FiXT, the USA-based artist-owned record label from Klayton (Celldweller), has announced company co-founder James Rhodes is moving from Vice President to President.
“From the moment I met James, I knew he was one of a kind. His passion is not only evident through his words, but even more so through his actions. At the beginnings of Celldweller I was very protective of the brand and everything I had worked for.
This kid James had been on my radar for several years and had proven himself as a die-hard fan. What more proof do you need than him spending his own money to wholesale boxes of CDs to resell them and share his passion for Celldweller to everyone he knew. Although I was initially hesitant when he asked me to give him some official responsibility, I eventually handed over a small task to see what he could do and he streamlined it beyond my expectations. It was acutely obvious to me after 2 years of James working as an unpaid intern, that I needed to figure out a way to take the financial leap and secure him as my first official employee.
We officially founded FiXT together in 2006 and over the years the company has grown exponentially. We developed multiple artists into independent successes, and built new systems we created ourselves, because there was no other model to follow. The level of trust I have in James has continued to grow over the past 20 years, and he’s never taken advantage of that. There’s no-one else I could envision naming the President of FiXT other than James.”
– Klayton (FiXT Founder & CEO)
Rhodes who co-founded FiXT alongside Klayton, started as a fan of Klayton’s project Circle of Dust in the ‘90s and later became his first employee in the early ‘00s as Celldweller was being established.
James and Klayton first met in the Fall of 2000 at a Celldweller street team studio visit in Detroit, Michigan. In 2003 James took over Klayton’s e-commerce operations as his first employee. In 2005 Rhodes moved from Iowa to Los Angeles to join respected music publishing / sync licensing company Position Music, working under Klayton’s manager Tyler Bacon as part of Klayton’s management team while also continuing to work directly with Klayton for Celldweller merchandise and e-commerce operations.
In January 2006, Rhodes returned to Iowa and co-founded FiXT with Klayton, launching a music label with the goal of supporting artists and providing a fair deal in an industry known for one-sided agreements.
By the early/mid ‘10s Rhodes took on a management role for Klayton’s artist projects, including Celldweller, Scandroid, Circle of Dust and later FreqGen, and has been a key player in nurturing the projects to reach millions of global listeners each month. Rhodes and Klayton have built FiXT into a global brand supporting the careers of over 100 artists with fans in over 150 countries.
“I’m incredibly honored to have the opportunity to continue growing my career in the music industry, I have built over the last two decades working with Klayton. His trust and support in my ability to lead FiXT into the next twenty years is humbling and exciting. We have an amazing foundation to build on with a great team and company culture. Klayton’s vision for artistry, excellence, and quality have given us a north star that we will continue to move towards far into the future. And of course we wouldn’t be a label without our artists. From my first day working with Klayton to the present, my personal mission has been the same – to add the most value possible to the artists I believe in and help them grow their careers in ways not possible on their own.”
– James Rhodes (FiXT President & Co-Founder)
Some of Rhodes’ accomplishments at FiXT include notable artist signings such as The Anix, The Browning, Fight The Fade and ENMY, to making key personnel hires including Kurtis Redden (Director of Operations, Head of Marketing), Travis Brocket (Administrative Director), and Michelle Steer (Merchandise & E-Commerce Manager). In 2015 he spearheaded FiXT’s move to join the American Association of Independent Music (A2iM), become MERLIN members and move FiXT’s digital delivery business to FUGA. Rhodes is also credited with moving FiXT’s e-commerce operations to Shopify in 2015 and later negotiating direct deals with multiple DSPs including Amazon, and Pretzel. In 2022 he set up FiXT’s global publishing administration deal with SENTRIC and in 2023 co-led FiXT’s sync catalog expansion in a deal with APM Music paired with a global sub-publishing network of 20 territory based partners. He has served multiple terms on the A2iM Mentorship program, and been a guest on numerous industry podcasts, including the Top Music Attorney Podcast, The Music Industry Blueprint Podcast with Rick Barker, Burn This World Podcast with Jonny McBee, Headliner Mindset Podcast with Nik Cherwink, and many others.
As FiXT celebrates 18+ years of history, the company operates as a record label, music publisher, and merchandise company with over 15+ exclusive artists on its roster, including The Anix, Beyond Unbroken, The Browning, CANTERVICE, Celldweller, Coping Method, Daedric, Fight The Fade, Fury Weekend, HIGHSOCIETY, The Plague, Scandroid, and more. The label boasts over 3.5 billion lifetime streams and over 1,000 Film/TV/Video Game and advertising sync placements, including: Westworld, Power Rangers, Lexus, Toyota, Suicide Squad, Iron Man, Robocop, Jack Reacher, Deadpool, John Wick, Guardians of the Galaxy, Pacific Rim, Call of Duty, Synth Riders, Assassin’s Creed, Need For Speed, Razer, Dead Rising, UFC, and more.
For more information on FiXT, visit: www.fixtmusic.com.