Lunch hour has emptied the warehouse as Aaron Soriero, founder and lead production designer of Music Matters Productions (MMP) walks us through the latest location of his company. The 40,000 sq. ft. warehouse boasting 12 loading docks has strains of jam band music wafting from the lighting shop as a tech at a grandMA lighting console preps for one of three upcoming Shaky Knees festival stages. Over in the audio department, an FOH engineer puts the finishing touches on a customized rack that will be heading to another show.
It’s hard to imagine that 20 years ago, the business was housed in a small storefront that taught music lessons to children. When asked if he ever envisioned the company coming this far, Soriero recalls “our first gig was at a frat house, so going to a postage stamp size stage in an actual small venue was a major deal. And that feeling keeps repeating, as we continue to achieve our own milestones.” After that first gig, there was MMR’s first festival. Again, the important thing was to get a foot in the door and grow from there. MMR’s winning $500 bid, for stage lighting only, “was a loss for sure — I had 13 crew on it,” Soriero admits. “But it was a valuable learning experience, and got our name out there.”
Old relationships on the seemingly tiniest of gigs have blossomed and borne fruit as well. Providing full production at the Shaky Knees Festival is a direct result of bringing gear to the small, but well-worn Masquerade Club, in Atlanta. Last year, Music Matters stepped up to Asbury Park, NJ to support the three-stage 2022 Sea.Hear.Now Festival, headlined by Green Day and Stevie Nicks. Other highlights: the multi-day Suwannee Hulaween festival (Live Oak, FL) and the Made in America festival (Philadelphia). Music Matters has also sailed the ocean blue aboard a cruise ship supporting Sixthman Festivals at Sea, supplying audio to the main stages on the pool deck plus for all the ship’s theaters and lounge spaces. Closer to home, MMP was called on for a new system design and installation for the Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Atlanta’s Chastain Park.
Building the Business
MMP’s evolution and growth has taken the company’s operations from empty retail spaces near the music stores measuring about 1,200 to 4,000 sq. ft. from 2008 to 2013, then into an actual warehouse with two docks in 2014. Within three years, they upgraded to a 10,000 sq. ft. space, only to add an additional adjacent 10,000 sq. ft. a year later. In 2020, Soriero moved into the present location, “and we are already outgrowing this one!” laughs marketing director Lindsay Schwartz.
During these years, MMP continued to embed itself as the go-to full production company for local music venues and installations. MMP also brings in lighting, LED walls and audio for Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s season residence.
Another project was The Eastern, a recently opened state-of- the art 35,000 square foot arts complex in Atlanta, with a premier 2,300-capacity concert facility. Zero Mile Presents and AEG turned to MMP to handle the integration and design of all the lighting and L-Acoustics K2 audio installation. “I knew the guys that opened the Eastern in Atlanta when they owned the Georgia Theatre in Athens and Terminal West in Atlanta,” says Soriero. “They now have multiple venues in several states and have partnered with AEG.”
One-Stop Shop
Music Matters Productions has also forged partnerships with Avid and d&b audiotechnik, offering S6L consoles and GSL/KSL Series speaker systems. “d&b audiotechnik continues to be the leader for rider-driven events,” says Tom Smith, the company’s audio department manager. “And their continued support for their entire product line and speed of service / replacement parts is unlike any other company,” he adds.
Entering and succeeding in the festival market as a full production provider was kickstarted by acquiring a large inventory and the right people to make things happen. “I realized that the number of cabinets needed to cover 15,000 people at a festival is only a few boxes more than what is needed to handle a 5,000-seat hall. The invoice though is much larger!” Soriero grins. He came to understand too that, “L-Acoustics and d&b really are the only two P.A. options, from the riders we were seeing. This was a big move for us to get the festivals business. People like to make that one phone call, and I realized I’m not gonna get that call without the right audio gear. Riders for audio are very specific, whereas with a wash or a spot in lighting, brands are interchangeable, as long as the quality is comparable.” LED video walls, floors, 30K Panasonic laser projectors along with Barco 4K and HD projectors are available with switching and control for all. A full, turnkey rigging department, with over 150 chain hoists complement the audio, lighting, video and camera package offerings.
A meeting of the minds between MMP and Special Event Services (SES) led to a festival-centric partnership that’s been mutually beneficial for both organizations. “In the summer of 2020, we created 360 Festivals (360-festivals.com) to umbrella what Special Event Services and Music Matters Productions can offer collectively to the festival market, which is pretty much everything. Well, except catering,” smiles Schwartz, adding that “it’s been an incredible partnership for our clients and our respective businesses.” SES has all the infrastructure, from ground cover to mobile roof stages and everything in between including barricades and ground transportation.
“The idea is that one phone call does it all,” states Jim Brammer, CEO of SES. “Aside from our personal relationship, we got together with Aaron because Music Matters Productions is well known for the quality of their work and has a great reputation in the festival production market… especially in Atlanta.”
The Team
Of course, a production house is only as good as the people performing the work. MMP’s full-time staff numbers over 40 currently with a wealth of permalancers and independent freelancers answering calls frequently. A core group of people have been with Soriero for years. David “Purdy” Puryear has been with Soriero since the beginning. “We pulled the gear, drove the truck, set it up, ran it, and took it back,” says Puryear. “I did whatever was needed.”
Soriero emphasizes that meeting Michael Smalley — an original founder in the business along with Soriero — was a critical moment in the growth trajectory of Music Matters. “He helped set us on the path to success and taught me a lot! As his stature and status as a production designer has grown, he continues to be a mentor and advocate.”
The Biz of Business
MMP remains independently owned. “I’ve attracted investors, which has been a far better business model than going through the glacier-like pace of loans from banks and then having to meet this huge note every month over a long period of time.” The investment sees a good return and Soriero remains in control of how he wants to shape his company.
A bit of financial help came from his family at the start, but along the way, Soriero considers himself fortunate to have met folks who were interested in the company and the work. “I can call our current investor, who has been with me the last five years and say we’re bidding on this job, but I need to buy a particular piece of gear to seal the deal. He is very aware of what our company is capable of, and I can get a ‘yes’ immediately to purchase, allowing us to capture that business. A bank process would be far too tedious and glacial to react in the manner this industry demands. I’d much rather prefer to conduct my financial ventures on an agreement and a handshake,” says Soriero.
We all know the world stopped March of 2020. This was the greatest challenge Soriero faced in the 20 years of building his company. “Everything was on a roll, with the new warehouse… and then came the pain of having to shutter it all personnel-wise. That hurt. During Covid, everyone was laid off, as was Lindsay, but she kept our Instagram account going, letting people know we were still here, what we were working on and what we were planning,” says Soriero. “We got a lot of positive response across the industry from those efforts, and even as the sales grow, I know how important it is to enhance that growth with Lindsay and her marketing staff.”
Moving Forward
Once the pandemic receded, Soriero’s second biggest challenge took place. “Business went from 0 to 100 in seconds,” says Soriero. “Everybody was jumping on tour; people were calling us three weeks out from a festival opening day yelling ‘help!’ We were incredibly busy. Supply chains were still seriously impaired or nonexistent. And labor was a huge issue, but I said yes to everything.”
In the past two years, MMP has expanded north along the East Coast and westward. “We are coast-to-coast now,” says Schwartz. “We’ve seen a lot of growth particularly in the corporate space.” With the volume of shows, Salt Lake City became a logical spot for a depot to service events going into venues in the Midwest, Texas, Nevada and California. “The gear stays so busy that it made sense to leave it,” Soriero notes.
To accommodate continued growth, Music Matters moved from Marietta, GA to Atlanta; its full time crew is now 40; and getting industry-wide recognition for excellence at the 2023 Parnelli Awards was icing on the cake. “We are proud of winning the Hometown Hero Audio Award at the Parnelli’s this year,” smiles Soriero, adding “and next year, we are going after the Lighting Hometown Hero Award.”
For more info about Music Matters Productions, visit www.musicmattersproductions.com
