Our Story
California Soul Music Founder, William Barnes, grew up in the music business as it was rapidly changing in the digital age during the 2000s. Moving from the East Coast to the West Coast in his 20s to pursue his musical dreams, fueled by passion and ramen noodles (TOP RAMEN, not the fancy kind you find at a restaurant) he quickly has become a music impresario with stints at Hidden Beach Recordings and Heavy Rotations Records. He was also an integral founding member of Creating the Opportunity or CTO, an artist collective producing high profile shows in Los Angeles.
William took some time off to travel and then pursued his MBA, focusing on the Entertainment business. After gaining his MBA and freelancing for a while helping small businesses with their social media strategy he decided to start his own label and management company, inspired by his love of music and his passion to help artists find better ways to communicate with their fans.
"Starting something like this new venture is never easy, but everything worth something in life comes from hard work, grit, determination and perseverance."
Asking himself, why do this and why me? William always responds, why not?
"I have the opportunity to work with some great artists that are still growing, hungry to learn and happy to partner with me. I truly love the music that they are creating and want to help as a fan and as a businessman."
An audiophile and vinyl enthusiast, William is constantly consuming new music and looking for talent anywhere he can in California. "Motown, moved from Detroit to California for a reason. California has so much soul. The weather, the people, the vastness of the landscape and the cultural diversity make it not only home for me, but a great place to start my company."
We are a registered record label in the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
