We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Matt Alcobia a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Matt, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea
I was producing music at home, and performing 4 days a week. I was getting a lot of bookings and started hiring other DJs to fill the gigs. I ended up starting a DJ agency and booking DJs into venues from the Sunshine Coast, to the Gold Coast. I had 5 DJs including myself booked out throughout the week. I began working with some Agents who were booking me for larger shows and in other countries. Working with agents turned out to be a disaster, as they would burn bridges with their clients and venues resulting in losing residencies in clubs. There were double bookings and miscommunications, I found out from some of the venues, who afterwards spoke to me, about what the problems with the agents were, and offered to work with me directly. I discovered that the agents were taking 60-80% of what they were charging and paying me the lesser amount. I thought that was pretty scummy. There were a lot of broken promises from agents, that’s all I will say about that. During the same time I contacted a lot of record labels to work with and release my music with. The offers that I received made no sense to me, again the labels wanted to own my music and give me the lesser amount. There are big labels who want to take up to 80% of all income, pay an advance, and leave it up to the artist to still do all the work. It really bothered me that there was nobody out there actually willing to help artists. So I began researching how to release myself. I joined the Australian Independent Record Label Association. They were a great resource for putting me in touch with a distributor who supported my idea. From there I was able to scale up as things became necessary. I was able to release my music on all digital platforms worldwide. The reach I had at that point to a worldwide audience allowed me to reach out to some other artists and offer them distribution. I signed 5 other artists and helped them release their music as well. I had the opportunity to expand my business and started our studio in San Diego, CA, with the help from my Uncle Eddie Alcobia. From this point, we had the ability to expand the resources we were able to offer artists. I developed a circle of people who work with us as service providers, which was derived from basically contacting the people who had the most credibility in the industry and telling them what I was doing, and asking them if they could help. Most people thought my idea was great but weren’t interested in helping, for the fact they just didn’t need to. However, I found the right people who were like minded and we developed a working relationship. There were actually people out there who were legitimately willing to help, and they are definitely part of the success of my business.
It was really a step by step process. I learnt how to build websites, created our website myself to work in-line with our marketing and development of our client database. I automated as much of the business as possible so I was able to use technology to do a lot of work for me. From there it was a matter of always being actively working hard in the scene, doing high quality work, and helping artists achieve their goals. Now we have 30 artists on the label and still growing.
Matt, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I created Noize Cartel Records to help independent artists with the resources and knowledge they need to have a professional career in the music industry. We are artist focused and lookout for the artists best interests while encouraging creative freedom. I’ll help anyone if they genuinely want the help and ask, weather they work with us or not, it’s about providing the right information so artists can make informed decisions for themselves. Lack of the real need to know knowledge is the main reason so many artists attempt, but never make it in this industry. There is a lot of incorrect information out there, and a lot of scammers who use that to make money off of artists who don’t know any better. There’s no one size fits all solution that every artist can just pay for and magically become famous over night. Artists have specific target markets based on what they are all about, there’s no one artist that can service the entire music consumer market! Music consumers cross over multiple artists with what they like. To get anywhere as an artist, it takes a dedicated approach, and well crafted marketing, to reach the right people who will become lifelong supportive fans. Thanks to the technology available to us today, It’s literally never been easier to reach the exact target market worldwide on any budget. It’s more than just posting on your social media pages, it’s more than getting featured on a podcast, it’s definitely more than having your music on Spotify, it’s more than just playing shows, although those things might make us feel good, at the end of the day none of it matters if you don’t have any fans. I’m not talking about social media following, an artist can have tens of thousands of followers on social media and still not have longevity in their career. If you don’t own your database your risking the future of your business by relying on third parties. A lot of artists don’t understand this, and fair enough they are talented musicians and want to play music, which is what they should be doing, but most artists are natural marketers too, and if they use technology they can automate a system that grows their fanbase while they do what they are best at. These are the types of things we help our artists with. We want them to be independent, and give them the knowledge to do that. We definitely aren’t your ordinary record label. I care about the future of the music industry, music is so important to people’s lives, it does a lot for people, it can change the way people think and how they act, so it’s important to deliver quality content with the right messages, it plays a part in shaping who we are as people. However it’s a hard industry for people to dedicate themselves too. It takes a lot of work and puts strains on relationships. I sacrifice a lot to work in this industry full time and to offer the service and resources to artists that need the help, but honestly there’s nothing I would rather do, I love what I do and am grateful to be able to have the ability to help artists and provide quality entertainment to the world. Support Independent Music!
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
I think there’s a lot that goes into building one’s reputation. It’s all based on trust, and building trust takes time. For me, I aim to exceed people’s expectations. I have my core values that I built this business on, and it’s most important to always keep these at heart. It’s taken years of actively working in this industry to develop my brand, and gain respect from other industry professionals. In the music industry there’s a lot of people who talk the talk, but you also need to be able to walk the walk. Being able to come through consistently delivering high quality work, and offering exceptional customer service, just sets you apart and people remember you. People talk, and when you stand out for what you do, you’re going to end up getting referred to others, and that’s the best thing that can happen!
You can develop a bad reputation and get known for all the wrong reasons too but I’m not trying to do that haha.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Sure, let’s talk about something that I think is very relatable in the entertainment industry, and anyone in business to some degree. Family and relationships! In this industry it’s very hard to have a relationship with your significant other. You’re often away, and always working crazy hours or times of the day. It’s definitely not your normal job. If you’re in a relationship with someone with a normal job, your schedule just doesn’t sync up. I work internationally, so time differences also come into account. Unfortunately I have been in multiple failed relationships due to my career. I have 2 sons in 2 different countries. Trying to manage relationships with their mothers and be there as much as possible ended up with me quitting the music industry 2 times. Honestly that was the worst decision I ever made, 2 times! A lot of bad things happened with those relationships and eventually I ended up vowing to myself to never quit on what I love. So I decided to come back full time into the music scene and run my business. It’s what I know, I’m here to help artists, provide quality entertainment for people to enjoy, and create a wholesome business for my kids to take over when they grow up. I make time for my kids, we have an amazing relationship, we talk and spend as much time together as possible, they love music, support what I do and also enjoy coming to gigs with me, helping in the studio and meeting artists who inspire them. Eventually I found an amazing partner who accepts my schedule, has a similar schedule to me, and is super supportive of what I do. I know how hard it is to find someone like that and love her so much for it. So it’s not impossible to have a relationship in this industry, it’s just very hard to find somebody who is accepting of it. I’m fortunate to be able to work remotely as well, so really it’s awesome to be able to find that right balance of time for work and relationships to where your able to be anywhere together, and still get stuff done.
Second to that is support from family. My mom fully supports what I do, however my dad never thought I was going to get anywhere in the music industry. Even though he was part of the reason I got into music, he just never supported my career and basically told me “good luck” and never spoke to me again.
One of the most important things I’ve learnt in this business is that the people who really love you will support what you do. No matter what, there will also always be people who try and cut you down, especially the better you do and the bigger you get, so surround yourself with the people who drive you to success, and be appreciative for those people.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.noizecartelrecords.com
- Instagram: @noizecartelrecords
- Facebook: Facebook.com/noizecartelrecords
- Linkedin: LinkedIn.com/in/mattalcobia
- Twitter: @NoizeCartelRec
Image Credits
Sergie Serrano John Hancock Photography Maya Lopez