Small Pond’s Vlad Talks Business

6th December 2016

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Vlad Matveikov is the owner of the fantastic Small Pond Recordings in Brighton, we had a chat with him to get some of his top tips on succeeding in the music industry.

What advice would you give to new/current students about the music industry?

1)    Really understand what you are involved in and what you are doing.

If you are an electrician you need to know without a shadow of doubt what conductors are, what  is resistance and ohmage etc.  Your knowledge and ability in this example not only give you the ability to do your job well but may also be a matter if life and death.

Because music is an art form and may not always present a life or death situation one’s brain might erroneously create a comforting situation where creativity or the creative process are mistakenly used as an excuse to cover up the lack of in-depth, comprehensive knowledge.

If you want to be a session musician and don’t know your scales or modes, your lack of knowledge makes you a liability and your career is a time bomb. If you want to work in the music business but have no idea what PRS does or what music publishing is, do you really think you are going to make it?


Having a career in music is more of a marathon than a sprint; take your time and build up your arsenal for the long run. The biggest part of your ammunition will be knowledge so use your time at BIMM to load up on that.

2) Take your time in accumulating knowledge but don’t be lazy by confusing it with taking it easy and becoming complacent, otherwise you will eventually stagnate in both your personal and career development.

3) Surround yourself with knowledgeable, kind-hearted people, and accomplished musicians that challenge you to grow.

I think at the end of the day it’s harder to be honest with yourself than with other people.   Too many people are not objective enough about their surroundings and what effect this has on their life, and allow themselves to enter into unproductive routines and negative dynamics that hold them back from achieving their potential.


Lucy Evers
