heartdea13r w/ chr1stoph3r g0nda James Rhodes: “I’m only here because I was passionate about music.”
Dec 4, 2025
James Rhodes, the co-founder of FiXT and BitBot, dives into his passion for music and the importance of a fair label environment. He shares his journey, balancing family life and multiple roles in the music industry. Rhodes emphasizes the significance of deep work and productivity, advocating for a service-oriented mindset in artist management. He discusses navigating the evolving landscape of streaming while maintaining artist relationships and delivering consistent music quality. This insightful conversation inspires a fresh look at managing a sustainable music career.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Create Deep-Work Days
- Carve predictable deep-work windows to protect focus and reduce context-switch loss.
- Make one day (or half-day) low-meeting to boost sustained progress and productivity.
Stack Meetings To Preserve Flow
- Stack related meetings to reduce flow-entry and flow-exit overhead and compound productivity.
- Book immediate post-meeting working sessions to convert takeaways into action in real time.
From Small-Town Iowa To Building A Label
- James moved from Iowa to LA in 2005 to work in music, learned the industry, then returned home to start a label.
- He used lower Midwest overhead and early digital networking to build Fixed remotely and sustainably.