Ron Pope would never say so himself, but his extraordinary success story should give any record industry doomsayer hope. He is a hugely talented New York based singer, gifted guitarist and prolific songwriter with an incredible bluesy voice. He’s also an Internet sensation whose achievements of recent years are almost a preview of the music business of the future: viral, organic and hype-free.
Ron’s 2006 song ‘A Drop In The Ocean’ sold over a million downloads and a fan video of the track has had a staggering 17 million views on YouTube. The song also featured on The Vampire Diaries and 90210. Ron has also had repeated placements on US and Canadian TV’s ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ which sent two of his albums into the Itunes chart simultaneously.
And he’s achieved all of this as an independent artist – no mean feat. Ron is also an incredibly prolific songwriter and has released seven albums since 2008, including three in 2009 alone.
On to the new album, ‘Atlanta’. It’s full of big anthemic numbers and tender ballads just crying out for arena crowd sing alongs and lighters in the air moments. It also marks a new phase in Ron’s work. “I tried to incorporate varied sonic elements I love and turn them into one distinctive palette, to paint a picture that’s uniquely mine, then let the music speak for itself.”
The results have Americana elements, but the ingredients are as varied as his eclectic tastes. That started back when he was growing up in the Atlanta suburb of Marietta, where he was exposed to a wide variety of music, from soul to roots rock, Van Halen to Michael Jackson, hip hop to gospel.
“If you listen to ‘Atlanta,’ there’s rootsy elements to it, but I love crazy sonic landscapes and interesting textures. Arcade Fire’s ‘The Suburbs’ is one of my favorite records of the last five years.”
Ron Pope’s story is an inspiration – and it’s only just begun.
