Finding an A&R Person. Finding an A&R person in any record company, who believes in your product as much as you do, is a rare commodity to say the least. I have never heard of any artist being signed to a label on their first approach to a label. George Martin and EMI, like every other label at that time, had previously turned down The Beatles. When Brian Epstein approached Martin again, he convinced him that if he signed the band, with his record shop connections, he could guarantee he could fix a chart entry. Although “Love Me Do” only reached number seventeen in the UK chart, Epstein had kept his word. Finding Someone Who Believes. Between the years 1978 and 1979, I had spent around £15000 of my own money, recording an album with an artist whom I truly believed in. I tried various record companies, but ...