Should you ever call… I’ll be in my bedroom! – Cory Jones

Don’t believe people who say you can’t make professional music in your bedroom

According to a recent study carried out by MIDiA; 2019 was the year that set a precedent for independent artists (or artists not signed to a label), with revenues generated from this slice of the market increasing from around $600m in 2018 to an estimated $873m at the end of 2019. It might be surprising to note that independent artists represent the fastest growing segment within the industry, and whilst the pandemic has put the brakes on almost all things in our daily routines, it’s not all bad news. Despite the necessary cancellation of all live performances and recording studios having to close their doors during lockdown; independent artists have, for the most part, taken advantage of the situation in three main areas; writing, recording and promotion.

Throughout lockdown many artists turned their attention to writing and recording new material from home. Consumer DAW’s aren’t new, but they are now more affordable than ever, and in some instances entirely free. The technological advancement in audio recording software, in addition to affordability and the necessity to learn how to use them has given independent artists all the tools they need to get their ideas down to a very high-quality standard, without having to pay for studio time. So throughout the pandemic, the fact no studios were available didn’t mean everything had to stop. The opposite is true.

And having spent all that time creating, these independent artists have taken advantage of social platforms as means of promotion, to maintain momentum and broaden their reach; developing their social profiles, interacting with new and existing followers through live streams and vlogging from their homes. Something we saw a lot of, even from the mainstream artists and bands, in the first few months of lockdown. Which is exactly how I stumbled into our latest Special Feature Artist, Cory Jones.

It’s more of a bizarre coincidence than textbook example of a successful DIY marketing campaign, and whilst I’d like to use it as an example to back up the statements I’m making, it’s not entirely the case. I’d been trying to find one of my bandmates on Facebook having recently set up my own profile. I enter his name in the search bar, and sure enough… ‘Cory Jones’ pops up. But the profile didn’t look like ‘my‘ Cory, and scrolling that page confirmed I’d landed in Newcastle, Australia rather than the Pacific Northwest, USA. But the interesting thing about this happy accident was that I’d landed (virtually) in the bedroom of another incredibly captivating musician. This Cory had posted a video just two weeks prior on his feed, casually strumming “Shimmer” by Fuel on a white Fender Stratocaster and singing along with a most incredible tone to his voice. I was quite simply fascinated by this discovery.

So, whilst this was an accident, it was by design. Today’s modern artists have all they need in terms of technology to create, promote themselves effectively, and be discovered – and Cory is taking full advantage of all that, proving that to reach new audiences, you don’t necessarily need heaps of money and a suited PR executive, though it would obviously help!

I’d done a little sleuthing, such was my excitement, and discovered Cory had spent the last three years as vocalist in a very successful alternative pop band, Sunday Avenue,; 7,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and a number of live performances to their name, along with some really well produced music videos on YouTube. I’d consumed all of it, along with Cory’s own postings in various places online. Sunday Avenue, sadly decided to go on indefinite hiatus in October last year, and it seemed Cory was continuing solo from the bedroom-based music videos he’d been putting up, ploughing his experience and learning into his own projects. So I decided to reach out, share the weird coincidence I’d experienced with him, and asked if he’d be interested in featuring in IAMUR. Here’s what he had to say….