2020 was undoubtedly a struggle for musicians, and while we’re all trying to be cautiously optimistic about how 2021 will play out, many of us are still anxious. To get a glimpse into what helped some stay afloat over the past year, we took some time to sit down and chat with quirky up & coming producer/engineer Matisse Tsoy about how he made it work.
First off, what was your 2020 like?
Challenging haha. But overall good! It was my first full year focusing on just production musically speaking, and what a trial by fire. That said, I managed to find and keep my footing, falling just short of my revenue goal (set pre-COVID, so cut me some slack haha), and hitting a bunch of other personal milestones as well.
The lockdowns hit a good number of areas quickly. How were you able to adapt and keep momentum?
It was a struggle, admittedly. I was out of work for a few months earlier on, so while that freed up a lot of time, it complicated the financial angle. To compensate, I started investing what I could in cryptocurrency and doubled down on my grind to generate & convert on leads. I approached it by trying to help others keep up with their music just like I was; if they were moving, I was moving…what mattered was that we kept moving.
That’s dope! How exactly did you do that?
A bunch of different ways. Most commonly, bulk deals on beats and affordable engineering rates with negotiable bulk options. Additionally though, I stayed hooking people up with various plugs and resource suggestions, trying to bring others in on bigger opportunities I’d come across, and doing what I could to help collaborative projects gain some traction, even if it meant fronting artists some money. Plus I’m always down to talk shop and give advice when asked, even if you’re not a customer. Simple stuff, but impactful.
You must really have love for the independent music scene.
Yeah, I try to be supportive and provide value where I can; I was struggling with it not too long ago. There’s different levels to this, and it’s a journey…Generally speaking I just try to help people level up with music in areas where I was having trouble myself a few years back. And lots of people really needed help in 2020.
Sounds like you helped people do all right, all things considered. Any big plans for 2021?
I’ve got some goals I’ve ironed out, yeah. Mostly around continuing to build my brand’s credibility and breaking into new markets to reach more dope people in the indie music scene. Long term I really just want to make a living making music with artists I love. I just did a song with my buddies Nate WILL & Juuuu that features Futuristic, so that’s something dope that I’m excited for this month. We all made it through a tough stretch, so it’s only up from here!
Whatever 2021’s got in store for independent rap, you can be sure that Matisse Tsoy will be there to help grow and support the underground.
Connect with him on social media (@matissetsoy) or through matissetsoy.com.
© 2021, Jake Strain. All rights reserved.
