Jason Scott's PopDust interview with Haley

[Miguel]

It feels right to release (the album) ‘Better’ on my own. It could be somewhere different in the near future, but this feels right...

Haley Reinhart Talks New Album ‘Better,’ Return To ‘Idol’ & JLo’s History Lesson

Based on the intro, I'd say Jason is a fan.

[dswim2]

I can't wait to hear I Belong To You. Everyone has talked it up so much. The name suggests a ballad?

I'm happy she's releasing it herself. She's right; she's the one that created this, and she should be the one to release it! I have a feeling Haley was purposefully stalling so she could put out an album instead of an EP!

[Tusk]

[john]

Based on the intro, I'd say Jason is a fan.

I'd say so

...While the album (stacked with standouts like Wasted Tears and Keep Coming Back) never quite lit a fire in the industry, the project stands up as one of the finest releases in modern pop music...

Haley decided to just say no. I like that she is able to pull off the release without signing her life away. I hope she is able to effectively promote it.

...While the singer will issue the new album herself, she admits several record labels approached her. “I had a lot of different ones contact me. It took a long time to make sure things were right,” she says. “I want to get this album out there. Maybe, I’ll find the right home eventually. When you have a gut feeling, you don’t want to really wait. I’ve made my fans wait long enough for the second record. I’m ready to get this out now.”...

I'm also hoping that ole' can find a great placement for "Listen" and she releases that song. It seems there are lots of potential tie-ins.

[Miguel]

The part you italicized makes it sound like she had interest from a label that doesn't want to back Better or wanted more of a role in shaping it. So she's releasing it now and working on new material for/with them.

[NUG]

I wonder if she has chosen a label, and already has plans for a 3rd album, and decided to keep Better for us and herself.

[john]

The part you italicized makes it sound like she had interest from a label that doesn't want to back Better or wanted more of a role in shaping it. So she's releasing it now and working on new material for/with them.

Initially I was trying to figure out what that meant -- still not quite sure. It reads like she wanted to get her own things right so she could say no to the labels. However, I think it goes more with the sentence that follows it than the one the precedes.

[Tusk]

Leverage

I think they're playing the slow game, Ole will continue placing her songs making her money, increasing her income streams, so there's no urgency...she's waited 4 years after all. My guess is she and Ole have a value in mind for her services so are willing to gamble that their current strategy will continue to add to and increase value in her brand while her projects (hopefully) continue to connect her w/ bigger, more recognised players, open more doors, her refreshingly positive attitude and empathy will increase the number of people who'll want to work w/ her or be connected to her.

As her profile has climbed the last year or so, buzz ever increasing, you have to figure she's been looking through some possibly lucrative, tempting offers from Labels, probably underselling her potential, figuring she'd be like any other 'new' arist, easy pickings.... but our girl has never shown an ounce of desperation, she always seems to be 'chill'

It's probably a gamble, but they're betting in themselves and Haley's potential. She's in her own driver's seat and appears to not be accepting anything less than she feels her value is.

We've seen instances where artists have broken through and become successful through their own ideas and execution w/o the standard label path. Ole has shown to be proactive, out of the box thinkers and have been successful being that way.

So many things can happen but you have to appreciate the confidence Haley and Ole must have in themselves and their partnership to take this kind of calculated risk

Tusk ‏@HaleysTusk 3h3 hours ago
@ceciliahg11 @HalienAtHart with Ole for guidance, she's not on her own, just finding new steps for the same dance

[john]

I agree that Haley seems to be quite "chill" on the whole label thing. And while that may be a gamble, I think it is a wise course. Her successes in the past year give her some nice breathing space as she navigates her way through forward. Things have been changing rapidly in the music industry in recent years and it remains to be seen how well various labels perform in the current environment. Keeping up with the times is challenging and full of uncertainty. I imagine a lot of previously successful labels are going to do poorly. It is like Kodak and Polaroid 20 years ago as digital cameras started to become more widespread. The last thing Haley needs is to be saddled with a funky contract that limits her options.

[InItToWinIt]

Nice interview. I'm not at all surprised that there is no label involved. Haley and Ole have done the work to put the songs together, to put the album together, and to put the spotlight on Haley through PMJ and the commercials, and other endeavors. CHFIL provides an excellent sedge way into the album's release (it could go gold soon around the time of the album's dropping). The need to bring in an additional middleman is probably not worth that additional cost that middleman would want to receive.