EAN JONES
In 2018, Ean celebrated 40 years as a full time music industry professional.
In his time he has worked as a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, vocalist, live performer, musical director, entertainment and booking manager, producer, music and score arranger, sound engineer, artist manager/representative, and booking agent.
Based in Aberdeen, Scotland, he owns and has managed the XSP Music Agency since 1995, and in 2017 was honoured to be made a Fellow of the Entertainment Agents’ Association (FAEE) for his services to the music and entertainment industry.
In 2020, Ean released the album ‘A Long Time Coming’ which reached #11 in the iTunes Singer Songwriter Charts.
Born in Manchester, England in the swinging sixties, as a musician/vocalist he has performed extensively in numerous countries, and was Musical Director/keyboard player for no less than six hit recording artists with UK #1 hits, and an incredible seventeen hit recording artists with top 5/10/20/40 UK chart placements.
In total he has performed over 3000 shows to around a million people.
Since 2015, Ean has taken an increasing interest in ‘Sync’ (music synchronisation), the placement of original music in films, TV, adverts, and other media. He has attended (and been a speaker at) several top level Sync events including major events in New York, Barcelona, and Hollywood, LA (based at Capitol Studios).
In 2020, Ean released the album ‘A Long Time Coming’ which reached #11 in the iTunes Singer Songwriter Charts. Throughout his career he had already produced many original and commercial tracks, but in his own words: “this was the album I had to write!”.
“I was also curious to see what sales and chart placement I could achieve with a £0.00 budget, purely using an intelligent marketing strategy and the tools of the trade I had picked up over the years.
My hope was for top-40 although I would have considered top-50 a reasonable success, so to reach #11 exceeded my expectations and proved that my ‘roadmap’ worked even better than I had predicted. Indeed, during this process I discovered even more knowledge that would definitely have seen the album enter the top-10.
And today, Ean is delighted to pass all his music industry knowledge on to you.
“Everything I have done for myself, I can do for you”.
THE ROADMAP TO YOUR SUCCESS!
‘Success’ of course means different things to different people, but before we move on to that let’s take a moment to reflect on some stats:
In 2019 the UK recorded music industry was worth £5.2 billion to the UK economy alone
In 2019 the UK recorded music industry was worth £14.6 billion to the world economy
The UK has the world’s third largest music industry
These figures are for ‘recorded music’ only and do not even include live music!
So… if your aim is to be a successful songwriter, singer, singer/songwriter, performer, or a full time musician, I can help you. An if you are interested in a music business career in recording, publishing, marketing, or music synchronisation, I can help you.
I guess what I’m trying to put across is that nowadays (more than ever) a career in music is definitely a ‘proper job’. And for over 40 years I have made a comfortable and enjoyable living doing this, and so can you.
MY SERVICES
I offer three packages, each one tailored to your requirements and budget.
We start with a 1-day course (approx. 7 hours including lunch) where we will cover all relevant subjects, and you will learn as much about what not to do as what’s best to do! I am an open person and I don’t mind sharing the mistakes I have made along the way, not just focusing on the achievements.
It will be relaxed and informal, yet still intensive. You will be guided by what my experience has taught me is the best approach for each aspect of the business, and for the physical elements such as websites I will recommend how you set up each component in detail to achieve the maximum effect.
If you have computer skills and are confident about new software applications, a 1-day course may be all you need to start your journey. The second option is a 2-day course where on Day 2 we physically set up all components together to get you up and running.
A 2-day session is particularly useful for anyone who is not overly computer savvy, or those who feel it is worth an extra day’s investment just to ensure that they are doing everything as well as possible.
SUBJECTS COVERED
Website
the crucial importance of a website * how to achieve a clean layout * choosing a web hosting company * setting up online commerce * quality and quantity of content *choosing the right domain name
setting up an artist page * using your personal page effectively * quality and quantity of content * frequency of posting * how to stand out from other artists * how not to get banned from Facebook!
Aggregation
digitally distributing your music * best company for you * which companies only charge setup fee * best package for you * income from sales * uploading material * importance of iTunes, Spotify and YouTube
Recording
music industry expectations * why mastering is so important * the best studio for you * the benefits of effective preproduction * the difference between an arranger/engineer/producer * importance of stems
Marketing
identifying your target market * how much you can do by yourself * what’s best left to the experts * pinpointing your existing USP’s (unique selling points) * creating new USP’s * streamlining your valuable time and efforts
Royalties
how to register your compositions with PPL and PRS * exact copyright requirements * splits and percentages * how to maximise your income from copyright * monetising your product when your music is played in the media
Syncronisation
How to place your music in films, TV, adverts and other media * exactly how you are expected to deliver your product * how to maximise your chances in a highly competitive global market * which companies specialise in each marketplace
AND FINALLY…
I genuinely believe that even in just 7 hours you can learn much of the invaluable information it took to me years to pick up along the way.
When I started out in the music business I wasn’t aware of any comprehensive packages like this, although as a self-determined and somewhat rebellious teenager I would have probably casually dismissed it as “paying for for something I can probably do myself”.
I ended up achieving a reasonable amount over 40 years in the music business, but I do have regrets. As the song goes: “I wish I knew then what I know now”, and with hindsight I feel would have achieved significantly more by acquiring essential inside knowledge of the music business much earlier in my journey.
I learned most things the hard way, and it doesn’t have to be that way. So if you are serious about your music career I strongly suggest you consider my services. And if you follow the 'roadmap, you will be giving yourself the best possible chance of success.
Why not give me a call, let’s have a chat about it!
Ean
+44 (0)7789 901532
