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PROGRAM DETAILS

What is Artist Career Lab?

Artist Career Lab is an exclusive artist community that centers around mentorship and coaching to teach artists where the bar is and how to build something meaningful in 2026.

What does the A&R Bootcamp entail?

Our A&R Bootcamp is an application based specialty program to give artists access to high level in depth coaching, guidance, and A&R on their music.

Artist Career Lab founder Andre Herd who prior to launching ACL was Vice President of A&R at APG & has worked on songs that have done over 4 Billion streams & 2 Grammy nominations will be leading the Bootcamp.

What is it?

Weekly live A&R sessions with Andre (90-min Zoom) for 6 weeks. Andre will bring in 1-2 guests (either hit producers or A&Rs) to give feedback alongside in a session or two.

How does it work?

  1. Apply (3-5 min)

  2. If accepted, you’ll get onboarding + submission instructions

  3. Submit music before each session → we workshop it live → you leave with clear next steps

How many artists will be in it?

We only accept 10 artists so we can spend ample time and attention on each artist. VERY limited selection.

What type of artist is this for?

For the artist who is tired of feeling like their music is good enough but they aren’t seeing any success or for the artist who wants to know exactly what it takes to make music that will move their needle forward.

When does it start?

February 5th, 2026. Applications close January 29th. Exact call times announced to accepted artists.

What is the cost?

It is $1,000 for those accepted.

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About Andre

Most artists online never get real A&R feedback. I want to change that.

ACL Founder • Former Vice President of A&R at APG

Andre Herd

Andre has worked on hit songs including:

  • #1 hit “Stay” Zedd (ft. Alessia Cara) (1.4B+ streams)

  • Grammy nominated “If The World Was Ending” by JP Saxe (ft. Julia Michaels) (1.4B+ streams)

  • “Numb” by XXXTentacion (600M+ streams)

  • As VP of A&R at APG, his department generated 1.5B+ streams, with 4B+ streams and 2 Grammy nominations across projects he’s been involved in.

  • SONGS HE’S WORKED ON

What you’ll walk away with:

  • You’ll walk away with a clear understanding of where your music stands in the marketplace and what you can do to improve it. You'll understand the bar that A&Rs hold artists to, how to reach it, and how to make records that actually compete.

  • You’ll learn where the highest opportunity is for your sound and what lane to double down on (or what to stop doing).

  • You’ll get clear notes on your abilities as a writer and how to get better. Throughout the program you’ll improve as long as you fully participate and do the required work.

    • Hook/topline notes

    • Structure + pacing

    • Production + arrangement

    • Performance + vocal decisions

  • You’ll meet and have connect with 9 other great hungry upcoming artists to collab and build with.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • Each week will be a live A&R call on zoom. There are replays which will be in the program portal that you’ll have access to.

  • You will get direct feedback from Andre and any guest speaker. You’ll submit your music ahead of time to the online portal so we can be efficient with our time together.

  • This is for artists of all levels. Artists who are serious about improving their craft and are looking for guidance and unbiased feedback on their music from top industry players.

  • All genre’s are welcome. That said, to get the most out of the program, artists who are interested in commercial success and who are in or near the lanes Andre has had the most success in (Alt/singer songwriter/pop/electronic).

  • You’ll be able to rewatch the call in your spare time. You’ll learn from the coaching of others as well. In addition to getting your own coaching, this program is valuable through watching and hearing the feedback we give to other artists. If you apply that feedback to your own music, you’ll grow.

  • No. The Accelerator is a 3 month wholistic artist development program whereas this is a 6 week deep-dive focused on the music aspect of an artists development. Of course - we naturally will talk a lot about socials and content since A&R and content go hand in hand today.

  • You’ll hear back about your application within the week prior to the start date.

Have questions?

Most answers are in the FAQ above — if you still have a question, email us here.