Unsung Heroes V: Nick Matzukis
by Sheldon Rocha Leal
As someone involved in music education and exposed to many aspiring musicians and “rock stars”, I often encounter an unhealthy admiration for celebrities and celebrity culture. There is value in this admiration, as music legends have succeeded in communicating their messages effectively to millions of people worldwide altering the trajectory of popular culture, generating many jobs in the process. That being said, there are many more people, involved in the music business whose actions have been just as pivotal, yet their stories are mostly unsung. I feel these stories should be told and individuals highlighted, as without their contributions many of the industry innovations would not have materialized and there would, therefore, be no need for celebrities. Additionally, I feel it’s important to highlight these journeys so as to alert people to the plethora of job opportunities available within the music industry, to which most people have not been exposed.
In my career, I have met and interviewed many influential music industry practitioners, some very famous, and some not as famous. Although the achievements of the famous are well documented and are very impressive, I find the untold stories of the unsung heroes of the business more integral to its success and just as important to document. It also highlights the fact that in order to be successful in one’s sector it’s not essential to be famous, there are many unknown people in the music business who are probably making more money than celebrities. One of these individuals is someone under whom I studied and someone who I have come to admire over the years, for his integrity, grit, and propensity to succeed at whatever he sets his mind to, Advocate Nick Matzukis. I had the pleasure of interviewing him for my PhD, at which point I gained a better understanding of what makes the man tick, after many years of observing him from a distance.
I came into contact with this behemoth of music education in 1998 for the first time. I had recently graduated from UNISA (University of South Africa) with a Bachelor of Arts in Law and Psychology and decided to alter my study/career path. Music had always been a major passion of mine, but because I had not been exposed to a formal music education in my secondary schooling I was precluded from pursuing this field of study as a university student. South African universities were notoriously strict when it came to music studies when I left high school, and prospective students were required to prove that they had previously been exposed to formal music education. I, unfortunately, was not able to prove this when I left high school and therefore decided to pursue an alternative study path.
As I neared the end of my legal studies I was forced to make a decision: was I going to continue with further legal studies or was I going to pursue my passion. My initial instinct was to pursue further legal studies, as I could not imagine anyone that would take a chance on me with regards to musical studies. I couldn’t think of any institution that would accept me and I knew for a fact I would not have any luck at a state-funded university. That is until the day that I randomly opened a newspaper and encountered an advert that allayed all my concerns: “come study music at Allenby, you won’t need any prior formal musical training”. I couldn’t believe it, the advert was answering my prayers verbatim and I knew Allenby as they were a subsidiary of the institution through which I acquired my degree, Midrand Campus.
I hurriedly contacted the number in the advert and spoke to a lady who tried to set up an appointment for an audition, I was scared and told her I’d call back. For the longest time, I resisted the move, but eventually, I had an epiphany and decided I needed to give it a go. I called back, set up an appointment and the rest was history. What I did not know at the time is that this decision was going to result in a meeting with one of the most charismatic, visionary, and driven people I have ever met in my life. Advocate Matzukis is the man who founded Allenby Campus and who had decided that he would launch a contemporary music course at the institution of higher learning, the first in South Africa. Soon enough not only would I get to know him, but I would also play in a band with him and even work under him for a period of time. By the time I met him, however, he had a long list of accolades under his belt.
Nick was originally born in Zimbabwe, but when it came time for him to complete his tertiary education he decided to attend the University of the Witwatersrand, better known as WITS, in Johannesburg, South Africa. His original intention was to study and return to his home country, but that was not meant to be. At WITS he completed a BA and an LLB degree, cum laude, and because of these excellent results, he was asked to remain at the institution as a lecturer and lectured various Criminal Law modules. He eventually passed his bar exams and was admitted as an Advocate of the High Court. Although he had received musical training from a young age (started playing drums aged 8) he had opted not to pursue a career in music because he wrongfully believed, as most people do, that there was no money in music. At the time people had very limited knowledge of the plethora of opportunities available within the sector.
Once bitten by the music bug, however, it’s really difficult to escape the calling. Whilst studying at WITS he became the drummer of a band that went on to achieve mainstream success on the South African music circuit, The Helicopters. The band managed to attain 5 No1 singles on the South African charts and released 2 Gold-certified albums. This success came with a grueling touring schedule and he, therefore, decided to put his academic career aspirations on hold for a period, whilst he explored this music thing. The band sold-out stadia across the country including the Good Hope and Standard Bank Arenas and even opened for the legendary Mango Groove at one point. With all this mainstream success the band members were expecting a big pay-day, which never materialized. On the band’s return to Johannesburg, they discovered there was no money as it had been misappropriated (bad deals and unscrupulous players in the business). A story many in the business can recite. As someone with legal know-how the band members turned to Nick for assistance, but even though he had graduated from his legal qualifications cum laude, he was unable to help them out of the predicament. The music industry and its contractual obligations are very complex, even for someone with legal knowledge, and contracts once entered into are notoriously difficult to overturn.
This experience and dealings with management, publishing and the recording labels taught him many lessons about the overall structure of the business. He did extensive research on the case, with the intention of helping his bandmates, and with all his knowledge was not able to resolve the issues, as the band members had made a few fatal and miscalculated moves. The knowledge, he acquired, however, empowered him with the ability to help other artists avoid the pitfalls that prevented him from helping his bandmates. It soon came to the attention of various creatives and artists that Nick could help with their contracts and he became inundated with requests, eventually helping many prominent people and organizations in the industry. As a result of the demand he set up a consultancy to help out artists, which has now evolved into a business in which he consults for major industry players.
All these experiences informed the founding of his own private tertiary institution, Allenby Campus, which offered training in various creative fields including contemporary music, sound engineering, and fashion design. Although he had his career mapped out at WITS, he understood that the only way to achieve what he wanted at a tertiary level, was by starting his own institution of higher learning. One of his law colleagues at WITS, Susan Bidel (one of my former legal lecturers and a phenomenal legal mind) had recently left the university and started her own private higher education provider, Midrand Campus. Nick approached Susan and her partners to determine if they would assist in backing his venture, which they did and Allenby Campus was born in 1995 along with Educor, the company that held both Midrand and Allenby Campus. It was a few years later when I got the opportunity to meet both Susan Bidel and Nick Matzukis, experiences that altered the trajectory of my career and life. The Allenby Campus gamble was a huge success and within 5 years, 8 branches of the higher education provider were opened throughout the country. Nick had his finger firmly placed on the pulse of what the consumer wanted in higher education in South Africa.
Educor was eventually bought by Naspers and incorporated into the Damelin group and as part of the acquisition Nick was made CEO of the Damelin Group, a job he executed with great competence. He eventually parted ways with Naspers and formed his own company, with George Hattingh and Timothy Kraft, offering superior tuition in Sound Engineering in 2004. The Academy of Sound Engineering has, for the past 16 years, grown from an institution offering Diplomas in Sound Engineering to a fully fledged higher education institution offering a full bouquet of academic offerings. One of the more impressive qualifications is a Bachelor of Science in Sound Engineering, the only one of its kind in the country.
But Nick does not rest on his laurels and over the years he has had his fingers in various pies. Most recently he was part of a delegation that successfully lobbied government to reject the amendments suggested for the Copyright Act of South Africa. Additionally he was the founding chairman of CAPASSO (Composers, Authors and Publishers Association) the most powerful mechanical rights collection society in South Africa. He was also a Trustee of POSA (Performers’ Organisation of South Africa) and a board member of SAMPRA (South African Music Performance Rights Association). Furthermore, he was also a member of the DTI’s (Department of Trade and Industry) task team dealing with performer’s rights in the creative industries in South Africa.
Nick has been instrumental facilitating the optimal functioning of the music business in South Africa on so many levels, resulting in a more cohesive and just sector, promoting equal rights for all, especially the performer. From advocacy to education his career has been engineered to provide platforms which promote the transition of educated music people into the sector, therefore, ultimately resulting in a stronger industry. His vision has been to give access to as many people as possible to a music education, which will allow them to make a sustainable living in their chosen field.
One day I hope to grow up to be half the man that Nick is, and be able to provide as many opportunities as he has. If one merely looks at graduates from the Allenby group one can easily say that he was responsible for establishing a base of graduates who ultimately became the bedrock of the music industry in South Africa. Melissa Conradie, Proverb, DJ Cleo, Dan Patlansky, Robin Kohl, RJ Benjamin, Elvis Blue, Nick Kendall, Warrick Percy and Munya Chanetsa are a mere drop in the ocean of people who were a product of his mentorship and guidance. For the above reasons I feel that Adv. Nick Matzukis’ contribution to the music industry are as valuable as any contribution made by a celebrity and that is why I decided to highlight his career in this Unsung Heroes article.
