Matt Nelson, executive creative producer at global music and sound studio Yessian, has been elected National Board president of the Association of Music Producers (AMP). He succeeds Carol Dunn, West Coast executive producer of Human, who’s held the post for the past two years.
Nelson has been an active participant with AMP’s East chapter for over six years, most recently serving as chapter president. Prior to this, he served on the chapter’s board, as well as on the AMP Awards Committee, which is tasked with organizing and producing AMP’s annual awards competition and gala presentation.
Succeeding Nelson as president of the East Chapter Board will be Amy Crawford, executive creative director, music products at Made Music Studio. Both Crawford and Nelson will work closely with AMP’s West Chapter president, Stone Irr, sr. producer at BUTTER Music + Sound in Los Angeles.
Nelson said his election to lead AMP’s National Board is coming at a promising time for the music industry’s trade group, which represents independent music and audio post companies that provide original music, music supervision, licensing and sync as well as audio post and mixing to both agencies and brands.
“All of us on the chapter boards are proud of helping AMP grow and build incredible momentum coming out of the pandemic,” he noted, pointing out that the 2024 AMP Awards was one of the most successful events in the association’s history. “It’s been a difficult time for our members, as well as for the industry as a whole, but I think we’ve emerged stronger and better positioned for the future.
“Over the last two years we’ve surged in membership, our award show is bigger than ever, and we’ve gone to great lengths to deliver what our membership is looking for,” Nelson continued. “This includes networking opportunities, creating knowledge base assets, and sponsoring informational panels. I’m particularly proud of the networking events we’ve held over the last year that focused on diversity. I’m also proud that during my time as East Coast president, the board made it a priority and elected three women to fill open seats, creating more gender balance than ever.”
Global sonic branding agency Made Music Studio joined AMP in 2022, and has since made its mark in the annual AMP Awards competition. Crawford, who leads the studio’s foray into new creative technologies, products and offerings, joined the East Chapter Board last year, and has been active on AMP’s Programming Committee, which generates the ambitious schedule of webinars and panel discussions on relevant topics that are open to AMP members and the wider advertising music community.
“I’m grateful to AMP for the opportunity and trust to help strengthen and grow this community,” Crawford said about her election. “Music and creative community building has always been so core to my being, and that passion has carried me through many phases in my music career, from my time as an independent performing artist to now. I looked to AMP when I began my journey creating music and sound for agencies and brands, and to be able to play a role in the organization today is like a full circle moment, taking me back to a younger Amy from a decade-plus ago, who would scan the AMP membership list to better understand the professional landscape.”
Nelson said one key area of focus for AMP going forward will be education, particularly on the agency and client levels. “There are fewer music experts working at client companies than ever,” he stated. “As a result, our members’ expertise is more crucial than ever. We can deliver on this through continued networking, reviewing and improving our best practices, creating informational materials for the broader advertising community, and sharing this knowledge with industry newcomers.”
One of AMP’s most important recent achievements, Nelson said, has been the broadening of its reach, aimed at connecting with a wider cross-section of the music industry, both as attendees and participants at events as well as potential members. “There are lots of benefits of being an AMP member,” he noted, including discounts on various products as well as both submissions and tickets for the AMP Awards, and full access to the knowledge base found on the AICP website.
“All of these perks are great, especially when seen in combination with the true sense of camaraderie and community AMP offers,” Nelson added. “We sometimes forget this, and I want to remind everyone that we’re in this together, and as an industry, we’re stronger together.”
Crawford, for her part, will continue to serve on the Programming Committee, and said a series of panels and conversations about the impact of generative AI on music creation and production is in the works. “We’ve also had strong turnout at the in-person events we’ve hosted,” she observed, “and we know that sparking those connections is something members want more of. For example, the AMP Awards show this year was standing room only–that momentum is awesome and we’ll keep it going.”
