About Us
Management
John Jones is fortyninegroup’s Chief Connector. Mr. Jones has spent almost two decades in the media sector, pioneering innovative and interactive ways for consumers to access content. Prior to forming fortyninegroup, Mr. Jones was SVP of Content for MediaNet Digital, a privately held business-to-business online media distribution company, where he was responsible for global management of relationships with MediaNet’s content partners including all four major labels and their subsidiaries, thousands of independent labels, film studios and production companies. In addition, Mr. Jones oversaw the entire repertoire of content in the MediaNet Digital service, accounting for ingestion and processing new content and making over 5 million tracks available to consumers through MediaNet Digital’s distributors that included Yahoo!, Urge, Zune, Tesco, Target, AOL and Samsung. In 2006, MediaNet was named New York’s #1 technology growth company in revenue, by Deloitte and Touche.
Previously, Mr. Jones was involved in advancing the concept of delivering on-demand music through Cable TV. As VP and Programming Director of Viacom’s The Box Music Network, he was in charge of music programming including creating promotions both online and offline, developing strategic partnerships and integrating branding and marketing to enhance viewership and revenue. Prior to that, Mr. Jones spent more than five years overseeing music programming and as senior producer at MuchMusic, a music TV channel seen in over 40 million homes in the US and Canada, where he was recognized as “One of the 40 Most Influential People in Canadian Television”.
Mr. Jones started his career in radio, as music director at Canadian stations including CFNY-FM and CHFI-FM, where his significant efforts in re-positioning and re-formatting the stations resulted in doubling and tripling of their respective market shares, and both stations being recognized as “Radio Station Of The Year”, while Mr. Jones was awarded “Music Director Of The Year”. Prior to working in commercial radio, Mr. Jones launched and programmed college station CKLN-FM, and was a jazz, blues, world and rock music producer for Canada’s national broadcaster, the CBC. Throughout his career, Mr. Jones has worked with artists from Eminem to Elvis Costello, Radiohead to Red Hot Chili Peppers, No Doubt to Neil Young, Smashing Pumpkins to Sinead O’Connor and Beck to David Bowie.
Born in Toronto, John Jones is an Electrical Engineering graduate from Ryerson University, with Post-Graduate Studies in Communications at York University, and cites renown Canadian Communications theorists Marshall McLuhan and Harold Innis among his influences. He has lived in Miami since 2000 where he is actively involved in Multisports as a leisure activity. Mr. Jones is an Ironman, Age Group multiple event winner, series winner and regular top 5 finisher at various Triathlon distances including Ironman distance races, and a Marathon Age Group event winner. His Personal Performance Records are viewable here. In addition to being an accomplished sailor, Mr. Jones is an acknowledged expert in mid-century modern architecture and design.
