We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Thomas Barsoe a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Thomas , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission the drives your brand?

After 10 years as a solo artist, touring the world and selling over 2 million albums, I met my wife and we bought a house in Orange County. I was ready for a change of pace and to settle down and grow roots but also felt the urge to give back. So I volunteered my time, visiting high schools and talking to students about the music industry, sharing my story and giving advice on how to get started on a career path as a recording artist. I met some very talented, young singers and I invited them to come to my home recording studio and try writing and recording a song for the first time and seeing their excitement and pride in what they just accomplished was very inspiring and led to me inviting more young artists and eventually doing little songwriting camps at my house and before I knew it, I had 30 teenagers writing, singing, creating music throughout my kitchen, living room, bathrooms, garage and backyard and I knew this was the beginning of something very special.
I felt very strongly that this was what I was called to do at this present moment of my life and decided to go full throttle forward and take the leap from my house to a real facility and business and in 2016 I opened the studio doors for the first time to the dream that was and still is, OC Hit!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?

With OC Hit I have pretty much always tried to create everything I wish I had when I was starting out as an artist all these years ago. Meaning, a safe and inspiring place to be creative and express your art and gift for music, with world class mentors, producers, songwriters and coaches.
OC Hit is a, state of the art recording studio and one stop, music Powerhouse, where we offer everything a major record label and record studio do but at a budget possible for independent artists and families. We have managed to create a place that is highly competitive while, at the same time, being incredibly inclusive and creative and a safe haven for young artists to express themselves and their music and become part of a tight community, culture and music family.

I guess OC Hit can be compared to your most competitive varsity soccer team or Olympic gymnastic team, where the most talented, young individuals come to realize their music ambitions and dreams.
And because of the incredibly high level of talent we have, we are able to get our artist really huge opportunities within the music business such as showcases for major record labels, music publishers, networks, managements and agents and have become the only studio in Orange County to host auditions each year for both American Idol and The Voice.

OC Hit started out as an ‘experiment’ in my garage and has turned into a flourishing business with 16 employees and continue to grow bigger and better every year.
But all while still keeping it a ‘passion project’, rooted in my deep love and gratitude for music and an industry that has given and continue to give me so much and I will continue to ‘pay it forward’ for as long as I run OC Hit, which hopefully is, many more years to come.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

To this day, almost 6 years after opening OC Hit, we have never done any advertisement or marketing and depend solely on ‘word of mouth’. We have been fortunate enough to gain so much momentum and recognition within the industry, that we have a steady stream of new artists contacting us every week. And we actually only accept a fraction of them and everyone has to pass an audition to become a OC Hit artist and client.

In an industry like this, which very much is helping young artists realize their full
potential and greatest dreams, people will find you if you’re successful and have a track record of great achievements.
And equally, if you don’t, your phone most likely won’t be ringing…

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?

I have been blessed and fortunate with an amazing career as a solo artist and have been able to put myself in a financial position where I could invest in realizing my dream of OC Hit. So once I found the perfect location (at The District, Tustin), I designed and built my literal dream of a recording studio and creative space with everything I would have wished for, if I was 16 years old, wanting to create music and express my art!

I never had any investors and did it all myself and, to be honest, didn’t have a business plan as such but just an unwavering belief in myself and what I knew I could give all these amazing, young artists, thru my 25 years of experience and contacts in the industry. And thankfully, the business has exceeded my wildest expectations.

But I do remember a moment of thinking ‘what have I done’, when I had just invested most of my savings in my OC Hit dream, with a toddler at home and my wife heavily pregnant with another, thinking, ‘this better work out’… lol

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.OC-hit.com
• Instagram: @ochitofficial
• Facebook: @ochitofficial
• Youtube: @ochitofficial