About Us

How It All Started - When life gives you lemons.... in 2009, Richard was considering a new career path as a result of downsizing. The other local music store had closed 2 years earlier so the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream while saving local musicians a trip to the city was too good to pass up. And so in just over 6 months, with the help of family and some awesome friends, A&R Music went from concept to reality and opened in December 2009.

A&R Music - In the music business, A&R stands for Artists and Repertoire. Virtually every major music label has an A&R Department which handles recruiting new performers, finding original music and acting as liaison between the artists and management. A successful A&R person usually has one foot in the creative world and one foot in the business world. A&R Music tries to make that connection by supporting artists and their music with the products we carry and the services we offer.

Meet Richard....

A Bruce County resident for over 35 years, Richard moved to the area from a large city to the south and has never looked back. The pace of life, natural surroundings and friendliness of the local communities made it an ideal place to raise a family. To a lifelong musician, finding such an active and appreciative local music community was a bonus. And with so many talented musicians in the area, opening a music shop to be a local source for instruments, accessories and repairs was a natural fit.

Richard is always happy to chat about products, music trends and music in general. He started playing guitar at age 7 and began teaching at the age of 12. That same year he joined his first band "Concrete Air" and he's been in some kind of band ever since. He plays almost every stringed instrument including mandolin, violin and bouzouki as well as trumpet, tin flute, congas and other percussion. His favourite music is classic rock, jazz and blues but he also enjoys classical, bluegrass, folk, punk, reggae and country. As he says, 'all music is good music if it makes someone happy'. And while he may not always remember to post to Instagram, he knows all kinds of interesting trivia going back to the 1920s. His favourite game is Rock Trivia...mostly because he always wins!

When he's not running the shop, you can find Richard teaching music lessons, playing in a few local bands or volunteering as a sound and light technician at Victoria Jubilee Hall, Walkerton. He has been a guest judge at the Sights & Sounds Talent Show in Hanover, hosts high school co-op students in the store, plays bass in a community choir and has been part of the entertainment at Canada Day celebrations, Parkinson's Walk, Relay for Life and other community events. A&R Music encourages everyone to get out and enjoy live music and proudly supports and promotes many local events.

What We Carry - A&R Music offers instruments and accessories from some of the best names in the business. We are an authorized dealer for brands like Epiphone, Ibanez, Roland, Orange, Shure and Tama so our customers can be sure they are getting the real McCoy. We support Canadian craftsmanship and are proud to carry several lines of products by companies such as Levy's, Los Cabos and Traynor.

Customer Confidence - Being a lifelong musician has its advantages. We know our stuff and have personally tested and used almost everything we sell. And whether it's an instrument, an amp or a strap, all our products receive a thorough inspection before going on the floor. Quality control ensures that our customers can be confident that A&R Music cares that they get the best value for their money.

What's New - Tried and true is great but so is trying something new. We work hard to keep up with trends so our customers can discover new products just coming on the market. And we keep our prices reasonable and competitive so you can be sure you are getting good value. Our goal is to provide you with the best service and selection when you are ready to shop.

Close to Home - It's important to care for your instrument so it continues to play when and how you want it to, especially in climates with frequent weather changes. Our on-site repair shop can save you time. We offer string changes and set ups, often while you wait, as well as part replacement and crack, break and electronics repair. We also carry a range of instrument parts and care products. Whether your instrument has structural damage or just needs some TLC, our technician has over a decade of experience and has repaired everything from guitars, amps and keyboards to djembes, trumpets and accordions.