Every record company has an A&R department whose job it is to sign and nurture new talent. Each month we put the spotlight on an A&R boss and ask if there's hope for aspiring acts.

DAVE BATES (34), HEAD OF A&R, PHONOGRAM

PHONOGRAM'S MARKET SHARE (Jan-Mar 1987): Albums 17.7% (first place); singles 15.9% (second to WEA, 16%).

SIGNED BY PHONOGRAM IN 1987: All About Eve (came in via The Mission); Dee Lewis (respected female backing singer, produced by Paul O'Duffy); Slide ('very talented' Glaswegian band); Texas (Glaswegian group, again).

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? "I'd like to find a young Bryan Adams type: late teens, and writing commercial, straightforward songs that can be presented to both sides of the Atlantic, and resulting in piles of platinum discs. I'd also like something different for us — perhaps acoustic music?"

ADVICE TO TAPE-SENDERS: "The chances of finding a band by a tape sent through the post are pretty negligible — the only one I've ever heard of is Bronski Beat. Most bands are signed through a representative introducing you to them; there's usually someone whose opinion you value that puts you in touch. And in case you're thinking, oh, he's got nothing for us, I'd suggest three songs maximum on a tape, with your most commercial one first."

WHAT DO YOU LISTEN FOR PERSONALLY? "Singer. Song. And then the computer in the brain switches on, and it's: is it danceable, is it pop, will it sell in the USA, UK, Europe, Japan, how'm I gonna break them, how old are they, how do they look..."

FAVOURITE RECORD TODAY: MARRS 'Pump Up The Volume' "You have to realise that this sort of music is here to stay — and I'm not sure that a lot of people in the business have accepted it."

TAPES TO: Russ Conway, Alan Pell, Nick Angel, Charlie Eyre, or Jeff Young (A&R Managers), Phonogram Records, (Contact Details) (main switchboard — ask for A&R department).