Meet James Sweetlove: Cave Dweller Music, Shred Storm PR, and Heritage Harmony Records
Meet James Sweetlove, operator of Cave Dweller Music, Heritage Harmony Records, and Shred Storm PR. James also hosts the Cave Dweller Music Podcast, which I highly recommend checking out if you're looking for a new music-based podcast to listen to. James- currently located in San Diego, California- originally moved here from Australia in 2020. Before living in Australia, he resided in New Zealand, though James was born in South Africa. New Zealand and Australia is where he spent most of his time in the past.
In this interview, we will learn more about what James does regarding CDM, Heritage Harmony Records, and Shred Strom PR. Let's see what James has to say about his own experience in the music scene, running a non-profit record label, and what he has in store for the future.
TELL ME A BIT ABOUT YOUR OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH THE MUSIC SCENE/INDUSTRY.
"I've been directly involved in the scene for several years now. I've always been a fan of live music and had friends in bands, etc., but in 2020 I really dove in headfirst. Since then, I've been a music journalist and editor, a PR person, a label owner, an interviewer, an online event producer, and more."
HOW DID SHRED STORM PR START? WAS IT HARD TO GET THE BALL ROLLING? AND WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START CAVE DWELLER MUSIC?
"Cave Dweller Music actually started about a year before Shred Storm (which was called Cave Dweller Productions until recently). I was struggling with the lockdown and needed a creative outlet. I was working for a live music-based startup at the time, doing online event production, but I wanted to write about music and build a community. So CDM was born, and now we have six admins, a whole crew of writers, and an ever-growing following across all platforms. The same can be said of the podcast, which started in 2020 as well and has grown along with the site."
"Shred Storm PR was a way for me to further help artists, as there are so many talented musicians who really struggle with getting their work out there to publications, blogs, and podcasts or with creating press materials. That's where I come in and do what I can to get their music seen. They do the hard part in creating art; I just put it where it needs to be."
TELL ME ABOUT THE CHARITY SAMPLER SECTION ON YOUR SITE. HOW DID THAT START?
"Right now, we are running a charity sampler called Battle Hymns: Triumphs in Transitions, a 49-track dungeon synth sampler with all proceeds going to The National Center for Transgender Equality. You can pick up a copy for only $7 on our Bandcamp until August 31st."
"We've been doing these samplers for a few years now and started with our first mental health month charity sampler called Mind Over Metal, which just had its third year running back in May and featured 70 artists. All proceeds went to mental health organizations. We also ran a grindcore/powerviolence sampler earlier this year called Violence Against Violence, with all proceeds to Doctors Without Borders."
CHECK OUT THE CHARITY SAMPLER BY CLICKING THE BUTTON BELOW.
Heritage Harmony Records Logo
LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR NON-PROFIT RECORD LABEL HERITAGE HARMONY RECORDS. HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT STARTING THIS NON-PROFIT RECORD LABEL?
"This is my most recent venture and is easily one of the ones I'm most excited about. Heritage Harmony Records is a newly founded non-profit record label for marginalized and underrepresented artists globally. All proceeds go directly to the artist; we simply serve as a platform/space for people to discover and buy the artist's music. You can think of it as an interim label that will help get artists' music out there until they manage to find a bigger for-profit label."
"The primary purpose of HHR is to provide a space for artists from locations outside of the USA, Canada, and Western/Central Europe (aside from indigenous peoples and ethnic and linguistic minorities) to showcase their music."
"I see the industry as having a total imbalance that marginalizes and disadvantages artists from parts of the world outside of key traditional markets and language groups, an imbalance I'm trying to correct in my own small way using the experience I've gained working in social media, PR, and music over the years."
"HHR has a focus on world music, folk, psychedelic, fusion, ambient, jazz, spiritual, blues, hip hop, afrobeats, funk, and more!"
"We're Bandcamp based, but we also have a rapidly growing YouTube channel where people can listen to the albums and singles from the label's artists."
TELL ME A BIT ABOUT SOME OF THE ARTISTS YOU HAVE SIGNED.
"I've already started to put together an amazing and truly diverse roster of artists from all over the world. So far, we have:
Bulgarian chill/stoner hip-hop beats artist Sashhh.
Mexican psychedelic/stoner/progressive rock act Desert Mantra.
Kenyan experimental ambient/electronic/East African folk music artist Muthoni Ni Mimi.
Cypriot psychedelic / blues / progressive / garage rock band Mental Soup.
Lithuanian afrobeat/afrojazz act Ojibo Afrobeat.
Singaporean (now based in Phuket, Thailand) acoustic/blues/jazz artist Mellow Blues.
California/Philippines-based psychedelic world fusion Filipino artist Bo Razón.
South African dark progressive folk/blues act The Fishwives.
South African experimental world/folk/jazz/soul/ambient/spiritual/hip hop duo NoMyayii.
Russian psychedelic/funk/blues/acid rock act Jeffrey's Jaws.
Peruvian experimental electronic/ambient/industrial artist Xavi.
Bulgarian psychedelic/folk/soundtrack/stoner/alternative rock act Oddplay."
Cave Dweller Music Logo
DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR PEOPLE LOOKING TO START THEIR OWN NON-PROFIT RECORD LABEL?
"It's a rough start because you're asking people who don't normally get support to trust you as a stranger. You have to think of it from their perspective; some random guy contacts you on the internet and says he wants to promote your music but doesn't want any money. So understandably, people are cautious, but as you grow, it becomes easier to overcome that. People let their guards down a little more. I'm sure that this will get to a point where people are contacting me to work with me rather than me seeking out artists. Just stick with it, stay consistent, build solid connections, and develop a good reputation, and the rest will follow."
WHAT ABOUT WHEN IT COMES TO STARTING YOUR OWN NON-PROFIT MUSIC BLOG?
"All I can say is, be prepared for a LOT of work at the start. You're going to be writing a LOT of content until you expand and bring in more staff. The best way to grow is to build connections and become a part of the online and local community. Make an effort to get to know the bands that you cover and the label owners and PR people that they work with. If you do that, you can build something that really lasts and has organic growth. Also, make partnerships with other blogs, They aren't your competition, and you can really benefit each other. We have partnerships with numerous blogs, including your own (Amplifiedsd), such as Fuzztlán, Afrobeats In Da City, Wyrd Daze, Monster Riff, The Joy Of Violent Movement, Sounds and Shadows, and 4ZZZ Community Radio, who host our broadcast radio show Knuckledraggerzzz Extravaganza."
"What I think is most important though, is choosing to surround yourself with like-minded people and building your own community around your shared interests. I definitely wouldn't have been able to achieve what I have with CDM without the hard work and support of my admin team, so thank you to Yari, Aaron, Brendan, Matt, and Sidney, as well as all of our writing staff."
Shred Strom PR Logo
IT'S INSPIRING TO SEE HOW PASSIONATE YOU ARE ABOUT SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY WITHIN THE MUSIC SCENE. WHAT ARE SOME SMALL WAYS OTHERS CAN HELP OUT THE MUSIC COMMUNITY?
"There are plenty of ways to help out that cost either nothing or very little."
"You can start by liking, commenting on, and sharing any social posts from musicians you know or local acts; this goes a really long way whether it seems like it or not."
"Tell people about artists that you like. Word of mouth is still one of the best ways to help bands reach new listeners."
"Make an effort to attend smaller local shows, not just the big-name acts at larger venues."
"Buy merchandise when and where you can; that's the main way that touring bands actually make money. If you can also buy physical copies of their music (if you're into that), $20 for a vinyl to a local act has a much greater impact than $40 for Adele's new album."
"If you're in a band, support other local bands both at shows and online. Remember that they aren't your competition, they're your support network and your community. Share content from each other, promote each other, and share fans. That way, you all grow and all win."
ANYTHING MAJOR IN STORE FOR THE FUTURE YOU WOULD LIKE TO TALK ABOUT?
“We have a few exciting things coming up, actually. CDM will have a brand-new website launching very soon with many more features and functionality, as well as ad space for artists and labels to buy. We also have a merch run coming later this year with some incredible artwork by the incredibly talented blasphemy_ink and another charity sampler, but I can't give those details away just yet."
"As far as HHR is concerned, you can expect a lot more to come. There are numerous artists that I'm in talks with, and I discover more amazing candidates every day."
