We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Matthew Nelson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Matthew, thanks for joining us today. Let’s jump right into the heart of things. Outsiders often think businesses or industries have much larger profit margins than they actually do – the reason is that outsiders are often unaware of the biggest challenges to profitability in various industries – what’s the biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?

The biggest challenge to profitability in the music industry is the fact that the sale of music is almost non-existent. Streaming yields almost nothing, physical sales are now really limited to vinyl or other legacy formats, which is great, but also requires a loyal fanbase to sell, and social media royalty collections are always a challenge with platforms changing frequently. This is where we have to get creative from a business point of view. Admittedly, I’d prefer to allocate all of my creativity to the art and craft of making music, and for this, I’m likely missing out on opportunities. So what I’d like to urge others (and myself) to do is find creative ways to pair your music with other income generating assets. That can be a number of things, depending on your interests and skills, but a product is probably the most lucrative starting point.

Matthew, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a Music Producer and Recording Studio Owner in Los Angeles and have been so full time for nearly 20 years. My work is a mix of brand work (Hot Wheels, Rockstar Games, WESC), publisher and label work (Roundhill/Zync, Sony ATV, Epidemic Sound), and with independent artists (Aby Saint Stone, Dam Funk, Torii Wolf). And when time permits, I love singing and playing guitar or piano without any payoff in mind.

This brings me back to where it started. Although my first guitar was an electric Fender squire strat, I didn’t fall in love with the instrument until a friend gave me an old acoustic guitar. The vibration and resonance and the tactile feel it provided inspired me to write and sing every waking moment. I was hooked! As a result, I started/joined bands, released/performed music, and even moved to LA in effort to “become a rockstar”.

What I quickly realized in LA is that because there are so many artists who are doing the same, there is a demand for someone with some recording/engineer chops and in my previous musical endeavors, this is something I had already taken interest in. Another way to say that is, I had also become obsessed with recording and producing music.

This leads to what I would say, I excel in as a music producer and engineer. Stepping up to a microphone that reveals everything, can be a very vulnerable experience. The need to be able to perform in complete comfort is the main reason I started recording myself. Because of this, I am very conscious that every performer on the other side of that glass (window from the control room), also needs to feel like they are in a safe space. I am proud to say, I always strive to offer this to everyone I work with and in my opinion am successful as a result of my experience and empathy.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Pretty early in my professional segment as a music producer, I learned the hard way, that “no” is not a response to a request when creating music.

A few similar instances have taught me this, but I always remember when an artist I was producing an album with asked if there was a faster way (a plugin) to align backing vocals. I had recently been looking with no luck to find this, so I said, “no unfortunately we have to edit these by hand.” Shortly after, I found Vocalign which does exactly what she was asking! A few experiences like that and I learned to say, “let me look into this.”

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect in my experience is creating a piece of music with others. I have always been creating “my own music” and find that I rarely want to release it as it is missing that magic chemistry or depth that is the result of more than one mind contributing.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.fwdpro.com
• Instagram: @forewordproductions
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-nelson-b477636
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/foreword-recording-studio-los-angeles-2?utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)

Image Credits
Catherine Asanov, Brian Zo, Elisa Denise