Meet Tyler Hampton | Record Label & Event Company Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tyler Hampton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tyler, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Starting my own business was not something I just decided to go out on a limb and do one day. I had many thoughts, ideas, and challenges, that lead me to think I could start a viable business of my own. I did not believe that I could create a business and run a business, until the people around me believed in me first.

My mom and dad have always been my biggest supporters, so when I was in highschool and they would tell me that they belived in me, I just figured they are my parents and thats why they say that, because they are supposed to say that to their son. It wasn’t until after I was out of highschool that I realised that I can accomplish whatever I put my mind to and the world is entirely mine to chose waht I want to do.

My role as a leader became evident when I was in the military, at 18 years old. I was appointed as a team leader, when I was in stationed in South Korea. This was my first time being away from family for an extended period of time, so no parents telling me they believed in me, I had to prove myself to the other soldiers and gain their trust. Becoming a leader is a huge part of why I belived that I could start my own business. As I trained the soldiers of my team for the next year, I gained their respet and trust, and I finally had people other than my paretns telling me that they believed in me. My leaders appointed me as a team leader because they believed in me. My team followed my instructions and did as I asked because they also believed in me.

It is others belief in me that ultimately inspired me to be an entrepreneur and start my own business.

During my time in Korea, I met two guys, one a peer, and one two ranks above me, but both became my best friends for my time in Korea. We trained in the gym together, pushed eachother in the field, and celebrated our accomplishments together. The three of us took the train down to Gangnam or the college town to go clubbing every chance that we had, when we werent training. We even attended Ultra Music Festival South Korea for my birthday.

The clubs were astonishing over there. Some of them were small clubs and were part of a franchise, and were located neer the international college so the attendees were of all different nationalities. Other clubs were massive and called super clubs, and were located in Gangnam in Seoul. Soldiers were not permitted in any of these clubs, so we got crafty. To get into the clubs, we dressed up in our finest clothes and even had taylored suits made just so we could trick the bouncers to think that we were contractors and not soldiers.

Those clubs in Korea inspired the three of us friends to set our minds on opening clubs when we get out of the army. We told eachother that this will not be a dream of our, but will be a goal that we will accomplish, no matter what it takes. We believed in eachother and our goal to be entrepreneurs in the nightlife space.

Well, time went by and onbe of those firends became a Ranger and stayed in the army to this day, while the other friend went to college and became a tech professional in the cyber security space. Me, I never changed my mind. Owning venues was a goal, not a dream and it still is today.

A future in Venue Ownership inspired me to start my journey as an entrepreneur in music and entertainment.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My company that I created in 2018 is called Hiatus Music Entertainment, LLC. Hiatus began as a record company that would serve as an outlet for me and the artists I invited to be part of the label. As time went on and I progressed through college courses, met more people, made more music, survived more wild experiences, I decided to start producing events with my company.

Hiatus Music Entertainment has been different from other music and entertainment companies from the start. I named the company Hiatus because the word means a break from the norm. I felt that the word of music and entertainment was corrupt and that music listeners and event attendees wanted to break away from the norms of music such as vilonece, sexual abuse, and negativity, and break away from the norms of entertainment, such as completely sexualizing women, secluding out certain groups or types of people, and going out just to become as intoxicated as possible. My goal back then and now is to create music that is pure and brings out emotions that other music does not. My other goal is to provide safe places for people to come together and celebrate or escape the negativities and stressers of every day life in a completely imersive experience that might make you forget your troubles for a few hours.

Now, Hiatus Music entertianment houses 5 artists from around the country that all bring a diverse sound that does not promote negativity. Hiatus Music Entertainment, as an event company, has hosted shows with good vibes in Southern Arizona and in Michigan over the past 6 years and the events are growing larger each and every time. I get feedback from attendees and artists that Hiatus has provided them with the escape they needed and that Hiatus and the companies we work along side with such as Tral Productions are rebuilding the electronic dance music scene in Michigan piece by peice and are a blessing to the community.

I got where I am today through working hard and staying determined. Through midleschool and highschool football, I learned determination and to never quit. In the US Army, I learned how to be a leader and a person of dignity. The army also helped me become a more structured person and how to lead others into a more structured and balanced life. After the army, I began a business degree at a university near home, while working in music venues as crowd management, doing anything I could to get my foot in the door. A year after beginning college, I transfered to the University of Arizona in Tucson, and got a job as valet and bellperson at a fancy resort and hotel, where I learned a lot about hospitality and making customers feel special.

While at the University of Arizona, I changed my degree path to Fine Arts Management as I felt that the courses under that degree were more in line with my future as an entrepreneur in music and entertainment. I also studies how to make music because I met some guys local to Tucson who wanted to start making music with me, I learned everything I could about electronic music, figuring that this knowledge would help me understand the way people who play music in venues and people who attend to listen and dance to music in venues think. I fell in love with music from 2018-2021 and created over 40 original tracks, recorded about a dozen aspiring music artists in my shed based studio, and even began performing as a DJ in front of people at other peoples events and at my events soon after.

I partnered with a guy named Johnny in Tucson to start hosting events. We threw probably a dozen of events in venues, pools, and houses right outside of the college campus and we always had good attendance.

I graduated college with a degree in Aart, Music, and Entertainment, and went back to school soon after graduating, and got another degree, a Masters of Entrepreneurship, because I felt like I still need a business degree. Upon graduating, I lost motivation to make music, but still supported the artists that I had on my label, which held the label together when I was innactive as a musician.

Getting back into the swing of things with Hiatus:

Fast forward a year and a half, through the innactivity of Hiatus Music Entertianment, and you will find that things started to pick up for Hiatus. I joined the street team at the local nightclub, Elektricity Nightclub, and met someone that I have been doing business with ever since, named Brandon Toth.

Brandon tried convincing me to get back into making music for a while, with no prevail. One day he reached out to me and proposed that we partner our companies to put on events in the electronic dance music scene in Metro Detroit. I was already back to hosting events at that time, with my debut show in Michigan being a rock show live at the Crofoot Ballroom in Downtown Pontiac. This first show that I hosted on my own was not successfull. In my defense, it was a holiday weekend during the summer, so most people who listen to or follow the band I booked were upnorth or had other obligations. I ended up having to dish a lot of money out of my pocket before and after the event to cover the loss.

After the event that failed, I was brainstorming how I was goin to make a comeback, when Brandon Toth reached back out to me, wanting Hiatus Music Entertainment to join with Tral Productions for an bass music event. He proposed a venue outside of Metro Detroit, in Lapeer, Michigan. I was not sure if we would be able to bring a crowd out to Lapeer, since I failed to even bring a crowd to Pontiac.

I ended up going through with the partnership for the event and it turned out great. We brought in a good crowd and left with money in our pockets. It was so cool to see the community come together and enjoy themselves at this event, especially sicne I didn’t personally know almost anyone at the event besides Brandon and the one artist from Hiatus Music Entertainment that I put on the lineup.

My company, Hiatus Music Entertainment, partnered with Brandon’s company, Tral Productions a couple times since then to produce events and so far, we have grown every time!

Recently, I reopened applications to join the Hiatus Music Entertainment label as an artist and received a lot of submissions and interest, showing me that people do still believe in me and my brand. From thsoe applications, I signed 2 additional artists to the lable, one from Portland, and the other from Tucson and they have both been a blessing to me and the company.

Lessons Learned:
-Dont book a show on a holiday weekend, knowing its a weekend most people travel
-Do not lose motivation because of a failed show
-Do not give up a goal, just because there are set backs and motivation is not there at times
-Work with people outside of your circle to expand your network and opportunities
If I set my mind to something, I better stick with it, because that is the thing that is going to work out
-do not forget that you can do anything and people believe in you

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
When friends have visited me in the past, I take them all over the place. We don’t sit still. My favorite things to do with visitors locally include a mixture of visiting natural places and urban places. I usually will take my firends to a state park or city park such as Seamore Lake Park or Pontiac Lake Recreational Area. Bell Isle is also a cool place to show people. I have property up north (in Beaulah) about 3.5 hours from where I live (Auburn Hills) that I like to take people to so we can visit the Sleeping Bear National Lake Shore.

Other than nature, my friends like to party and have a good time with other people, so we always go to a EDM show at Elektricity Night Club in Downtown Pontiac on either a Friday or Saturday. I love the city of Detroit so we go to River Street and walk the river. We might visit random bars in the city, which I can never rember the names of unfortunately. I went to highschool in Oxford, so we usually go to the bars out there like the Tap or the Ox Tavern, or Opas in Lake Orion. The Legacy center in Oxford is a really cool place with axe throwing, pool tables, a go-cart track, a bar, an escape room, and restauraunt, and more to do.

I usually hit up Main Street Billiards in Downtown Rochester when friends come to visit too!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
1. James Hampton, my father, has told me for as long as I can remember that anything is possible. He supports everything I do and is selfless when it comes to loving and supporting me in my endevors. When I think that I have lost his trust, he reminds me that he is my dad and nothing I can do will make him stop supporting me.

2. Angela Hampton, my mother, is the most loving and careing person I know. She brings me back to reality when I dream too hard or shoot too far. When I fail, she embraces me withg her endless love and support. SHe reminds me that she will always be my mom and will always love me no matter what I do.

2. I told a story about myself and three friends living in South Korea in a previous question of this interview. I would like to also dedicate my shout out to Tyler Marks and John Hilton because I would have never set out to be a music and entertainment entrepreneur if I hadn’t met these guys and shared the experiences that we shared in Asia.

Website: https://hiatusmusicentertainment.com/

Instagram: @hiatusmusicentertainment

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-hampton-159757b5

Twitter: Hiatus_ME

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HIATUSMusicEntertainment

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@hiatusmusicentertainment