Take an inside look at how Minnesota’s High School for Recording Arts Vocational Discovery program uses Haulix to teach students about the music industry.
GRAMMY Award-winning and NAACP Image Award-nominated group Sounds of Blackness are celebrating the release of their latest single, “Juneteenth Celebration,” with a little help from Haulix and the High School of Recording Arts. The track, written and produced by Music Director Gary Hines, was recorded at Atomic K Studios and Winterland Studios in Minneapolis earlier this year.
Promoting the new track is a group of students from the Vocational Discovery program, a paid extension of Minnesota’s High School For The Recording Arts in partnership with Rock The Cause Records. The students in this program use Haulix to share new releases with the industry at large and, in doing so, sharpen their skills for careers later in life. The “Juneteenth Celebration” campaign will include promotion to Gospel, Urban, College, and NPR radio formats and over 1300 Black American media contacts.
“What we’re really doing here is teaching these young people how to become communications specialists or communications occupations specialists,” explains Vick Vern Award-winning educator and Rock The Cause Records founder Scott Herold. “We use the Haulix platform to teach them business writing, [such as] writing press releases, media communications, how to service news stories, music, and video, to the media, how to build relationships with media contacts, and how to use Haulix as a tool to effectively—and more importantly, cost-effectively—deliver new media to radio, television, podcasters, and everyone we want to build relationships with who can benefit from the content we are providing to them.”
Over the last four years, more than 60 historically underserved populations of youths have learned to use Haulix as part of the school’s paid Vocational Discovery program. Students earn $15 per hour as paid interns for Rock The Cause Records and communicate daily with media professionals worldwide through the promotional distribution service.
“We mentor our young people to use Haulix because many of them are artists themselves,” says Herold. “They want to understand how to get their content to the media, and Haulix is a very cost-effect way to deliver that media. It’s also very user-friendly compared to other services. If you’re an independent artist or label, this is the best, most cost-effective way to share your music. The customer service is also fantastic. I can email the team on a Sunday night, and I will hear back right away. It’s a great way to learn about the industry.”
Herold’s efforts have already paid off. Since starting his program, Herold’s students have worked on promotional campaigns for more than three dozen releases from local and national artists. Students have also worked on film and book release campaigns.
While promoting the previous Sounds of Blackness single, “Time for Reparations,” HSRA students were able to secure airplay at more than 60 stations nationwide, including 26 BDS reporting. The song was also nominated for a 2022 NAACP Vision Award.
When asked if musicians ever question the involvement of his pupils, Herold laughs. “It’s always an interesting subject to broach because a lot of artists worry about you turning their album over to an intern instead of some top person, but when you explain the program and who these young people are, and the results they’re getting, most artists say, “You know what? It’s the 21st century, and I want to support those kids. After what we’ve seen in this country with the civil rights uprising, the killing of George Floyd, and the disparities we have in America today, many artists are on board. They realize that if they can help [these students] out and connect with them through their music, they want to do that.”
High School For The Recording Arts is a pioneering force in education. Dubbed “hip-hop high” for its first-in-the-world approach to connecting with at-risk youth through a hip-hop music program, the HSRA is a tuition-free school where students learn about the music business and other creative endeavors. You can learn more about the HSRA and its programs on the school’s official website.
“We’re always looking for new projects to work on,” adds Herold. “We’re also looking for other companies to partner with for careers for these young people. We have young people ready to work for other PR firms. We can take the first 90 or 120 days and have them paid for by a county or federal program, so you get an opportunity to know the intern before you bring them on permanently.”
He continues, “We’re also looking for donations from the private sector, like artists, musicians, or anyone that wants to support the program. You can reach me at rockstar@irockthecause.org or email me at scottherold@hsra.org.”
