Built by artists. For the 95%.

Streaming scaled music consumption — it never scaled artist income. HITMKR is the AI operating system we wished we had: build your site, sell direct to fans, and own the relationship.

Mission

To provide creatives with the tools and resources to reach success in the shortest and easiest path.

The people

Meet the team

📷 Jaycee Alcala

CEO

I've been an independent artist for over 20 years and spent more than a decade in software and data. HITMKR was built at the intersection of both, to help independent artists monetize directly through their fans. As an artist first, I've seen firsthand that while streaming has scaled music consumption, it has not worked for the 95% of artists trying to build a sustainable career. Direct-to-fan is what changes that.

📷 Jaycee Alcala

Advisor

Paul

Paul Montes is a Los Angeles based music industry operator, whose creative execution intersects studio operations, artist strategy, and innovative emerging technology ventures. Over the past decade, Paul has led operations at world-class recording facilities, building high-performance creative environments prioritizing artist-first experiences. Beyond the studio, Paul advises and invests in emerging media-based technology ventures, with a focus on new models in artist development and sustainable solutions for creatives confronting tomorrow's rapidly evolving obstacles and opportunities.

📷 Angeline Abrera

CRO

Josef

Josef "Maxx" Maxwell doesn't believe in the old industry models — he believes in bridging the gap between creation and connection. With over 11 years of CX leadership experience and a background as a 3D artist and producer, he spent time learning from heavyweights like Google, HBO, and Universal to see exactly how the machine works. Today, he uses those blueprints to engineer scalable experiences that don't lose their soul. As CRO of HITMKR, Josef is actively giving power back to the creators, empowering independent artists, students, and collectives to build their empires from the ground up.

📷 Angeline Abrera

Events Coordinator

Ayana Douglas

There's a certain quiet electricity in watching someone speak about the thing that lights them up — the subtle shift, the brightness in their eyes — and somewhere along the way, that became just as meaningful to me as creating myself. I'm an R&B singer-songwriter with a background in business and a deep appreciation for what drives people. Through producing events for independent artists, I've found that my greatest sense of fulfillment comes from helping others move closer to their dreams. Creating spaces where artists feel seen, supported, and free to express themselves is something I hold close. Being part of the team at HITMKR, coordinating events that bring this vision to life, feels like a true privilege. I'm excited to see how, as we continue to grow, we can shape a more supportive and expansive future for creatives.

Backstory

My name is Vu — but in music, I'm Kato Dox.

I'm a songwriter, rapper, and audio engineer with over 20 years of experience. I hustled my way through the music scene and built my connections from the ground up. In my early days, I did it all — from making my own beats on a bootleg version of FL to recording the worst vocals on SoundForge and Acid Pro. I pressed up my first mixtape during my freshman year and sold it around school. It was a lot of work, but it was fun. I enjoyed the creative process as much as learning the business of music.

When high school came to an end, I knew if I had to go to college, I would study business and learn how to market my music. I ended up at the University of Texas at Austin and quickly learned how it was the live music capital of the world. Music was everywhere in the city. Austin was where I learned how to network and branch out. This was the city where I learned how to build a team and scale up my one-man operation.

It was a journey with many ups and downs. Making music — or art in general — is not only time consuming, but costly. In order to pursue music, like many musicians, I had to hold a 9 to 5. During the day, I worked as a software engineer. This paid the bills and helped me fund my music career.

One of my biggest challenges in my early music career was finding the right talent. You need a whole team to make a hit: the producer, the audio engineer, the graphic designer, the photographer, the videographer. The idea for HITMKR was born from this realization. I wanted to shorten the time it takes for upcoming musicians to gain traction and exposure. I wanted to build something that could provide the right knowledge and resources for upcoming talent — something that helps musicians connect and gives them the opportunity to shine. With my experience in both tech and music, I knew I had to go build this platform for the creative community.

"Streaming scaled consumption. It never scaled the artist."

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