Morgan Matthews: From Four Track Cassette Recorders to International Chart Topping Hits
Morgan Matthews has achieved worldwide recognition right from his home base of Fort Worth, Texas; a far cry from New York or Los Angeles, Matthews is one of the few who can say he’s reframed the perception surrounding the music industry epicenters.
His passion manifested in the form of bedroom recordings on a four track tape cassette player to beats coveted by topline songwriters and artists across the nation. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of Matthews’ already illustrious career is his strategy for achieving creative excellence. Resurrecting the seemingly lost art of organic networking and staunch persistence, Morgan Matthews’ methods defy the common misconception that the ‘old school’ approach to success is a pipe dream by today’s industry standards.
“I don’t really have time to take a day off,” Matthews reveals. “There’s always a project to work on, and I owe the majority my busy schedule to word of mouth marketing. My business plan is built on the idea that if I work hard and strive to make the best music I can [no matter how much time it takes], I’ll maintain the credibility that allows me to call publishers, A&R reps and label heads on their direct lines. I’ve built this network of industry contacts by putting my feet to the ground and producing results non-stop, and I want to help other creatives realize that treating this like a business is the most important part.”
Morgan Matthews joined Universal Music Publishing Group in 2019 and has since added a slew of iTunes and Billboard No. 1 projects to his credentials. Most notably, Matthews topped the R&B charts as the producer of Alicia Keys’ “Show Me Love” featuring Miguel, which went on to be certified Gold by the RIAA in August 2020. “Show Me Love” proved to be a record breaking single for Keys, cementing her as the artist with the most number ones in history on the Billboard Adult R&B chart. The single sat in Matthews’ catalog for over 2 years until another artist brought it to a studio in Miami, whose reps then reached out to him directly in search of material for Grammy nominated rapper Tory Lanez; 10 songs later, “Show Me Love” was presented to Alicia Keys.
“You never know who knows who,”Matthews notes, “I have people reaching out to me from all over, people I never would’ve imagined, because they heard something about me from somebody else. At the end of the day, I’m not in this to make money, I just want to make songs that sound good. If you’re doing things right, then that’s enough to make a name for yourself.”
In addition to actively writing and producing, Morgan Matthews has launched his own collective–Addictive Music Group– dedicated to instilling this same mindset in other artists. For more on Morgan Matthews, visit iammorganmatthews.com or addictivemusicteam.com, and connect with Morgan on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter & Facebook.