BRND MGMT’s Matt Graham was working at The Fader when Jimmy Iovine signed an act he was managing. It wasn’t long until Scooter Braun invited him to co-manage Cody Simpson, and that’s when the Great Neck, New Yorker realized he’d found his true calling. Today, he works with progressive traditionalists Midland, who are establishing a new kind of country hipster sound and throwback style, as well as non-country acts Desure, The Score, Wale, Nicky Romero, XYLO and Corey Harper.

What do you see as the biggest opportunities in this new world?

Streaming and social media have obliterated the old means of distribution, which allows us to build artists from the ground up in a very economical way. The emerging middle class of musicians is now a place where we can sort out who’s the next crop of stars rather than playing a guessing game.

If you can build an artist into a small-to-medium-size fanbase, you can look at the metrics and evaluate whether this person has the potential for exponential growth or is more likely to remain a niche artist.

What about the hurdles?

I no longer think you can break an artist without all the pieces being in place. You have to have great music, great visuals, great socials, a great story, a great live show. Nothing can be off, because there is no place to hide your weaknesses anymore.

It’s a jigsaw puzzle that requires many small pieces to come together. We have to be expert generalists, which means we can no longer just understand all the aspects of the music industry; rather, we need to be experts at all aspects.

Best lesson learned?

Try your best to stay out of the way when it comes to your client’s friends, family and money.