Matthew Mayer

Author - Matej Jovanovic/PianoWorldWide

Let’s start by talking about your final concert of 2024, an incredible way to end the year at the renowned Belbas Theater. How did this concert come to fruition, and how much preparation does it take for an artist to deliver such a stunning event as you did?

First, thank you for reaching out. It’s fun to be speaking with Music WorldWide Magazine! The Belbas Show was a highlight evening for me as a performer, composer, and someone who has been pursuing a life of piano composition and performing since I was 12 years old. The 300 seat Theatre sold out, and what was most special, was who was in that theatre. It was filled with many of the people who have supported me throughout my life. From growing up in a small town of 700 people, to pursuing my passion of piano, many people in that room were the ones who supported me in so many ways. This show came to fruition with an idea of doing a high quality performance show in my home state of South Dakota to celebrate 25 years of publishing music since my first CD “Crossing the Bridge” was released in the late 90s. I worked with the Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls, SD and the show took one year in preparation. I booked, prepared, and planned for that show 1 year in advance. To fill a 300 seat ticketed theatre for a solo piano concert, was a stretch goal, and I learned much more in dealing with contracts, planners, and people I’ve never worked with before. What many people might not understand is the risks that something like this involved for an independent artist. The costs to rent out a place like that in addition to all of the other costs, insurances, and planning that are involved, really make you put a lot of thought into every aspect of the show. Ultimately, the night was a huge success. It was filled with love, and support, and there is a strong possibility that we will do it again.

You have a beautiful family. How inspiring is it to create music in such an environment, and how challenging can it be to maintain continuity as a composer while practicing piano amidst work and family responsibilities?

This is a great question, and thank you for mentioning my family. I have 3 children, and the demands of time from “outside of composing” are constant. There’s always something else to do, and as a father, I WANT to be there for my children as much as possible. You get one chance with young kids, and as any parent will tell you that have had children, it goes by fast so enjoy it. At the same time, I want my kids to see “their Dad” enjoying and working hard on something he is passionate about. So if I'm practicing piano, I hope they see Dad doing something he loves and passionate about the “Arts” in Life. My daughter is a really talented visual artist, my middle son loves computers and programming (and is a naturally talented musician), and my youngest son is passionate about life in general:). So I try to look at composing as more of an “opportunity” to show my kids to pursue their own passions in life, and of course, being in an environment of “kid chaos” will help stir up the creative muse and write compositions from a different creative space.

How do you manage it all? Do you sacrifice sleep, or is strong organization the key to your success?

I don’t think I manage it all “successfully” by any means, and though I try to organize the best I can, I'm not a naturally ‘structured’ person. I also try to do more of “managing my energy” vs “managing my time”. So it’s definitely a mix now of organizing my day the best I can, with understanding that other things will have to “give” at times. I’ve been doing this lifestyle of being an independent musician now for a 1/4 of a century lol, which means, a long time:)…I say that, because I think it’s unreasonable to expect of yourself that you are going to be able to manage it all on a day to day basis. For example, back in 2011 after my second child was born, you’ll notice I don’t release any music for literally “years” after that. I was in a writers block so to speak, and the demands of newborns took me over. At the time, I would get frustrated, but when I started to “let go” and let life happen, it came back, and in different ways. I share that to express to other artists that this is a “long term”…or better yet a “life term” journey…..being a musician is not a “short-term” game…sure you may experience an overnight success or have short term success (and that’s great if that happens to you), but for me it didn’t. It took, years…and literally years, of simply making sure I didn’t “let my passion go”…even though I had “creative droughts” in my life that lasted for a long time, I never once thought “I’m never playing piano again”…and I think that ‘mindset’ alone will free you from the stress to feel like you need to meet a time table, as well as give you the confidence that the creative music will come back when it’s right.

Pair that with having a discipline to just “play” when you can, then you’ll see the magic happen. Yes, I’ve sacrificed on sleep, and other sacrifices like when I'm traveling, I'm away from my kids. It can be hard, but if you believe in your creative mission, those sacrifices are also necessary at some points. The key to my “success” at this point, is simple. I never give up. Period. And there are obstacles that will continue to come your way. Ones you would never see coming. You HAVE to believe that you were put on this earth for a reason, and that the world needs YOUR art in some way. Music is so powerful. I think most musicians have at least one story where they heard from a stranger that said “thank you for your music, it helped me with…..” That is success! And Success is such a relative term. Don’t compare yourself to other artists. Our successes are defined by us individually, and no one else. If you are doing what you love, or even have the ability to do what you love, then you are already successful. If in addition you are “helping” others in someway in the process….then you are uber successful.

Many of your compositions have millions of streams, and your music is widely used in formats like Instagram Reels. How has the music industry evolved in terms of reaching audiences since you first released your music?

How you perceive any evolution, will be how you adjust to it. The industry has opened up the firehose of distribution for independent artists, which is such a great thing. What used to be a difficult process to get your music to specific channels, is now a simple process of a couple clicks of a mouse on your distributors website, and just like that, your music is on places like instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and more. When I released my first album in the late 90s, it was literally CDs, and hoping people will “buy” your CD. Then it was discovered by others listening to your album, and saying, what do you have in that CD player? Who is that? I still have handwritten letters being sent to my mailbox requesting I mail an order of CDs to someone. Without a record label back then, and independent artist, really had to get out on the stage and do good old fashion word of mouth. Today, you have the ability to get your music out there fast and around the globe! When my song took off on Instagram Reels (When Flowers Grew Wild) I never thought it would be used in over 75,000 reels. It opened even more doors from both a relationship perspective and streaming perspective. Seeds will sprout in the most unexpected ways if you keep it with.

You spoke on Instagram about your first album, Crossing the Bridge (1998), and how you had to send a tape to your home as proof of originality. Just 25 years later, we can now release albums from our bedrooms. How do you positively utilize today’s technology in your creative process?

Yes! The Poor Man’s Copyright they call that. I still have my cassette tape sealed in a self mailed envelope. To answer your question on evolving with technology, I’d share this….Back in 2000, I taught a course at The University of South Dakota called “The Business of Music”. One of the “hot topics” in that day was “Napster” and how is that going to affect the artists and what does that mean for the listener. Think of how far we have come from those days. It’s amazing. Like everything else, technology has changed behavior patterns for years, and will only continue to do so. As an independent artist, you are right, you can record from your bedroom, and release music out there to the world. I have personally tried to evolve with the times as best as I can. I try to utilize the tools given, however without trying to sacrifice my quality or brand as an artist. Less barriers to entry for musicians, also means a tremendous influx of music being released to the world. Some would say that creates a lot of “not so good quality” music flooding in…and that could be true. However ultimately it’s up to the “listeners” on what they think “quality” means to them…..but YOU as the artist get to determine always what “quality” means to you. I try to experiment with channels as well, and always try to research and understand what is “working” in the industry, as well as listening to my own creative pushes and pulls to see what I want to release. Don’t be afraid to embrace change as an artist.

What is your earliest memory of the piano and music?

I remember receiving a very small keyboard at Christmas time and laying on the floor of my Grandma and Grandpa’s playing a little keyboard. The song I was starting to play was silent, with the simple keys of G,A,G,E.

You founded SoloPiano.com in 2000, greatly contributing to the solo piano music world by collaborating with and supporting hundreds of artists and albums. How strongly do you believe in following things as they fall into place?

Has your career proven that everything we do has a reason and purpose, and do you rely more on intuition or logic when it comes to the business side of your career?

This is an amazing question, and something I am continuing to explore. First off, yes, I am very proud of SoloPiano.com. It started as a website 25 years ago meant to promote my first album “Crossing the Bridge”, but it turned out to be a site where all solo piano players could build a free solo piano page and be part of a community. I was very focused on making it FREE for artists. I am proud of doing that, as “solo piano” is in my opinion, a genre of it’s own, and there are so many outstanding solo piano players in the world. It is gratifying when I get a note from a solo pianists in a foreign country that says “I can’t afford to build my own website” so you providing a free place to have my music is wonderful”….nothing can beat that.

To your question on things falling into place…there absolutely are times in my career where I rely solely on intuition. It’s not always easy to do…in fact, many times you walk by faith and can only see the step in front of you. There is absolutely times where you need to be logical and disciplined in your approaches in the industry. Whether that be how you work with your budget to record something, or if a certain “gig” is going to be worth your time and effort. I rely very heavily on intuition with people and relationships in the industry. This industry is the same as any other. There are amazing people, there are friendships, there are business relationships, and there are others that don’t seem to fit in with your specific journey, and that’s ok! I believe strongly that everything can have a reason and purpose if we allow it to, meaning, we use everything as learning and keep moving forward. On the business end of this journey, you are going to learn by ‘doing.” There is no way around it. You have to take risks, whether it’s risk of looking foolish, or risks of getting yourself out there, and as long as you keep moving forward, the right things will start to happen. Walk in faith, and you’ll be surprised how many of the “right” people and circumstances start to appear. As George Winston once told me in a conversation “Listen to your subconscious. It’s important”.