Matt Brinkworth, Omnian Music Group
💭 Thoughts on Yussef Dayes, loving losing sports teams, and Tiktok democratizing music discovery.
Thought Enthusiast is an AdHoc Project where we chat with fascinating thought leaders across various facets of music, tech, and culture whose work we admire, simply asking “what’s on your mind?” and “why do you care?” 💭
Matt Brinkworth is the Director of Global Sales at Omnian Music Group, a Brooklyn based record label group comprising of Captured Tracks, Sinderlyn and 2MR, that has been home to the likes of The Lemon Twigs, Mac DeMarco, DIIV, Wild Nothing, Kedr Livanskiy, Widowspeak, Tama Gucci, Homeshake, JayWood, Becca Mancari and many more. He also manages LA-based artist NoSo under his management company Parlance Management. Matt is originally from Wales and is sure to mention it at any possible opportunity.
🎯 Current focus
After five years of leading and growing Omnian Music Group's Digital department, I recently stepped up into overseeing all sales for the label group as Director of Global Sales. This has been a really exciting opportunity and the challenge of expanding my focus has been a real professional adrenaline shot! I love what I do and am extremely grateful for it.
🏈 “Is it me? Am I the bad omen?”
All of the sports teams I love are pretty bad with fleeting moments of average (that feel like glory). Is it me? Am I the bad omen? It's not that I'm necessarily attracted to supporting underdogs, although the free moral high ground is appreciated. These are all teams that just happen to be local to me, my home city, my country, my new home in Brooklyn, etc. It wasn't a choice! The hand dealt has shaped my understanding and enjoyment of sport. I do not expect us to win, I cherish every small victory and the cliche of "how can you enjoy the highs if you've never experienced the lows" is the fumes that keep us going. If sport is a reflection of life, I wonder what kind of influence this has on a person beyond just their experience of following sport. If you've landed with the best teams, and are used to them being in and/or winning the top competitions year after year, do you view other aspects of life differently I wonder? Maybe it's not that deep. Anyway, Welshmen never yield.
I just read Seth Godin's "The Dip", which is a very short exploration of when to quit and when to persevere. It's the sort of book that, for me at least, affirms what you already believe to be true rather than changing your perspective. Nonetheless, it left me with plenty to think about, reflecting on choices made and pondering decisions to come. Being a short read is also a big plus because I suck at finishing a book.
🎄 Wales for Christmas
I love to go home to Wales, see my family and friends, and usually only get the chance around the Christmas break and I look forward to it all year. Cymru am byth.
📲 Tiktok democratizing music discovery
I'm pro-TikTok, especially for music discovery. There's some snobbery out there about songs and artist's that blow up because of TikTok, as if it devalues the art. Personally I think TikTok is one of the more democratic ways to blow up that we've seen in recent times, is less swayed by industry connections or budgets, with a young user base unbothered by how long a song has been out. It reinforces the idea that kids will always decide what is cool and music lives forever not a week.
⚽️ Systemarosa
Systemarosa is, in their own words, an interdisciplinary platform bridging football and fashion founded by Sam Herzog, who I met once or twice because we lived in the same building. It's a new project and aside from producing incredible collections of football and football-inspired garments, Sam's genuine passion and undeniable knowledge shine through every facet, making it a joy to watch develop from afar.
🎶 Yussef Dayes' album Black Classical Music
I really enjoyed the roll out of Yussef Dayes' debut album, Black Classical Music on Brownswood/Nonesuch. Yussef always does an inspiring job of letting you into his world a little through socials, whether it be sharing his journey in music, the influence of his family, or drumming in a variety of locations from a beach in the Bahamas to LA rooftops. From the announce to release I was highly anticipating each glimpse and of course the album delivered on the hype. There's no tricks or gimmicks here, just a substantial sharing of context.