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5 things to consider when planning for 2018

This morning I woke to discover no less than three inches of snow had fallen in the six hours since I last looked outside. After cursing at the sky for a few moments in hopes that whoever or whatever is up there could understand my frustration over winter’s inevitable arrival, I glanced at my calendar and noticed that the year is nearly out. In less than two weeks Christmas will have passed and we will all be killing time as we wait for the new year to arrive. Are you ready? I’m not.

Working online is a constant battle between what you want to be doing and what cultural trends demand that you do. Maybe you want to write a daily editorial on something that matters to you, but you also need to exist on social media, actively market your existing work, and plan for what you will do over the next several days, weeks, months, etc. Heck, I spent more than three hours of my weekend scheduling tweets to run during the holidays so that I might spend a little more time with family and a little less staring at my phone (note I said less and not ‘no time at all’ because – let’s face it – that simply isn’t a reality for most right now).

So there I was, avoiding the cold and contemplating the approaching new year. The one thought running through my mind over and over was what it was I wanted to do in 2018 that I have as of yet been unable to accomplish. I’m sure many of you have or will find yourself internally debating this same question in the days to come if you have not already begun to do so. Most of us never thought we could get a foot in the door of this business, so usually we’re pretty happy just to be here in the moment working on whatever is immediately in front of us, but we owe it to ourselves to look up and think about what could lie on the horizon. It took a world of belief in yourself to get this far, so you – and I – can’t stop now.

Here are a few things I encourage you to think ask yourself when contemplating the places you will go in the year ahead:

Is what I’m doing right now making me truly happy?

No one gets into music because they dislike music, but just because you’ve gotten your foot in the door or found a role that helps pay the bills does not mean your journey has to come to an end, or even stall. We have all spent our lives being told that next to no one makes it in the entertainment business, and because of this we have a tendency to not want to risk what little success we have already found. This may be good for the sake of security, but in the grand scheme of existence all you are really doing by not chasing after exactly what it is that you want to do is restricting a part of yourself. You are preventing yourself from becoming the person you feel you were meant to be in order to please someone or some thing other than yourself. That may provide short term happiness, but it will absolutely create longterm regret. 2018 should be the year you focus in on what makes you happy and pursue it with all the strength you have in your bones.

Am I making the most of my time?

Laziness is a disease that infects us all to varying degrees. What few people will tell you is that the extent laziness impacts your life is entirely in your control. Just like how we all have a habit of settling for the first opportunity that comes our way we also have a habit of wasting time we know could be better spent focusing on our goals. Maybe you tweet too much (guilty), or perhaps you scroll Facebook even after complaining to everyone you know about how awful Facebook is these days (also guilty). Maybe you sleep until the last possible minute every morning and rush to work without eating a good breakfast or exercising (guilty again). Whatever the case, there are things you do on a regular basis that deep down you know are nothing more than a waste of time and resources. Identify those elements in your life and set to minimizing them in the new year. I’m not saying you shouldn’t relax, but if you feel something you are doing is not right you need to listen to that sensation and correct your path.

How can I work towards my goals without sacrificing something I need (work/money/etc)?

Reaching almost any goal requires some kind of sacrifice on your part, but you have to be smart about what you sacrifice or else you may get yourself into trouble. If your passions lie outside your current workplace and you have no other way to make money then you probably shouldn’t quit your job to pursue your dream full time. Dreams require money. Life requires money. You have to make sure your needs are met in order to have the mental clarity needed to pursue your passions. I like to say people should sacrifice within reason, or sacrifice what they are able, as long as it does not interfere with their quality of life in such a way that they are doing harm to themselves and/or their families.

What can I do to improve life for those around me?

If your bucket list for the new year reads like the agenda of a person who has the world’s biggest ego then your brain is leading you down a broken path. Happiness in life comes from much more than personal gain. You know that saying about how it’s cold at the top? People say that because they often reach the pinnacle of their personal journey and realize they have left behind the people, places, and things that mean the most to them. Victory doesn’t have to be a lonely thing, but you have to be conscious about your actions if you wish to lift up everyone around you in 2018. Helping others often improves happiness far more than personal accomplishments, and it does so while developing better relationships with those who mean the most to you.

How will reaching my goals for 2018 help me in 2019 and beyond?

Life is about the journey, not the destination, so you shouldn’t be looking at 2018 and thinking it will be the last year you ever have goals. Knowing where you want to be in two, five, or even ten years can help you figure out what you need to do in the coming months in order to achieve your long term goals. Once you reach them, set more and repeat the process over and over again until you die. Life is for the living. Keep your head up, your hopes high, and never let a bad day, week, month, or even year deter you from chasing after the things you want.

It’s important to note that not all goals have to be long term. If you want to eat the world’s biggest slice or pizza or work your way to running a 5k those things can be done in a relatively short amount of time. My advice is to balance the big goals with smaller, more easy to accomplish ones so that completing those tasks will help keep you motivated to fight for the bigger picture.

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News

FEATURE: Our 10 Favorite Albums Of 2015

After more than half a decade in music we at Haulix have finally decided to join in on the ‘Best Of’ conversations that happen each and every year around this time. We are in the unique position of having access to a lot of great music, far more than most could ever consume in a single calendar year, and we never take that opportunity for granted. We knew when we started this blog that we would likely begin to share our favorites at some point down the line, and after discovering a variety of albums we felt strongly about over the last several months we figured December 2015 was as good a time as any to join the conversation on who had the best records of the year.

Now, just like with any list, our picks for the best records of 2015 are fairly subjective. No two members on our team have the same taste in music, but we all do our best to keep an open mind whenever someone comes into work with an album they demand we hear. Not every recommended release is a hit, but the ones that are end up being played on repeat for weeks, if not months, while we work. Those same records often become something our staff enjoys outside of the office, as well as the motivation behind the concerts they choose to attend. If music is indeed our life, and we certainly claim that is true, then the records that follow could very well be considered the soundtrack to the last year of our company. These are the records that motivated us, celebrated with us, and helped us focus whenever we fell on hard time. These albums were, and continue to be, an extension of our team, and we hope one or more can make a positive impact on your life as well.

So please, take a little time away from work and whatever chores await you at home to browse our picks for the best albums of 2015. We have included buy links, stream links, and even embedded some of our favorite songs so you have a better idea why each release made this list. If you love something, or even if you hate everything, please leave a comment or tweet us your thoughts. We’d love to read about your favorite records as well, so don’t be afraid to share links to any lists or columns you may have posted. We’ll read as many as we can.

10. Pentimento – I, No Longer (Buy / Stream)

The kings of heartbreaking indie punk, Pentimento truly outdid themselves with their Sophomore release. Exploring the end of a relationship, as well as the journey to rediscovering yourself that often follows, this Bad Timing Records release was on repeat in our offices throughout September, October, and November.

9. Jeff Rosenstock – We Cool? (Buy / Stream)

The longer you work in music, the more you begin to appreciate storytellers who write songs about their adventures in the industry. We Cool? is a collection of stories and memories from the mind of Jeff Rosenstock littered with imagery and encounters that should ring familiar to any music professional. SideOneDummy, the label behind the release, has always been a source of unabashed punk music, but something about this particular album feels extra special. If you can make it through “You, In Weird Cities” without dancing in your seat or reminiscing about journeys from yesteryear you are a far stronger person than any one of us.

8. Parkway Drive – Ire (Buy / Stream)

One of only two heavy releases to make this list, Ire marked a bold step forward for Australian metalcore favorite Parkway Drive. The band’s last few releases have been riddled with growing pains, but none of that appears present on this release. Parkway have finally transitioned from their metal roots into a far more rock-driven sound that, coupled with the brute strength of vocalist Winston McCall, delivers a knockout blow to anyone listening. If this record doesn’t get your blood flowing in the morning, you might be dead.

7. Chris Stapleton – Traveler (Buy / Stream)

Stapleton pretty much stole the Country Music Awards back in November with this release, which helped to further establish the legendary songwriter’s presence as a solo artist, but we have been following his efforts for the better part of 2015. Traveller is a collection of songs like no other released this year, blending covers and originals to create a portrait of a life in music, as well as the sacrifices required to maintain it. We have no idea where Stapleton will take his career in the years to come, but right now the sky is the limit.

6. Future – DS2 (Buy / Stream)

We honestly thought we would have more hip-hop releases on this list than this LP, but when it came time to rank the records that left the biggest impression on our team Future was the only rapper to make the cut. DS2 arrived like a nuclear bomb at the height of summer, bursting with street anthems and potential radio hits to spare. There is not a single song on this record or its extended deluxe edition that we would recommend someone skip. Front to back, back to front, everything about this release is worthwhile. 

5. One Direction – Made In The AM (Buy / Stream)

By now you have no doubt heard the rumors that One Direction will likely be going on hiatus in early 2016. If this is true, then Made In The AM is likely the last new material we will hear from the group for quite some time, if not the last record they ever release. That scenario places a lot of pressure on AM to be something special, and thankfully for us Directioners the group has delivered what could very well be the catchiest and most diverse release in their history. If we never see another new album from 1D, at least Made In The AM will be around to provide us with great hooks, wonderful melodies, and a sense of endless youth that is far too rare in music today.

4. Kacey Musgraves – Pageant Material (Buy / Stream)

Have you ever discovered an artists after they already had a few albums or big singles and wanted to kick yourself for not hopping on their bandwagon sooner? This scenario perfectly summarizes how we felt after hearing Pageant Material for the first time earlier this year. Musgraves is a country artist first and foremost, but this record flirts with the world of pop so often it’s a damn shame that Top 40 hasn’t picked up the singles. In a time where it seems every artist, regardless of genre, is trying to cash in on the same handful of trends again and again, Musgraves is carving a path entirely her own that is only growing more and more exciting with time.

3. Stray From The Path – Subliminal Criminals (Buy / Stream)

Some albums are great because they comfort you when your sad or otherwise feeling down. Other records are great because they bring a sense of joy or boundless love into your life. Still other records, such as Subliminal Criminals, hit home because they touch on topics that are important to you while relaying the aggression and frustration you feel towards them. Stray From The Path have never been a band to bite their tongue when it came to discussing any topic, but on this release they truly deliver a no holds barred take on life in the alternative music scene, as well as the world at large. 

2. Drew Holcomb And The Neighbors – Medicine (Buy / Stream)

It should be considered a crime that Drew Holcomb And The Neighbors continue to fly under the national radar year after year. Some call their music adult contemporary, but we respectfully choose to disagree. The sound Drew Holcomb and his bandmates produce is a perfect combination of American folk and classic country, with just a dash of rock. Medicine, the album they released in January of this year, feel like something Tom Petty might have released thirty years prior, and we mean that in the best possible way. The entire records plays like scenes from a life lived to the fullest extent, with dream chasing and romance around every corner. If you need a road trip record for your holiday travels, this should be it.

1. Leon Bridges – Coming Home (Buy / Stream)

We are not awarding anyone an ‘Artist Of The Year’ title, but if we were Leon Bridges would also be found at the top of that list. Having risen through the underground ranks to become an international sensation in under a year’s time, Bridges spent the majority of 2015 criss-crossing the globe on an endless promotional tour for Coming Home that found him wining over crowds of every size. When you hear the record, it’s not hard to understand why this has all happened so quickly for the twenty-something. Bridges channels the sound and look of Sam Cooke through a classic Motown sound that makes for catchy, often quite simplistic music that is perfect for dancing, mixtapes, radio play, and everything else in between. Coming Home is a timeless record in an age where most art is considered almost immediately disposable, and it’s only the first step of what we hope will be a very long and creative career for Leon Bridges. If you only listen to one album on this list, please make it Coming Home. 

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News

Monday Motivation: Future

If you’re anything like me, you probably started the day by recognizing that the start of a new work week had indeed arrived and then immediately began shaking your fists at the sky in anger. Monday is rarely anyone’s favorite day, and from what I have seen firsthand it feels safe to say it’s the one day of the week some people outright hate. I guess to them the arrival of the work week symbolizes the end of their quote/unquote freedom, and as a result they head into the office/factory/restaurant/store with a negative outlook already on their mind. This leads to bad attitudes, which only makes the experience of being at work worse, and for some reason it also seems to make time slow to a crawl. We’re not about that life, and we hope this post can do the same you that the song contained within it did for us.

Generally speaking, we tend to keep a running list of artists and releases to feature in this column that outlines the next several weeks or even months of content production, but every now and then a release comes along that is so good we scrap our plans and talk about it instead. Such is the case today, as we woke and realized it was Future’s new release Dirty Sprite 2 that we needed to cover instead of the record we chose back in June. This was unexpected. It’s not that we don’t enjoy Future and his unique brand of hook-laden rap, but we never really saw his work as something substantial until this release hit our inbox early Friday morning. Now, we may be fans for life.

Now it’s important for those unfamiliar with the work of Future to know he’s not a rapper like Drake or Kendrick Lamar, and by that I mean he’s not someone whose music is necessarily praised for its lyrical content. The infectious nature of Dirty Sprite 2, like most of Future’s catalog, is owed to the way it makes you feel when it plays. There is a vibe to this record that is downright empowering. You hear it and you want to fight a little harder for whatever big dreams you possess. You want to ball as hard as he does, but you don’t necessarily want to be him. The joy Future speaks of is the result of being himself, and it’s that self-assurance in his own greatness that listeners will want to replicate in their own lives.

On a less serious note, Dirty Sprite 2 is also the perfect soundtrack for keeping the feeling of freedom the weekend offers alive throughout the busy work week. You can put it on to and from work, in between meetings, or while you’re at the gym and find that little extra boost of energy you need to push through whatever challenges may present themselves. You bob along with the beats and, even if just for a moment, feel as if your life has temporary transformed into the glossy world only found in music videos. It’s a fleeting effort in low level escapism, but it’s an escape nonetheless.

The reason I chose Dirty Sprite 2 for today’s motivational post is similar to the reasons behind our selection for last week and the week before, which is the presence of undeniable originality and the ability of that force to influence positive life changes in whoever happens to hear them. We don’t want you to catch yourself pissing codeine syrup like Future mentions doing on DS2’s opener, but we do want you to hear what is possible when someone throws caution to the wind and presents themselves to the world without any sense of hesitation over revealing their true selves to the world. Future hasn’t always been able to do that, but having emerged from the end of a deeply intimate relationship with Ciara feeling a new drive to create he’s finally reached that point and it’s good enough to make you work a little harder to be you in everything you do. Don’t miss out.

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Job Board News

Haulix Weekly Update #93 – “Shut up, brain. I got friends now. I Don’t need you anymore.”

Hello, everyone. Thank you for stopping by our blog. Whether it’s your first visit or your hundredth, we’re happy to have your attention. This is our weekly recap post, which runs every Friday, and in it we talk all things Haulix. Before we get there however, we like to share a song that has been on repeat in our offices this week. With the weekend only a few short hours away, this track will help you celebrate your impending freedom like no other. Enjoy:

As I mentioned above, each and every weekend we like to take a brief break from our regularly scheduled programming to update and reflect on everything happening at Haulix HQ. We are far more than a music blog, as many of you already know, and posts like this give us an opportunity to share more our efforts with all of you.

DEVELOPMENT NEWS:

Following a couple weeks filled with updates regarding our forthcoming platform update, this bit of behind-the-scenes news has to do with something else entirely. For the first time in a long while, we have updated our Terms Of Service. We recommend all clients and journalists read over our new ToS, which you can find on our official website, at their earliest convenience.

BLOG NEWS:

The biggest news of the week is that we finally saw the return of Inside Music, following two weeks of unannounced vacation. The entire episode, titled ‘Where Have You Been,’ explained the show’s absence, so I won’t spoil it for you here.

In other news, we have begun speaking with another, far more prolific music industry blog about some content creation collaborations. We love finding new ways to bring you the greatest opinions and best advice, so we are always on the lookout for opportunities to do just that. You may have noticed we have two recurring contributors right now, Rey Roldan and Seth Werkheiser, both of whom are delivering thought-provoking original content for us every month. We hope to further add to our stable of contributing talent in the months ahead.

In case you missed any posts this week, use the link below to catch up before another week begins:

New Music Friday

Concert Photographer: Where Did Your Integrity Go?

College Students: Join SynnerNation Today!

Advice: Stop Putting More Barriers Between You And Your Fans

Publicity 101: The Broad Focus

Haulix Basics: The Best Way To Assign Promos For Review

Inside Music Mini #2 – Where Have You Been?

11 Ways To Be a Happier Musician

Monday Motivation: Sublime

Music Industry Job Board (7/5/15)

That’s all we have for this week. Have a great weekend!

Best,

Haulix

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Job Board News

Haulix Weekly Update #33 – Let’s Vaguely Discuss The Future

Hello again, everyone! It’s Friday at Haulix HQ, and truth be told there are only a few short hours before the weekend arrives. We have been working around the clock in recent days to prepare the next updates to our promotional distribution system, but today we are taking a step back to reflect on everything we have accomplished. Thanks you for joining us. 

Each and every Friday afternoon we like to pause our normal routine of interviews and advice columns to provide an update on everything in development here at Haulix HQ. We may run a music industry blog, but that is certainly not all we do. Music security is our top priority, and in recent weeks we have been working hard to develop cutting-edge technology that take our servicing platform to a whole new level. Let’s dive in.

Before we go too far, we wanted to give a special thanks to Hypebot for the feature they ran on us earlier this week. 

Okay, onto life at Haulix HQ. If you read the feature mentioned above you were among the first to learn of the next update coming to our distribution platform. We are still a couple weeks from launch, but we are integrating a new system to automatically distribute DMCA takedown requests. We cannot go much more in depth at this point, but we feel once completed this update will exponentially strengthen the security we can provide our clients and their media.

As for life on our blog, things have been moving surprisingly fast thus far in April. We ended March with the launch of our Concert Photography series, and have already been inundated with requests for upcoming posts. We also spoke with a handful of the top 100 music blogs, but for now we are keeping their names under wraps. You can find everything posted in recent days below:

That’s all we have to share right now, but we are very much looking forward to the content planned over the weekend. If you have time, please stop back by. If not, have a great and safe escape from work. We’ll see you on Monday.

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