Ethan Johns For PrimaveraPro

Top British producer Ethan Johns will explain how he shaped his career at a panel focused on the role of artists in the music market at PrimaveraPro May 22.

The son of legendary producer Glyn Johns began his career as a development act signed to Polydor in the mid-’80s and produced albums for a long list of top acts including Counting Crows (Hard Candy), Ryan Adams (Gold), Joe Cocker (Hymn For My Soul), The Jayhawks (Rainy Day Music), Tom Jones (Spirit in the Room), as well as three albums for Kings Of Leon.

He also worked with Laura Marling, The Vaccines, Kaiser Chiefs, Paolo Nutini, Ray LaMontagne, Bernie Leadon, Rufus Wainwright, Robyn Hitchcock, and Victoria Williams, among others.

In November, he released his solo album debut If Not Now Then When.
The session, which is called “Earning a living as an artist in the music industry,” will be chaired by Guardian writer Alex Needham.

The other panels include “Build Your Dream Festival,” in which fans and artists can say exactly what they like and what they dislike about festivals.

“Music And Politics” will focus on how “songs about politics” are becoming more popular as a result of the social and economic crises that have swept the world in recent years.

The PrimaveraPro press pack cites the imprisonment of Russian punk act Pussy Riot as an example of how a mix of music and politics can cause international reactions.

The touring panel will centre on whether indie acts can organize profitable tours on their own, without the support of the traditional machinery of the music industry.

PrimaveraPro is in Barcelona May 22 to 24.