About Birch Street Music
Founded in 2009 by music industry veteran Jake McKim, Birch Street Music, LLC specializes in A&R, artist development, and digital marketing services. Most record labels no longer have the time, means, or staff to develop artists for release to market. We strive to fill that void.
Artist Development:
Birch Street Music's incubator division Amp U is a cutting-edge artist development program based in L.A., NYC, Nashville, Houston and Dallas, Tx. Major record labels, managers, publishers and independent artists have utilized this program to nurture talent from studio to stage.
Birch Street has partnered with content creation platform Amp Live to provide an outlet for artists and a discovery tool for music industry executives.
Birch Street Digital partners with top marketing companies to provide next level digital marketing services including Spotify playlisting, social media engagement, and traditional press/blog promotion to aide companies looking to cut through the noise and build a buzz for their artist.
About The Owner:
Jake McKim's ascension through the ranks of the music industry has been swift and focused. Most recently he was brought on to A&R and Artist Develop for Beyonce's Parkwood Entertainment. His work with Dot/Big Machine duo Maddie & Tae helped them land at the top of the country charts. Other notable clients have included music and fashion superstar Solange, award-winning country and pop songwriter Shane Stevens, and Warner Music Group recording artist Anastasia. Jake also launched the nonprofit Amp Ur Room in 2016. AUR brings music and entertainment experiences to the bedsides of cancer patients at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, Tx., Dell Children's in Austin, and Children's Hospital Los Angeles, among others. Recent visits have included Fifth Harmony, Pentatonix, Luke Bryan, Hailee Steinfeld, and Maddie & Tae.
Throughout the years, Jake has worked in many capacities in the music industry including A&R, Marketing, Finance, and Video. He is credited on highly-acclaimed, award-winning projects Beyonce "I Am ... Sasha Fierce", Solange's "SoL-AngeL & The Hadley Street Dreams", and Trin-I-Tee 5:7's "T57". Jake also acted in a consulting role on Mathew Knowles' hit MTV show “Breaking From Above” to develop UK-based girl group From Above. In addition he has assisted in the development and release of several highly acclaimed projects such as Kelly Rowland's "Simply Deep", Beyonce's "Dangerously In Love", Destiny's Child's "Destiny Fulfilled", and soundtracks for the movies "Dreamgirls", "Cadillac Records, and "The Fighting Temptations" soundtrack, among many others.
Working alongside Knowles, Jake had a hand in releasing De La Soul's "The Grind Date", Ray J's "Raydiation" and Earth, Wind, & Fire's "Illumination" through a venture with Sanctuary Music Group. In his role as Producer Manager of Knowles' Music World Entertainment, Jake oversaw and guided the careers of a roster of highly-regarded producers and songwriters including Solange, Cam Wallace, and WatchTheDuck. During this time he was instrumental in placing these producers in commercial campaigns with Ford, Wal-Mart, and L'Oreal and on major album releases like Beyonce's "B'Day" and Kelly Rowland's "Ms. Kelly".
Executive Staff:
Alton Hawthorne is Senior VP, Artist Development & Branding for Birch Street Music and is someone who is in tune with the pulse of the music industry. His attention to detail and passion for the music business has put him in a position to work amongst major music executives across the country and he has been successful in connecting creative minds in the music industry to create sustainable projects and careers. With Birch Street Music, Alton has handled artist development for artists signed to Beyonce's Parkwood Entertainment and Epic Records and works with producers and writers signed to Warner Chappell, Sony, and Atlantic among others. Alton is also Managing Director for the nonprofit Amp Ur Room which brings music experiences to the bedsides of cancer patients at Texas Children's Hospital. Past visits include Fifth Harmony, Pentatonix, Luke Bryan, Maddie & Tae, Robert Glasper, Hailee Steinfeld, and more..