KNOWLES

Mathew Knowles, American music executive, entrepreneur, and university lecturer best known for managing Destiny’s Child and Beyoncé, kicked off his XP Day program session, Mathew Knowles: The Fundamentals of the Music Industry In A Digital Age by turning it to the audience. “All the artists: if you are a singer, vocalist, rapper, DJ, stand up.” He then asked the producers and songwriters, the current and aspiring video directors, entertainment attorneys, and label owners to do the same.

His point: “The answer is in this room. Don’t rush up here to take a photo—rush to meet the people in this room!” He urged attendees to build new collaborations with one another, whether it be new songs, music videos, licensing their work into movies and TV, or building connections to help their careers.

Interwoven with stories from the early days of Destiny’s Child, Knowles shared firsthand insights from his career. His tips ranged from what makes the “secret sauce” of a hit song (hint: it’s in the hook) to what makes a label want to work with artists repeatedly. Emphasizing core marketing and clear branding themes— relevant in every era of the music industry— Knowles focused on the big picture of the music ecosystem and hard work, patience, and tenacity, no matter the role.

Knowles dedicated the second half of the session to dialogue with the audience. Attendees, including XP Nite and Soundstorm artists from Riyadh, Dubai, Cape Town, and London, crowded the aisle to ask big questions about career development, breaking into new markets, and building a compelling brand.

Knowles has been quoted encouraging Beyoncé and Solange to “practice failure”: to be ready to respond to performances not going as planned. (Both singers’ famously smooth responses to onstage snags attest to that strategy.) For Knowles, that ethos of seeing challenge as opportunity extends beyond showtime to the development of the Saudi music scene itself.