Matt Papasan is the General Manager of Raw Material, an artist management company based out of Los Angeles who’s rosters market consumption makes up hundreds of thousands of units sold and billions of streaming equivalents.
At only twenty-six years old, Matt has spent over a decade actively across the music industry. From touring as a frontman and instrumentalist, to making his rounds as a songwriter and producer – his hands-on experience contributes to his ability to understand his clients perspectives. In his own words he says, “It’s important to understand what makes a creative tick and what is a priority to them. Unfortunately, it is far too common in the industry these days to dehumanize an artist through data. We need to remember that first and foremost, this is someone’s dream, and we need to respect that accordingly”.
Aside from his musical background, Matt found himself enthralled in the business side of music after he ended up at Alpha Media, one of the largest radio broadcasting companies in the US. He worked as a radio programmer and on-air personality at their headquarters in Portland, Oregon until he eventually pivoted to management as he longed for a chance to build artist careers holistically. His time spent in the radio industry provided invaluable insights that attributed to the approach he takes with both established and developing acts.
Upon relocating to Los Angeles in 2018 to pursue management full time, he met Brad Cohen and instantly connected. Together they were a pivotal part of the building of David Massey’s management company, Work of Art, which operates through Sony Music. During their tenure, the duo was at the helm to the explosive rise of Trevor Daniel’s career as he catapulted to the top of the charts with his 2020 worldwide number one hit, “Falling”.
After leaving Sony Music at the start of 2022, Raw Material was conceptualized and launched.
As one of the three founding members alongside Brad Cohen and Tommy Brannigan, Matt is bringing a new structure and approach that is likely to disrupt the entirety of the management industry as we have known it since its inception.