Matthew Storrs Pincus[1] is an American music publisher and investor who founded Songs Music Publishing.[2] He is also the current bassist of the band New York City Hardcore Band Judge.[3]
Matt Pincus | |
|---|---|
| Born | Matthew Storrs Pincus |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Columbia University (BA, MBA) |
| Occupation | Music Publisher |
| Known for | Founder and CEO of Songs Music Publishing |
| Spouse | Sarah Min |
| Parents |
|
Early life and education
editPincus is the son of Lionel Pincus, co-founder and chairman of private equity firm Warburg Pincus. His mother, Suzanne Storrs, was Miss Utah in 1955 and a television actress, who was married to Lionel Pincus until her death in 1995. He is a graduate of Columbia University, where he received his B.A. in 1995 and M.B.A. in 2002.[1][2][4][5] He has a brother, Henry Pincus, who is an actor and also attended Columbia.[6][7][8]
Career
editAt age 17, he joined the New York hardcore band Judge, where he played bass.[3][9]
In college, Pincus interned at various record labels, including EMI and Jive Records. He was also a campus representative for Atlantic Records and worked as an assistant editor at the New York magazine after college.[10]
Having graduated from Columbia Business School, Pincus worked at EMI as a strategy associate. In 2004, he invested $5 million of his own money into Songs Music Publishing with Ron Perry, a fellow EMI alum. The two initially targeted Christian rock and hard rock musicians before looking into more commercial acts including Ted Leo and the Pharmacists and Conor Oberst.[11] Under Pincus' leadership, the label represented a clientele of 300 artists, including chart-topping musicians such as Lorde, Diplo, and The Weeknd.[12][13]
In 2015, he testified before the United States Senate to demand a revamp of the country's system for calculating songwriter royalties and warned against the encroachment of Big Tech on the music publishing industry.[14][15][16] In a partnership with Barry Weiss, Pincus co-founded a new independent label, RECORDS.[17]
In 2017, Pincus and Perry were named to the Billboard magazine's Power 100 list, which ranks the most influential businesspeople in the music industry.[18] He sold the company in December 2017 for $160 million to Kobalt Music Group.[19]
In 2018, Pincus joined LionTree as executive-in-residence and took up an advisory role at Snap Inc.[20]
He has been a member of the board of directors of the National Music Publishers' Association, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, Songwriters Hall of Fame, the financial services startup HIFI,[21][22] and the music creation platform Splice, of which he is also an investor.[2][23][24][25]
Personal life
editPincus is married to Sarah Min, former managing editor of Domino, a shopping publication of Condé Nast.[1]
After his father died, he and his brother sued Princess Firyal, accusing her of taking advantage of their father's deteriorating mental and physical state by spending extravagant sums to decorate a 14-room duplex in the Pierre Hotel.[6][26][27]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Sarah Min and Matthew Pincus". The New York Times. 2005-09-25. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
- ^ a b c "Matt Pincus". National Music Publishers’ Association. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
- ^ a b "JUDGE's Matt Pincus Is Getting Old Punk and Hardcore Bands Paid for Their Song Streams, Finally". www.vice.com. 4 February 2016. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
- ^ Fabrikant, Geraldine (2009-10-12). "Lionel Pincus, Who Helped Bring Investors to Private Equity, Dies at 78". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
- ^ School, Columbia Business (2017-10-25). "Second Century Circle". Alumni. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
{{cite web}}:|first=has generic name (help) - ^ a b Durkin, Erin. "Wall St. titan Lionel Pincus dies; estate feud rages between two sons and Jordanian princess". nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
- ^ "Henry Pincus | Lionel Pincus | 311 West 4th Street". The Real Deal New York. 2014-07-08. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
- ^ "Columbia Spectator 8 March 1991 — Columbia Spectator". spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
- ^ Kamiński, Karol (2012-07-13). "JUDGE interviewed by Double Cross Zine". IDIOTEQ.com. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
- ^ "Matt Pincus". National Museum of American History. 2018-04-10. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
- ^ "Meet the Banking Scion Who Helped Lorde Top the Music Charts". BloombergQuint. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
- ^ Aswad, Shirley Halperin, Jem; Halperin, Shirley; Aswad, Jem (2017-12-08). "Songs Music Publishing Sold to Kobalt for $150 Million". Variety. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "SONGS Music Publishing Signs Worldwide Co-Publishing Deal with The Weeknd". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
- ^ Pincus, Matt (March 10, 2015). ""How Much for a Song?: The Antitrust Decrees that Govern the Market for Music"" (PDF). Senate Judiciary Committee. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
- ^ Pincus, Matt (2015-03-13). "It's Time for Real Transparency in Digital Music (Guest Blog)". TheWrap. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
- ^ "SONGS Music CEO Matt Pincus: Why Music Publishing's Two-Class System Could Spell the End for New Indie Firms". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
- ^ Christman, Ed (February 17, 2015). "Barry Weiss To Join Forces With SONGS Publishing On New Label". Billboard. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
- ^ "No. 92: Matt Pincus & Ron Perry | Power 100". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
- ^ Sisario, Ben (2017-12-08). "Songs, Music Publisher of Lorde and Diplo, Bought by Kobalt". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
- ^ "SONGS Founder Matt Pincus Joins Snapchat & LionTree". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
- ^ "How Music's Business Managers Are Tracking Revenue -- And Getting Their Artists Bi-Weekly Paychecks". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
- ^ "Matt Pincus-backed HIFI launches to help artists 'actually see what they're earning – and what they're worth'". Music Business Worldwide. 2020-07-01. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
- ^ "The Songwriters Hall of Fame Announces Newly Elected Board of Directors | Songwriters Hall of Fame". www.songhall.org. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
- ^ "Music-making platform Splice raises $57.5m, with ex-SONGS boss Matt Pincus backing company". Music Business Worldwide. 2019-03-20. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
- ^ Shaw, Lucas (21 February 2021). "Want to Make a Hit Record From Your Bedroom? Ask Splice". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
- ^ "Lionel Pincus Passes Away But His Sons and Princess Continue to Duke It Out in Court". Vanity Fair. 2009-10-12. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
- ^ "PRINCESS & PLEA: STOP TAKING OUR DAD'S MILLIONS!". New York Post. 2009-08-05. Retrieved 2021-08-29.