Thanks Joanne, I'll give it a watch.

Not trying to hijack here Joanne but I have to say this.

When I see these posts (and Bob is not the only of late who's written one) that come off like - oh so and so hasn't written any hits they're only been an A&R person - those who can't do teach haha - or maybe it's osmosis - insinuating the person doesn't know what they're talking about or have anything of value to share - I beg to differ.

If anyone expects to ever hear their song on the radio - which up until recently was the only way to get a hit and is still the number one way people consume and hear new music - the song has to get past the A&R person before the record company promotion department spends money on it.

An A&R person who doesn't have an ear for hooks is not going to get a job at a major record company. And if they were to slip in somehow they wouldn't keep it long. A big part of their job is to work with songwriters and pick the best songs on a daily basis. And what makes great songs are great hooks.

It's okay to write for fun just to please yourself. But for those serious about this or who just really want to grow and get better, I wouldn't assume that an A&R person who is responsible for finding hits and is involved in making hits every day with their career on the line has no valuable or useful knowledge to share.