GASTONIA, N.C. — A Charlotte music producer and agent is bringing more creative opportunities to a smaller North Carolina city. 

Nathaniel Jones, the founder of Legacy Music, is creating a recording studio inside the Eastridge Mall in Gastonia. 

What You Need To Know

  • Charlotte was thrust into the national spotlight after rap artist, DaBaby, became a household name

  • Nathaniel Jones, founder of Legacy Music, wants to bring more opportunities to people in smaller cities with his new recording studio

  • The new studio will be in the Eastridge Mall in Gastonia, and will feature three recording studios, a radio station and rehearsal and creative space

Jones spent his life around music and even did his first internship at Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston’s studio in Atlanta. 

He says after DaBaby became popular, people started to pay attention to Charlotte, and the other talent coming out of the city. 

“It made people really look at the city, and start to go, ‘OK, what’s next coming out of the city?’ So, I think that fueled a lot of artists to say, ‘Hey, there’s an opportunity now for us to be able to rise to the top because the eye is on the city.”

Jones said he wanted to bring a recording studio to Gastonia because he knows firsthand the time and money people spend renting studio space in cities like Atlanta and Charlotte. His new space will feature three recording studios, a radio station and will also offer classes on music performance and the music business. 

“I know that you have a lot of people who are interested in the arts, but if they don’t have the educational component, they’re not really taught the science behind what they’re doing, you kind of fall behind,” Jones said.

Jones said the plan is to open the studio in early July.