Today we’d like to introduce you to Jake Coco.
Jake, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Keep Your Soul (KYS) Records started in 2010 when I started having some success on YouTube. KYS is a production and development-based label, focusing on taking motivated artists from zero to one. I got my start making YouTube videos using whatever minimal audio/video resources I could find while living on my friend’s futon in his studio apartment. After a few months of gaining traction on my own, I was fortunate to partner with an awesome recording studio in Los Angeles which helped to grow the quality of our content to what it is today. KYS went from getting around 500 views per month to around 10 million views per month within 2 years and helped launch the careers of some of the largest artists to come from the YouTube platform. KYS content currently gets streamed about 50 million times per month across all platforms
In June of last year, I split from the studio in Los Angeles and decided to move down and open KYS studios in San Diego. I have also been working with KYS artists Corey Gray and Tay Watts for the last year putting together the KYS live show, an adaptable 3.5-hour live show ranging from solo acoustic performances up to a full band. Moving to San Diego made the three of us fall back in love with playing live music after spending so much time making videos. We are one of the house bands at The Tin Roof in Gaslamp on the weekends, and during the week you can catch us playing with our acoustic trio around town.
A month ago, we were all devastated when Tay Watts, my best friend, client, and bandmate, fell from the crystal pier in Pacific Beach and drowned. He was a beautiful soul taken from us way too soon. In the wake of Tay’s passing, Corey and I, along with our bassist Kevin Ryan and our drummer Deon The Pocket took one night off and reflected, and we decided that Tay wouldn’t want us to slow down, not even for a second. He chased what he wanted in this life until his last breath, and we are certain he would expect us to continue pushing onward even harder to make sure the music he created while he was here, and his story as a dream chaser, is heard by as many folks as possible.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Mostly smooth 🙂 There have of course been a few challenges. Being one of the first record labels to really operate in the YouTube platform, we were forced to navigate some unique licensing and marketing waters. We’ve negotiated synch licenses with many of the Big players in the publishing world and worked with most of the major labels to help them break new singles for their artists, etc. It’s always a struggle being an indie guy trying to find a way to work with people from the other end of the spectrum, but I’ve found that if I follow my gut and stick to my guns, I usually end up attracting people with similar mindsets who I can work with to get through the struggles.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Keep Your Soul, Inc – what should we know?
KYS exists to serve music. Live music. Recorded Music. Music Videos. Anything Music, we want to be involved 🙂 Always looking for new areas to explore. We are known for launching/helping to launch some of the first wave of YouTube artists like Corey Gray, Madilyn Bailey, Tay Watts, Savannah Outen and Jake Coco. I am very proud that we have helped so many artists to make a living from their music. Our commitment to true talent is what sets us apart from others. The world of social media is dominated by people with huuuuge follower counts, but it has always been my number one rule to ignore numbers and just follow the talent and the motivation. I’ve found that numbers can change day to day, but motivation and talent tend to stay the same
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I’ve been so lucky to have so many mentors over the years. Some Notable moments:
I was able to hang while Butch Walker produced my first band when I was 18.
I did a tune with Johnny Colt from the Black Crows
I spent a few weeks watching Jared Kotler work on a project and was able to absorb some great knowledge from him.
I did some demo singing at real songs for Diane Warren for a little while, and that was an incredible experience to learn from an incredible person.
Aside from that, I try and do my best to learn something from every person I meet. Everyone has their own unique story and when we really listen to each other, we can learn a lot.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.youtube.com/jakecoco
- Phone: 8183122167
- Email: jakecoco@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/jakecoco
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/jakecocomusic
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/jakecoco
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6WyeyhNDpeIVbznnztFDQZ?si=mLx4FR6HSU2R1BP30mz-5A
Image Credit:
Sierra Weltha, Julien Garros
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
