Dawn Hall-Jones – 38
Steven Jones – 43
Owners: Clefnote.com (Music store and Website)
Start Date: December 2003 / site launched in May 2004
With a love rooted in all music and in each other, business and life partners, Dawn and Steven Jones created Clefnote.com, a membership based uncensored music and prose/music news website.
Clefnote.com is a music site catered to independent music artists of all genres that provides marketing/e-commerce for artists to gain global exposure. Clefnote also helps its' members perfect their craft through production enhancement and project consultations.
Dawn, a ‘pk’ by Pentecostal upbringing studied piano in her native home of St. Louis, Missouri, which ultimately gave her an ear for music. However, her greatest talent is in songwriting. She is a recent graduate of the Dallas Sound Lab and is certified in audio engineering.
Although Steven, a native of San Francisco, California, comes with no formal training, he was reared in the heart of music by his family. His mother, a classically trained pianist, sang for the San Francisco Symphony and was owner of the Black Actors Guild. His father is a trained musician and currently teaches piano and saxophone.
Dawn and Steven reflect their business with their personal relationship. “Clenote.com is a marriage,” says Dawn. “A bridging of music and technology.”
The two wanted a business that would infuse their personal strengths while allowing them to do something they both love. Ironically, before Clefnote, Steven was employed with Tom Joyner’s Black America web where he was laid off due to economic strain.
Now, fully recovered, this dynamic duo is set and ready to change the world of music for independent artists. Their current roster includes independent artists such as Tim Dillinger from Nashville, gospel artist Reverend James Willis from Oklahoma, contemporary jazz saxophonist, Tom Braxton, and the gospel/jazz band, Faces to name a few. Dawn and Steven are taking advantage of the ever growing, multi-billion dollar music biz by keeping their ears to the streets and the sky. They encourage feedback from members through forums, e-mails, and via phone. They’re unique in that they consider themselves personable and decidedly agree that Clefnote.com is more than just a music store. They are building strategic partnerships that will open up avenues for indie artists outside local markets. Currently, Clefnote has affiliates in Atlanta, Dallas, Oklahoma City, Houston, St. Louis, Memphis, the U.K., and San Francisco.
When asked about the name, Clefnote, and how it came about, Dallasblack was told this, “As you know, a clef is a sign placed at the beginning of a music staff to determine the pitch of the note. It is not contingent on music styles or genre. It just says, ‘music’.”
And we agree…how sweet it is. Dallasblack celebrates this November with Clefnote.com