Renowned guitarist and Nashville industry stalwart Ed Eason, who has performed with multi-platinum artists from Carrie Underwood to Steven Tyler and worked with music tech startups and entrepreneurs, has joined the board of advisors for the new social music discovery app SoundStorming. With his music industry expertise and insight, Eason will help build connections with musicians at all stages of their careers.
“We’re excited to have Ed Eason join our board of advisors,” says SoundStorming co-founder Arnau Bosch. “We built SoundStorming to give musicians a social platform for sharing their musical ideas so they can connect, collaborate, and promote their raw talent. Ed is an incredible musician who works with top artists and understands the music industry deeply. With his knowledge of both the tech startup world and the plight of emerging artists, Ed will shape SoundStorming’s outreach to artists and top connections in the industry.”
Ed Eason is best known on Music Row as Carrie Underwood’s guitarist for more than 14 years, and as a virtuoso guitarist on sold-out arena tours and live shows like the Grammys, Saturday Night Live, Billboard Awards, Country Music Awards and many more. His deep music industry expertise has made him a valuable advisor to multiple entertainment startups and to the young companies incubating at the Nashville Entrepreneur Center.
Eason began his relationship with SoundStorming as a jury member alongside Grammy and Emmy winning artists selecting top talent for a SoundStorming launch event. Upcoming artists submitted song ideas on the SoundStorming app for the chance to develop the idea into a full track with top music industry mentors. The sheer quality and quantity of talent on the platform made an impression on Eason. “It brought me back to my roots as a musician: I feel most inspired when I’m listening to new bands in dive bars or on the street, without lots of production or expensive instruments. In those moments, I can feel the hunger and passion oozing from their raw talent. That excites me musically, and that’s what I hear on SoundStorming.”
SoundStorming’s powerhouse roster of advisors, including music, tech, and business leaders Dave Kushner (Grammy Award-winning musician and guitarist for Velvet Revolver), Jon Kraft (founding CEO, Pandora), Steve Turner (former executive of Apple Music), also impressed Eason. The experienced talent on the board and the raw talent on the app made Eason want to be a part of it. “I saw that this platform has the potential to make an impact and help the next generation of musicians,” Eason explains.
Co-founders Arnau Bosch and Alicia Rius set out to change how artists are discovered by making the process of musical creation more social. More than ever, artists are looking for new ways to engage with their audiences and sharing their creative process. But they have had to adapt to social media platforms focused on video and images, not music. SoundStorming artists record, share, and collaborate on musical ideas directly, giving listeners unprecedented, unfiltered access. By putting musical creativity first, SoundStorming lets artists focus on what they do best— making music—and listeners are responding. Ed Eason agrees: “SoundStorming has what makes TV talent show The Voice so successful and captivating. The judges are hearing the music first and have their radars tuned to talent, not the artist’s look. ”
Eason sees SoundStorming as a breakthrough not only for connecting artists with collaborators and listeners but for artist development and A&R. He’s seen too much talent and creativity get lost because new artists don’t know how to produce their music themselves, or can’t afford professional production for more than a few of their songs. “SoundStorming gives a platform for those creative sparks to see the light of day,” Eason explains. “You have to get your ideas out into the world and see other people respond to find who you are as an artist, and the SoundStorming community is growing around developing each other. SoundStorming is the closest access point to discovering that talent: closest to the creative heart and soul of the artist.” According to Eason, great talent is undeniable, and SoundStorming helps great talent get heard.