Spotlight: How Digital Distributor Syntax Creative Evolved From a Hip-Hop Home to a Bluegrass Mainstay

In the late ‘90s, shortly after graduating high school, Timothy Trudeau was already making his mark in music, launching his multi-faceted company Syntax. He worked in production and songwriting, working with nu metal band P.O.D. on pre-production in Syntax’s studio, and producing Tonex’s song “Dancing in the Son” on his 02 album for Jive Records. Other artists Trudeau has worked with include Man of War, Kaboose, Grits, and Nappy Roots (handling drum programming for their song “Right Now,” featured on the 2005 Daredevil soundtrack). He also performed as part of the group Sackcloth Fashion.

His journey as a creative and businessperson largely centered on Christian hip-hop, a niche scene that nonetheless was close to his heart and a lifelong passion to that point.

“I was a big fan of Christian hip hop growing up, and so I was already kind of well immersed in that space,” Syntax Creative CEO/founder Trudeau says of his early entryway into music. “I was putting beats on a cassette and mailing them to folks. I would go to shows and I drove up one time to L.A. and gave a beat tape to [rapper] Pigeon John, who later ended up putting his first record out [Is Clueless] on our record label [via The Telephone Company/Syntax Records]. I was just trying to get anyone I could to take a listen, and if nothing else, give feedback, tell me what they thought.”

By 2004, Syntax Creative was officially incorporated and has since evolved into a top independent music distributor and marketing agency, representing the exclusive global rights to over 150 record labels. Syntax began in the physical retail distribution space, but Trudeau could see where things were heading, and early on Syntax was already negotiating direct deals with organizations including Apple iTunes, as well as Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and later Spotify.

“When we finally decided to go all the way digital, it was just about waiting for some of the other aspects of the industry to catch up with that,” he says. “We used to have to pay all these extra fees and surcharges for shipping and return fees and those kinds of things—so by the time the listener would buy a CD for $16.98 plus tax, we’d be already $30 into that record, and physical distribution in CDs was the loss leader back then.”

Syntax earned its reputation working in Trudeau’s strong suit of Christian hip-hop. But he soon had a realization. “What we quickly realized was what works for one niche works in another one just the same,” he says. “We figured out that what we did for a hip-hop record worked for a bluegrass record as well.”

In 2008, Syntax began to branch out, bringing on clients like Bluegrass/Americana label Crossroads Label Group, which introduced Syntax Creative into the bluegrass space. Crossroads Label Group is home to labels including Mountain Home Music Company and Organic Records (and music from artists Kristin Scott Benson, The Grascals, Tray Wellington and Sister Sadie); Old Bear Records (Andrew Greer, Kevin Max); Man-do-lin Records (Ronnie Reno); and Frontline Records (12th Tribe), among many others. In 2009, the company doubled the size of its catalog from the previous year.

A decade later, the company relocated from California to Nashville, as many of their clients were already based in Tennessee, and picked up Dark Shadow Recording (Becky Buller, Man About a Horse). Earlier this year, Syntax added more clients in Gray Artist Services, 403 Music and Sound Biscuit. They also teamed with Christian music and entertainment site NewReleaseToday’s label NRT Music, to provide marketing and digital distribution for the label, and teamed with Blue Flower Records and folk duo The Gray Havens. Syntax has also continued further building its reputation in the bluegrass space through its partnership with Rebel Records, the 64-year-old label whose catalog of over 4,800 songs includes music from Larry Sparks, Ralph Stanley, Del McCoury and Bill Emerson.

Syntax offers a differentiating factor in that it not only distributes music but offers a range of services including marketing, royalty consolidation and label services. While artists today have a range of social media outlets at their disposal, he’s found that every genre, from mainstream pop to more niche genres has benefited from TikTok.

“If artists only have enough time for one, it should be TikTok, because really all the people are doing right now anyway, is there, and then they go over and just post the same video at another [social media] network,” he says.

Even with all the controversy surrounding the money artists and songwriters make (or don’t make) from streaming, Trudeau says he advises artists to look at the role of DSPs differently.

“I feel like a lot of these DSPs get a bad rap because I think the artists have now looked to the DSPs and they think, ‘We’re in the music business. I need all my income to come from Spotify,’” he says. “And it’s like, ‘What if Spotify was the loss leader?’ That’s one thing we’re always trying to work with our artists on — you’re not in the Spotify business or you’re not in the CD business, you’re in the music business. So how can we monetize everything around it in a way where you can actually do this full-time or even part-time?”

Trudeau, who has served on both Dove Awards and Grammy screening committees and is an active board member of the Music Business Association, has also led educational tracks for conferences including Music Biz, Gospel Music Association, Flavor Fest and more.

“We’ve had a lot of fun helping the labels and the artists that we work with on just practical things that they can do that will help their careers, and help increase their revenue,” Trudeau says.

The best advice I received is: One thing that stood out to me early on was the person who picks up the phone, and the person who sends the email, those are the ones that things happen for them. Maybe they get told ‘No’ 99 times, but then the 100th time, they get told yes.

I would tell people coming up in this industry: The live show is still number one—that’s a way to connect that I still think a phone and social networks will never be able to replace. And those people that were at those smaller, beginning shows, they will follow them all the way. They will be the ones buying the VIP stuff—not that you can’t convert someone who came into it later, but those early fans are often really invested.

In my job, it’s good to have: I’ve never really been one to overreact or get too heated up. It seems like that’s served me well. Being calm, even when things are crazy, has helped a ton. Working with people—we have 150 record labels and that’s a lot to juggle. You get people calling if they are going through something or need advice because they know I’m going to be rational and not overreact.