Rhian Jones is a freelance journalist and author who specialises in writing about the music business. You’ll find her byline in The Guardian, Music Business Worldwide, The Independent, Vice, Hits, Billboard, Mail+ and Music Week, amongst others. Her book, Sound Advice, is out now.
Here’s some of my recent work…
The Guardian: Why are there so few women headlining festivals?
Music Business Worldwide: interview with Kane Brown manager, Martha Earls
Music Business Worldwide: interview with Elton John manager, David Furnish
The Guardian: ‘I had no confidence, no money’: the pop stars kept in limbo by major labels
The Guardian: Why eating disorders are rife in pop music
The Independent: How the music industry woke up to mental health
Mail+: A tribute to the great Amy Winehouse on the 10-year anniversary of her death
I also have two blogs, go here for the music business one and here for the journalism one
Sound Advice
Written by Rhian Jones and Lucy Heyman, Sound Advice is a health-focused career guide for musicians working in the popular music industry. It features research-informed advice and information that aims to help musicians, as well as those that work with them, navigate their way through what can be a challenging and demanding business. The book covers the mental and physical health problems research suggests musicians might come up against and offers lots of tools and techniques to help aid prevention. You’ll also find information about the structure of the industry, money management, and how to improve skills as a performer, creator, and CEO of your career. Expect quotes from leading researchers, health experts, business execs and a host of artists including Laura Mvula, Will Young, Imogen Heap, Wayne Hector, MNEK, Nina Nesbitt, Lauren Aquilina, Ella Eyre, Jonathan Higgs, Lady Leshurr, and many more besides.
Freelance journalist, writer, author and consultant
2015 – present
One of my regular gigs is contributing editor at Music Business Worldwide and its quarterly UK-focused magazine, MBUK. There, I write original news stories and features and interview high-profile executives for the magazine and website. I’m also London editor at Hits Daily Double where I write daily news stories on the UK music business and compile the annual UK special magazine issue. Other titles I’ve written for/write for include The Guardian, Vice, Mail+, Billboard, The Independent, The Sunday Telegraph and Company. In addition to my journalism work, I write artist and executive biographies and provide ad-hoc communications consultancy and ghost-writing services to music companies. I’ve also moderated lots of panel discussions for conferences and companies worldwide including Midem, Eurosonic, the Music Managers’ Forum, Primavera Pro and Reeperbahn.
Music Week, News Editor
2012–2015
Music Week is where I cut my teeth in trade journalism and the music business. Over the course of three years, I rose from editorial assistant to news editor while being involved in every aspect of the magazine’s production (quite literally, we had a tiny but very resourceful team). Whilst honing my writing, editing and magazine production skills, I built up a sound knowledge of the ins and outs of the rather complex music business. By the time I left, I also had a pretty robust book of contacts in music that has served me well to this day.
Janet Murray Associates, Apprentice Journalist
2011–2012
This job was my golden ticket. I was lucky enough to be hired as an apprentice to respected education journalist Janet Murray, who taught me all about journalism and writing on the job. My tasks included assisting in the research and writing of news stories, features, diary items and blog posts and writing a monthly careers blog for The Guardian. I also carried out and transcribed interviews, sourced story leads, edited online music resources for a monthly magazine and helped out with event organisation. I will be forever grateful!