Austin-Based Ten Atoms Signs Regina Spektor and the Breeders in National Expansion
Ryan Matteson discusses his artist management firm's new Chicago office
By Genevieve Wood, Fri., Sept. 8, 2023
Throughout 2023, Austin-born artist management firm Ten Atoms has signed three game-changing additions to its well-rounded roster of talent: off-center 2000s-launched singer-songwriter Regina Spektor, Nineties alt-rock pioneers the Breeders, and, recently, up-and-coming disco trio Say She She. Last week, the firm also announced expansion beyond its South Congress home base into a new Chicago location.
Compared to their industry peers like Austin-based C3 Management, Ten Atoms has flown somewhat under the radar since their 2018 inception, quietly curating an impressive collection of local and national talent under the leadership of founder/President Ryan Matteson. Their newly acquired contracts and Illinois office space put their business prowess on full display.
Matteson, a small-town Wisconsin native, kick-started his career by founding Muzzle of Bees, a popular mid-Aughts music blog named after an introspective Wilco deep cut from 2004's A Ghost Is Born. After sharpening his chops as a concert promoter for historic venues across Milwaukee, Matteson relocated to Austin in 2011, joining C3 Presents' newly founded artist management team. After seven years with the company, Matteson struck out to create his own firm, bringing both Austin-based (Black Pumas, Strand of Oaks) and out-of-state (Whitney, the Mountain Goats) clients along for the ride.
"I learned so much from my time at C3, and I just felt like I was ready to do it on my own," explains Matteson. "I was so fortunate that all my clients at the time came with me, and since then, we've had a really great opportunity to expand our roster and hire excellent people."
In 2020, Ten Atoms turned a pivotal corner with Black Pumas, whose dazzling meteoric rise stands untouched in local music history. Pre-breakout, Matteson first met Pumas vocalist/guitarist Eric Burton busking on the streets of Austin; four years later, the psych soul outfit picked up a Grammy nod for Best New Artist under Ten Atoms' management. The group's highly anticipated sophomore album, Chronicles of a Diamond, releases October 27, a project Matteson calls their "masterpiece."
"Seeing the band grow from a residency at C-Boy's Heart & Soul to performing at the Grammys, the presidential inauguration, and sold-out shows all over the world is nothing short of incredible," he says. "I signed the band the day I started Ten Atoms, so their success has been inspiring to see unfold and something I will be eternally proud to be a part of."
The management group's freshly inked agreement with the Moscow-born, NYC-based Spektor stands as their most high-profile acquisition to date. Their contract with the Breeders coincides with the quartet's 30th-anniversary re-release of indie rock magnum opus Last Splash, as well as two weekends of upcoming ACL Fest appearances. Matteson will co-manage the group alongside C3 Management's Sarah Morris-Powell.
Despite recent high-level moves, Matteson describes Ten Atoms as a boutique organization with roots firmly planted in Austin soil. The company's 17 employees manage a total of 21 artists, ranging from Texas legends like Alejandro Escovedo to rising stars like Japanese Breakfast, who enjoyed two Grammy nominations in 2022. Genre plays no part in the firm's curation – the only requirement for a Ten Atoms artist is that Matteson and his team love the music.
"With management, you have to absolutely love and believe in the talent that you're working alongside, because we hear 'no' all the time," explains Matteson, who cites the Breeders as the soundtrack to his mid-Nineties youth. "It's our job to have the resiliency to continue to push forward despite things not always going our way, and the easiest way to find that strength and that perseverance is to actually love the music, right?"
Matteson points to folk rock outfit Briscoe as an underrated example of Ten Atoms' intertwinement with Austin's live music scene. Composed of recent UT-Austin graduates Truett Heintzelman and Philip Lupton, the duo sold out each night of their eight-show residency, split between C-Boy's and the Continental Club Gallery last month. In June, the pair signed with ATO Records, the NYC-based label that also represents the Black Pumas, Alabama Shakes, and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard.
"You don't have to move to New York, Los Angeles, or Nashville to get signed," says Matteson. "There's amazing talent right here in Austin, whether it's Briscoe, Black Pumas, the Arc Angels ... We're just living in a bubbling pot of great music creativity right now in Austin, and we really need to trumpet that."
As Ten Atoms touches down on Midwestern ground, does the firm anticipate any change in its local operations?
"It's business as usual – we're doubling down and continuing to make Austin our headquarters as the business continues to grow," he says. "There's other places that we could go, and we'll take that as it comes. But for now, we're proud to be based in Austin."
