About Before The Data
19 years of music discovery.
Before The Data is the A&R scouting dashboard built by Chad Hillard, founder of Hillydilly. 19 years finding artists early, now as a tool.
Before The Data is the A&R scouting dashboard built by Chad Hillard, founder of Hillydilly. 19 years finding artists early, now as a tool.
Chad started scouting artists in 2007 and has never stopped. From music fan, to blogger, to show promoter, to manager, to label executive. Along the way he partnered with artists to release hundreds of songs, generate millions of streams, and earn recognition for the early discovery of Billie Eilish and Lorde through Hillydilly.
"Following your intuition, heart, and dreams isn't easy, but it's a path I wouldn't trade for anything."
Chad Hillard, founder
Chad also runs Dreams Never Die, an artist management and label company. Before The Data is where 19 years of scouting instinct meets a dashboard built for the people whose job is to find artists early.
Hillydilly was one of the most trusted music blogs of the 2010s because it had a gift for finding artists in the moments right before everything changed for them. The quiet weeks before the viral moment. The debut single before the major deal. The bedroom demo before the world caught on.
That same ear now powers the Before The Data scouting dashboard. Every artist on the shortlist has been personally vetted by Chad. The data is automated. The taste is not.
By 2020, the math had shifted. Streaming, TikTok, and algorithmic discovery meant a song could go from zero to everywhere in 72 hours. The blog format, one post at a time, couldn't keep up.
Before The Data is the next step. Chad has also managed artists and worked with signed talent, so this isn't built from the outside looking in. It's built from the seat. An AI agent scouts TikTok 24/7. Chad filters every find by hand. Approved artists hit your dashboard with daily Spotify, TikTok, and Instagram data, weekly picks, monthly roundups, and spike alerts the moment something moves.
Chartmetric, Soundcharts, and Viberate are research tools. You still have to find the artists yourself. Before The Data does the filtering first. You don't get the firehose. You get the shortlist. Every artist on it has been heard, vetted, and approved. Most never will be.
Built for A&R reps, managers, music supervisors, sync licensing teams, indie label scouts, and anyone whose job depends on finding artists before they cost a fortune to sign.
Nashville, TN since 2024 · est. 2007
Click any artist to see their message.