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I've seen a few posts recently saying that A&R 'doesn't really exist anymore'. I have no idea where that comes from. A&R is THE main component of any record label, independent or major label. Not even sure how to address this sentiment, it's so incorrect.

Most people do not go to school for anything related to music. I did and I know maybe a handful of people who did but 80-90% of the industry went to school for something generic and unrelated (or didn't go at all).

There's two paths to getting into the music industry, one is DYI. Become an artist manager. You don't need a degree or experience or even connections early on (these come with time and work). Find bands you believe in and approach them - be real - and explain you're interested in helping them grow and build. Figure it out as you go along. Be prepared for their egos; every artist thinks they're bigger than they are. Other DYI routes are promoting parties (just putting on events), freelance marketing/PR, etc. MOST people starting out in this lane have NO experience and just pick it up as they go, build a portfolio (for lack of a better word) and snowball experience until it's substantial. This route is hard, there's little money in it for the foreseeable future, but if you're aggressive pursuing it and strategic with your trajectory then it can work. This is how some of the biggest figures in music have started.

The other route is more formal, closer to a normal job route. Get an internship or assistant position at one of the 4 traditional sub-industries: label, publisher, management, booking agency. These aren't hard to get you just have to have a nice clean resume - they don't expect a ton of experience - and present yourself well, have a savage work ethic, have thick skin and great attention to detail. I can tell you from looking at tons of resumes for entry level that having a music related education/major is a very small component of the process. If I see some kid who has been promoting parties in college, shows a proclivity to pursuing music, with or without my help, and seems like he's ripe to learn and grow then they often get a shot. Having a "music business" degree, for example, will do the same thing - it just gets you in the door. My point is it's not necessary. This path is long and the money sucks, just like the DYI path, but there's some structure in it and a path towards progressing. My colleagues at my current job all started as assistants and interns and are now running major parts of the company. My point here is that hiring managers want to see people who are already TRYING to do things on their own and seem to be the kind of person who will continue to make progress with our without the position in question.

The moving around a lot will be a huge hurdle. Unless you're in LA or NYC (or Nashville and Austin to a lesser extent) it's going to be VERY hard to make progress, I'm sorry to say. But now that you know that, perhaps you can work around it. Perhaps your path is a DYI one in the digital space where you build artist platforms, manage their social media and digital marketing, etc. Stuff you can do remotely. It'll still be hard as people really work with people they've personal relationships with but a quick productive trip to NYC or LA and you can shake enough hands to leave with a client or two hopefully. Just a thought. Or perhaps you work in local venues as marketing and talent buying.

Get Donald Passman's book: http://www.amazon.com/Need-Know-About-Music-Business/dp/1451682468

What I am doing now is exactly what you want to be doing: get involved in an internship in the field. There are numerous options. I am in New York City and I got an internship at a talent agency that specializes in booking tours, working with promoters, etc. There’s a lot of things you can do.

Here’s a bunch of resources. The first one (book) is amazing. The second one is also amazing.

This Business of Concert Promotion and Touring: http://www.amazon.com/This-Business-Concert-Promotion-Touring/dp/0823076873

YouTube search “Ren101” — Watch every video.

Biography.com - http://www.biography.com/people/bill-graham-20836781

Artists House Music: http://www.artistshousemusic.org

Renman Music Business: http://www.renmanmb.com/

Starpolish: http://www.tiwaryent.com/advice-library/

IEBA - http://ieba.org/

Billboard.com: http://www.billboard.com/biz

Country Music Association - Industry InSite:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1CC8078B6D0FAEA5

Concert Ideas! Event Planning Guide - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2Zbp2DvtSQMSmJ5emMtQld1dHc/view?usp=sharing

Dan Steinberg Square Peg Concerts Presents: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE5XNKvz4WnPRymDB9dArSg

TicketFly: https://www.youtube.com/user/ticketfly/videos

How Music Works

Not a book, but also recommend you check out Cherie Hu's blog, water and music

404 link

Here, fixed
http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/the-exploitation-machine/Content?oid=17178038

article is a book plug

the book
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TIZFO2W/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?ie=UTF8&btkr=1