Oftentimes, folx behind the mask of the music industry aren’t very conspicuous. They have a tendency to exist behind the veil and traditionally, find solace in the esoteric nature of that reality.
However, this isn’t the case whatsoever when it comes to multifaceted “music industry” aficionado Arty Furtado.
Hailing from Geneva, Switzerland, Arty Furtado is the living embodiment of what it means to be a genuine hustler in modern society. As a skilled communicator who is proficient in five languages, Furtado juggles myriad hats with exorbitant verve and enthusiasm.
Operating in the “high risk, high reward” capacities of a concert promoter, producer, DJ, and talent manager, there is never a shortage of responsibilities on his professional plate but somehow, he always manages to execute with tact and professionalism.
Originally launching his career as a producer and artist, Furtado made the life-altering decision to move to New York City and attend NYU with the specific intention of getting his big break and optimizing the labyrinth of opportunities present in the Big Apple.
While in pursuit of his musical endeavors, Furtado became fed up by the lack of opportunities for young artists to perform their music. As a direct byproduct of his disillusionment, Furtado felt it necessary to take matters into his own hands to improve the landscape.
Given his passion for music and his zeal for orchestrating events, Furtado began curating his own artists showcases while attending his alma mater: New York University.
By virtue of developing an uncanny knack for selling out events, illuminating novel artists and attracting copious amounts of people to his excursions, Furtado swiftly became a campuswide name.
Since his college days, Furtado has gracefully ascended to his current role: General Manager at Move Forward Music. Nowadays, Furtado specializes in musical event production. He has produced events for Spotify, akin to, working on concerts for Chief Keef, Tems, Doechii, Amaarae, and Jack Harlow. Taking his profession to new heights, he has even worked on North American tours for Nigerian duo Show Dem Camp.
Beyond his core realm of musical production, Furtado still finds time to DJ at various locations across NYC, manage up-and-coming Brooklyn artist Talia Goddess and drop a 6-track EP of his own: “Galissa.” Almost needless to say, Furtado is a formidable purveyor of music from all fronts with zero signs of slowing down anytime soon.
With all these experiences under his belt, Furtado has evolved into a certified expert at providing a smooth ride for talent and clients. Whether it is negotiating high-pressure situations or brainstorming creative solutions to real-time, “in the thick of it” challenges, Furtado has developed a failure proof acumen for what he does and has a viable track record to prove it.
Fortunately enough, JaJuan Malachi of The Knockturnal was able to snag some moments with Furtado to further discuss his burgeoning career and what he has lined up for the foreseeable future.
Here’s how the conversation played out:
The Knockturnal: When did you recognize your affinity for making music?
Arty: I’ve always been a creative person, whether that manifests itself in making music, coming up with puns on the fly, finding solutions to problems, or anything. The day I started making music was after a New Years Eve party that I was at in Guinea-Bissau when I was 10 years old. After midnight hit, all of the older people in my family went to party. I randomly opened my mom’s laptop and put a beat together on GarageBand and lost track of time. When they came back at 6 am, my mom and aunties looked at me like “what are you doing, go back to bed!”. The next morning, I played them my first production and it was quite groovy with a lot of percussions. That’s when I was like “yo this is fun, let me try to make more”.
The Knockturnal:You said that “you grew frustrated with the lack of opportunities for young artists to perform their music.” What did the landscape look like at the time?
Arty: When I first started looking for performance opportunities, all I was able to find were “pay to play” opportunities and small showcases that were attended by 10-15 uninterested people at random bars and venues. I had been to a couple of open mics, but the ones I had found weren’t very well curated.
The Knockturnal: Between everything you do, how do you manage to juggle all of your responsibilities?
Arty: Prioritization is very important, and very difficult to master. I always want to do everything at once and as fast as possible, but it’s unhealthy if you don’t set priorities. I’m getting better at it, still learning. Another thing that helps me is that I try to keep myself as organized as possible. I set times in my calendar for everything I want to do, whether that is working out, working on my main job, hanging out with people, or working on myself. It might be OD but if I don’t do it, I lose track of things.
The Knockturnal: What is your favorite part about what you do?
Arty: Feeling the positive energy in a concert is the best feeling in the world. It makes me so proud every time to see how the work that I do can affect people in a positive way, whether that be the artist and their manager at their first sold out show, or the fan who has been waiting for years to get to see their favorite artist perform live for the first time, or even the venue staff enjoying the show that we bring them. I’ve always loved organizing events and putting concerts together, and getting paid to do what you love is a blessing.
The Knockturnal: What did the process look like towards becoming a General Manager at Move Forward Music?
Arty: I found out about them in 2019 when I saw that they were producing an open mic with Audiomack. I sent over the signing up information to my friend Khadijat whom I was producing beats for. She ended up winning the contest, which meant that she won a cash prize + the chance to open for a Move Forward Music show. It was at that show, which was a Rexx Life Raj show, where I met the previous GM of Move Forward Music. Back then, I had just started putting together events and I had asked her for the contact for the venue. I told her that I wasn’t for such a big venue yet, but that when I was, I would reach out. I reached out in 2021 for an internship. 3 months later, I got hired and started my internship in June 2021. The rest is history as they say.
The Knockturnal: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received? And from whom?
Arty: Work hard, from my mom.
The Knockturnal: Where do you envision your career in five years?
Arty: I want my own festival. I want my own management company. I want to build a platform/entity that would allow me to change artist’s lives, and that would allow me to introduce crowds to new dope artists. This is the reason I started producing events, and I want to keep that going for as long as I can.
To keep up with Arty, check him out on Instagram
