Boston, MA – 08/28 – It was a pleasure recently to talk with James Shotwell, Marketing Coordinator & INSIDE MUSIC podcast host for Haulix. James is known as a big voice within the music community through his label Antique Records, as well as his entertainment reviews on Under the Gun Reviews. He comes to us today to give us a breakdown of new things happening with the Haulix and their industry blog. I know that this tool has been a valuable resource for myself and many of my colleagues. Keep your eyes peeled to haulixdaily.com to see just what all the buzz is about.
SB: Some of our readers might not be familiar with Haulix and it’s industry blog. Tell me about the history behind the site.
JS: Haulix was founded in 2009 by Matt Brown. We provide a secure platform for record labels, publicists, and independent artists to distribute their new and unreleased music. Our promos are sent to journalists, industry professionals, and the like. We also help combat piracy through state-of-the-art watermarking technology that allows to discreetly tag and track every file shared through our platform.
The Haulix blog came about much later. We wanted to create a place that not only shared updates from our company, but also promoted the future of our industry as whole. We believe the best way to do that is through education, so we typically spend our weeks posting advice columns, as well as interviews with various industry professionals. The blog was part of my pitch to the company when I came on board.
SB: Now you’re reached this point where the site is going through a relaunch. What is changing about the Haulix and what can we expect to see right away?
JS: We have added many updates to our platform over the years, but we realized at one point that tackling everything we wanted to do in period updates was going to take far longer than we desired. Our clients have needs and we want to meet them as fast as possible. I wouldn’t call this a relaunch as much as it is an completely overhaul of an already proven system. The look and feel will change, but the core service will be largely the same. We’re adding additional analytics, as well as simplified customization. There are a few more big reveals as well, but I don’t think I’m allowed to talk about all that just yet.
SB: I know that those of us who are familiar with various industry blogs know that this also occurred with Property of Zack, a well known blog that is now closing it’s doors. Do you worry the same might happen with Haulix? What sets Haulix apart from the rest?
JS: Well Haulix is a business first and foremost. The blog doesn’t bring in money, but it does bring a lot of extra attention to our company and the platform we provide. We believe our service is an integral part of any strong marketing plan, and by aligning ourselves with other forward-thinking professionals we hope to become the industry standard as far as promotional distribution is concerned.
SB: Why do other websites become involved with bigger corporations, like Spin, in the first place? It seems that, in most cases, those who do sign away end up regretting it. Is there a false allure?
JS: False allure is a fairly poetic way to say someone lied to you, but yes, that is essentially what happens. There is only so much I can speak on, as I myself have been involved in these situations in the past, but if I had to guess I would say bloggers are lead to believe joining larger corporations will allow them to run their site full-time. The goal of every site owner is to run their site full-time without sacrificing their integrity, just like the goal of every hardworking band is to sign a deal that will give them the support to tour full-time without losing everything. With the right phrasing, it’s not hard to make people fall for anything.
SB: I do know that Haulix has been an established name for many of us for a while now. A big topic of discussion within the industry itself is how artists survive in an industry plagued by piracy. What is Haulix’s take on this issue? What can artists do to protect themselves?
JS: We believe an end to piracy is 100% possible. It’s not something we’re one step away from reaching, but there are steps being taken to cut down the quickly growing rate of piracy around the globe.
The best thing an artist can do is to join a service like Haulix. I obviously think you should join Haulix, but if you find one that suits you better then that’s fine. What matters most is that you only find a service that allows for watermarking and secure email distribution. Upload your files and only invite journalists you trust. The more people with access to your unreleased music the more likely it is something will leak. Trust me.
SB: With the advent of streaming as well, not to mention the variety of streaming services offered by Spotify, Apple, and Tidal, who wins out here? Should artists write off the profitability of recordings and focus on performances and royalties?
JS: I don’t think so. True fans will always buy albums. Always. In addition to working at Haulix I have a record label that makes everything from cassettes to CDs, vinyl, and even floppy disks. People have bought them all. Yes, even floppy disks sell in 2015 if you have the right fans. The days where bands were able to sell 500k of a release may be growing rare, but there are still livings to be made on recorded music.
SB: What advice would you offer to anyone looking for employment in the music industry right now?
JS: The best advice I can offer is to stay patient, persistent, consistent, and never let the sound of silence get you down. Also, use the Haulix job board to find leads: http://haulixdaily.com/
SB: Any last thoughts you would like to share with our readers?
JS: Friends don’t let friends promote their new album without Haulix.
