Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rob Schwartz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Rob, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

Yes. Absolutely. While the standard business models focus on routine, sometimes we forget that it is people who run those models. I try to focus on people and relationships. For my music distribution company, I pick up the phone and check in on my artists. I even created a whole music conference and festival (Distro Fest) to keep my distribution artists active. By listening to the people who live this industry day-to-day, you can get a better understanding on how to change the norm and adapt to changes before they become the standard.

As a co-founder and Chief Music Officer of ACX1 Studios in Atlantic City, we have to teeter between our vision as an entertainment pier and the traditional casino perspective. Although we are not a casino, we still have to follow those guidelines. While my partners and I have a corporate side, we also are all creatives in the entertainment world. We try to bring a younger and more engaging perspective by focusing on movies, movies, and events in our facility.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My introduction into the music industry on a professional level started in distribution at PolyGram Records. I ended up moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a songwriter. When that didn’t quite work out, my fraternity brother got me a job in a financial company right off Wall Street. I abandoned my dreams of being successful in the music industry – which lasted about 2 months after seeing a free performance by the Beatnuts at the South Street Seaport in NYC. That encouraged me to start a music website with some partners.

Shortly after, I left on my own and released the first hip hop DVD in Blockbuster and Netflix (WHO?MAG DVD Vol. 1) which spun off to a WHO?MAG TV which aired worldwide on broadcast TV. After eventually leaving the finance world, I launched my own music distribution company called WHO?MAG Distribution through my deal with the Orchard (Sony). At this point, I have over 1,000 artists and 300 labels I distribute including a Grammy Award Winning album and multiple #1 Billboard albums..

From there, I also launched the first urban OTT network called iFame TV on Roku, created the first NFT line from a music distribution company (The WHOMEEZ), had multiple music TV programs and networks, and became a music supervisor on over 16 projects. I also became an international speaker and advocate for the music industry including Bulgaria, Barcelona, South Korea, Rome, Toronto, SXSW, multiple Colleges and Universities, and many others. I am also the Governor of the Recording Academy (Grammys) for the Philadelphia Chapter and a member of the Guild of Music Supervisors.

On August of 2023, my team and I started ACX1 Studios by acquiring the master lease at Caesars Pier and have been focusing on movie productions, a music incubator consisting of the only radio station on the AC Boardwalk (Splash 98.5), our music studio, or music conference/festival (Distro Fest), and many other major elements.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

That’s pretty easy. Honesty. I am very transparent with my clients. I only take new distribution clients by referrals. That way I know they came from a satisfied client and it always starts off on a positive energy note. I am very big on energy. I need to be around positive and pro-active people. The entertainment industry is very cut through and it’s more complicated when you are around negative people who present excuses. By understanding your clients needs through communication, you can figure out how to create success.

Also, I am an extrovert. You can catch me out at mixers and events and I talk to everyone. If it’s music conference or events happening in Atlantic City, I try to make my presence felt for myself and my team. I support other events in the community which is big for our reputation as well.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Back to the honesty thing. We only take referrals so we rely heavy on word-of-mouth. You have to stick to your word and proactively find new solutions for problems before they exist.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.acx1studios.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whomag/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whomag
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/whomag/
• Twitter: https://x.com/whomag
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@whomag
• Other: https://distrofest.com