Cultural strategy
Finding the role an organisation can credibly play within culture, then defining the positioning, opportunity and strategic roadmap around it.
Matter.
NAVIGATE CULTURE WITH INTENTIONThe Point of View
Become valuable to culture.
GIVE PEOPLE A REASON TO CARE.
GIVE CULTURE SOMETHING OF VALUE.
Matter. helps organisations find a credible role in music and culture. Then we bring it to life through platforms, products, partnerships and experiences people want to be part of.
What is Matter.?
Independent practice. Deep experience.
FOUNDED BY ARNAV SINGHAL
A music + culture strategist and platform builder with two decades of experience across talent, communities, brands, platforms, IPs and live entertainment.
Ex-VICE / Viacom18 / JioStar / RSJ / ESCAPE
The Practice
Helping organisations build cultural significance.
Platform & IP development
Creating new cultural platforms and IPs - or evolving existing ones - for greater relevance, participation and long-term value.
Strategic partnerships
Building the right relationships across brands, artists, creators, communities, platforms and cultural organisations.
Creator & community ecosystems
Designing ways for organisations to work
meaningfully with the people and communities
shaping culture.
Live experiences
Developing festivals, experiences and physical platforms that turn a cultural idea into something people can participate in.
New cultural ventures
Exploring new businesses, destinations, formats and opportunities where culture can become a core part of the proposition.
THE EXPERIENCE
The work behind Matter.
TWO DECADES SHAPING MUSIC AND CULTURE.
SELECTED WORK BY THE FOUNDER, BEFORE MATTER.
BUDX
BUILDING A GLOBAL MUSIC & CULTURE PLATFORM FOR A BRAND
VICE / VIRTUE
BUDX
BUILDING A GLOBAL MUSIC & CULTURE PLATFORM FOR A BRAND
The opportunity
Budweiser wanted to build a deeper relationship with music and culture - moving beyond sponsorships and one-off activations towards a platform the brand could own, contribute through and grow over time.
The thinking
The brand didn't just need to show up in culture. It needed to create something people in culture would actually want to be part of. BUDX was built around artists, communities, ideas and experiences - globally connected, but locally relevant.
What I led
As Regional Music & Culture Lead at VICE, I helped build, launch and scale BUDX across India, South Korea, Southeast Asia and the U.S. - working closely with Budweiser & VICE / VIRTUE teams across local market to translate the global platform into culturally credible programming.
What it became
A multi-market music and culture platform that gave Budweiser a way to participate in culture through more than advertising or sponsorship - creating spaces for artists, communities, conversations, collaboration and live experiences.
Role
Regional Music & Culture Lead - VICE / VIRTUE
Markets
India | South Korea | Southeast Asia | U.S.
Vh1 Supersonic
SHAPING, SCALING & EVOLVING ONE OF INDIA’S LEADING MUSIC IPs
LIVE Viacom18
Vh1 Supersonic
SHAPING, SCALING & EVOLVING ONE OF INDIA’S LEADING MUSIC IPs
The opportunity
Across 2 stints at LIVE Viacom18, I worked on Vh1 Supersonic at very different stages of its journey - first helping build and grow the platform, and later returning to evolve it as audiences, music culture, competition & commercial expectations changed.
The thinking
Strong cultural IPs cannot stay static. Early on, the focus was on building relevance, audience and commercial value around a growing festival platform. Years later, the challenge was different - reassessing who Supersonic was for, what role it could continue to play, and how the experience needed to evolve around a changing cultural landscape.
What I led
During my first stint, I worked across the platform end to end - helping shape product strategy, audience dev, programming, partnerships, brand solutions, sponsorship & monetization. On returning to Viacom18, I led Product, IP & Strategy across the platform, driving its next phase across positioning, audience strategy, talent, partnerships, marketing, commercial development and the wider festival experience.
What it became
An IP that grew from an emerging festival property into one of India's most recognized music and live entertainment platforms - continually evolving its proposition around changing audiences, culture and business needs.
Role
Head of Product, IP & Strategy - LIVE Viacom18
Involvement
Build & Growth | Strategic Evolution
Vh1 Lift Off
CREATING A NEW PLATFORM FOR EMERGING SUBCULTURES
LIVE Viacom18
Vh1 Lift Off
CREATING A NEW PLATFORM FOR EMERGING SUBCULTURES
The opportunity
Vh1 already had established music properties, but youth culture was becoming more fragmented across new scenes, creators and communities. The opportunity was to build a new platform focused on discovery - giving emerging music and subcultures visibility before they reached mainstream scale.
The thinking
Instead of beginning with a fixed genre or event format, Lift Off would begin with what was already moving in culture - identifying the people, scenes and communities gaining momentum, then building a credible platform around them.
What I led
Conceived and launched Vh1 Lift Off as a new culture-led IP within LIVE Viacom18. Led the strategy, positioning and product architecture, shaping how the platform would discover and spotlight emerging music, creators and youth subcultures across India.
What it became
A new Vh1-owned cultural platform built to identify and spotlight what was emerging before it reached mainstream scale - expanding the brand's relationship with the next generation of artists, creators and audiences.
Role
Head of Product, IP & Strategy - LIVE Viacom18
Involvement
Concept | Build | Launch
Escape Festival of Music & Arts
GROWING ONE OF INDIA'S FIRST BOUTIQUE DESTINATION FESTIVALS
Festival Director / Curator
Escape Festival of Music & Arts
GROWING ONE OF INDIA'S FIRST BOUTIQUE DESTINATION FESTIVALS
The opportunity
At a time when India's festival landscape was still taking shape, there was room for something smaller, independent and more intimate - a destination gathering built around music, art, discovery and community rather than scale alone.
The thinking
The festival itself had to be the experience. Music, visual art, place, people and discovery weren't separate programming verticals - together they created Escape's identity. The aim was to grow without losing the independent, community-led character that made it matter.
What I led
Joined Escape in its early years and eventually led the festival end to end - across strategy, programming, talent, production, operations, budgets, partnerships, marketing and on-ground delivery. Curated the multi-stage music and visual arts programme while managing the wider ecosystem behind each edition.
What it became
A self-funded grassroots gathering that grew from a few dozen people into a 3,600+ capacity music and arts festival in Uttarakhand - while retaining its boutique, independent and community-led identity. A model and roadmap later adopted by many other festival’s in the country.
Role
Festival Director | Curator
Involvement
Build | Growth | End-to-End Festival Leadership
Rock Street Journal
Extending the legacy of an Indian music institution
Head of IPs, Programming & Events
Rock Street Journal
Extending the legacy of an Indian music institution
The opportunity
Rock Street Journal had already helped define India's independent music ecosystem through publishing, concerts and some of the country's earliest music IPs. The opportunity was to build on that legacy - creating new reasons for artists, audiences and the wider scene to keep engaging with RSJ.
The thinking
A cultural institution stays relevant by continuing to create value for the ecosystem around it. The job wasn't to preserve RSJ's legacy, but to extend it - through new platforms, live experiences, artist discovery and stronger international connections.
What I led
Led events, IPs and programming across - developing new formats of; India Music Week & Conference, RSJ Live Nites and IMW Focus Sessions; attempting to revive Great Indian Rock; introducing Inferno Metal Festival to India; and curating 100+ live shows. Built partnerships across Europe to support artist exchange, touring and international collaboration.
What it became
A next chapter for RSJ's live and cultural platform - keeping it active as a space for discovery, independent artists and cultural exchange while connecting India's music ecosystem to wider global networks.
Role
Head of IPs, Programming & Events
Involvement
IP Build | Growth | Programming | LIVE
Noosphere
FOUNDING AN INDEPENDENT ECOSYSTEM FOR ARTISTS, RELEASES & LIVE EXPERIENCES
Co-Founder
Noosphere
FOUNDING AN INDEPENDENT ECOSYSTEM FOR ARTISTS, RELEASES & LIVE EXPERIENCES
The opportunity
Independent artists were operating in an ecosystem with limited infrastructure around discovery, bookings, releases and live opportunities. There was room for something independent that could work with artists across more than one part of their journey.
The thinking
Instead of treating management, releases and live experiences as separate businesses, Noosphere was built around the idea of creating a broader ecosystem for independent artists.
What I led
Co-founded Noosphere and led artist development & bookings, independent live experiences and Noosphere Network - one of India's early independent digital record labels. Worked with Indian and international artists across releases, bookings, touring and live programming, while providing emerging talent with a home for independent releases, digital distribution and artist development.
What it became
An independent music platform designed to give emerging artists a home, an audience and multiple routes into the wider ecosystem.
Role
Co-Founder
Involvement
Talent Management | Bookings | Label | LIVE
Working with Matter.
How we can work together
Matter. can help define the opportunity, lead a specific brief or stay involved as a long-term partner.
Advisory
Define your role in culture, assess an opportunity and set a clear direction through a focused advisory engagement.
Focused projects
Lead a defined brief from thinking through to delivery, bringing in the right collaborators as needed.
Ongoing partnership
Work alongside your team as an embedded music + culture lead, guiding decisions and helping move the work forward.
Let’s Talk
