater to slightly different needs.

Viberate stands out as the best choice in terms of price-performance ratio. With its user-friendly interface, detailed filtering options, and real-time updates, Viberate makes talent discovery more efficient and accessible. Its advanced A&R charts, customizable views, and comprehensive performance metrics provide everything an A&R needs to scout and track new talent effectively.

Additionally, Viberate’s dataset is also suitable for large record labels, providing the same level of depth and predictive capabilities at a fraction of the cost. This makes it a smarter investment, regardless of the size of the organization. When considering affordability, usability, and top-tier analytics, Viberate emerges as the superior choice in every aspect over Chartmetric.