HUDL Music Shifts Focus to Tech, AI as Rebrand Set to Roll Out In Fall

It’s been a few years since we last spoke with Lashion Robinson, the CEO and founder of HUDL Music. Since 2020, Robinson has guided HUDL Music to become a beacon for indie artists to share their music, visuals, and connect with each other in ways like never before.

Here we are in the summer of 2024 and exciting updates are coming soon to HUDL.

Robinson is preparing for the company’s next chapter, this time shifting the focus and reintroducing itself as a tech company. We recently caught up with Robinson to get an update of the latest news.

Give us a birds-eye view of what the new HUDL Music is going to look like.

Lashion Robinson: Great question! No matter what, change will always be at the forefront of business as well as life and here at Unifi Music…it’s no different.

The future looks bright as we pivot into technology/AI.

HUDL Music is also going through a rebranding phase currently, and we’re fully committed to providing a platform for independent artists and music creators under our new name, Unifi Music.

As Unifi Music, we will continue to support fiercely independent artists and be the best at doing so by utilizing our tools, such as our EPK feature (electronic press kit), Tip Jar, Music Distribution to over 200 DSPs, embeddable player feature, and our latest technology, Sasha (our AI-driven Artist Manager), which is patent-pending*.

Also, I would like to add that we are building a network of great individuals and companies that will support us through this transformation.

What prompted the idea to make the change and push HUDL Music in a new direction?

Lashion Robinson: As the Founder and CEO of Unifi Music, it has always been a priority to ensure that I position the company to be forward-thinking and continue to create ways to support independent artists.

Look at how fast technology is impacting the industry!

The fiercely independent artist is in business limbo right now.

UM is, and will continue to be, a centralized platform that will genuinely support independent artists, who make up the majority of the music business today.

You mentioned there will be a new AI element playing a big part of HUDL Music. Explain how you plan to incorporate the many amazing functions AI can provide — both for the HUDL Music platform and the HUDL consumer.

Lashion Robinson: Our AI-driven Manager, called “Sasha” (patent pending), will impact how fiercely independent artists can get not just basic guidance on how to move forward in their music career but also a true, genuine partner to help them along their journey.

Sasha can provide artists with social media posting ideas, music data (regional, national, and beyond), industry statistics, and also can learn the artist’s background and genuine voice.

The more artists/creators that utilize Sasha, the more personable Sasha will become as their music manager.

Speaking of Al… It’s all the rage now across just about every industry. What are your thoughts about how Al is going to drastically change the music business — both for the artists and the executives.

Lashion Robinson: Absolutely! AI has already begun to change the industry, impacting playlist creation and music marketing for independent musicians and others.

We will still need people/humans to set the business’s priorities, but with AI, we can get results much faster, allowing us to pivot or correct courses more efficiently than in the past.

There is an old saying, “Cash is king.” And that’s still true, but Data has been crowned the new crown prince.

What can we expect from HUDL Music/Unifi Music as we hit the middle of 2024, and with an eye towards it?

Lashion Robinson: The music industry can expect a new unicorn…and I humbly say this.

I can only think of one company dedicated solely to providing a platform for the fiercely independent artist and us (Unifi Music).

I expect to see us go to market, telling our story in a way that connects us to fiercely independent artists worldwide, and continues to grow our existing community. We’ll launch our rebrand this fall, and all our existing, and new, tools to support artists will be displayed.

We will relaunch fully on 10/1 and provide free services to artists through 12/31. You should expect our platform to be the platform of choice.

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