{{short description|American music executive, author, and producer}}
{{Infobox person | name = Steven Machat | image = Steven Machat 2025.jpg | caption = Steven Machat | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1952|10|18}} | birth_place = Manhattan, New York, U.S. | occupation = Music executive, author, producer | known_for = ''Bird on a Wire'' restoration; The SSK Organization; Buena Vista Orchestra }}
'''Steven Machat''' (born October 18, 1952) is an American music-business executive, author, and producer. He is credited as the producer of the 2010 restoration of ''Leonard Cohen: Bird on a Wire'', the documentary of Cohen's 1972 European tour.<ref name="auto2">{{cite web |title=Steven Machat Interview: Behind the Scenes on Bird On a Wire |url=https://www.clashmusic.com/features/steven-machat-interview/ |website=Clash |date=August 16, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title='Lost' Leonard Cohen film to premiere at Green Man festival |url=https://www.nme.com/news/leonard-cohen/52191 |website=NME |date=July 23, 2010}}</ref> He has also received credits on several feature film soundtracks. In the 2020s, he co-founded The SSK Organization, a company that includes SSK Music Presents, SSK Records, SSK Music Publishing Orbit, and the School of Sacred Knowledge, through which he produces the Buena Vista Orchestra.<ref name="auto">{{cite web |title=The SSK Organization |url=https://www.stevenmachat.com/ssk-organization/ |website=Steven Machat official site |access-date=October 1, 2025}}</ref><ref name="auto8">{{cite news |last=Crane |first=Kelly |title=Buena Vista Social Club’s name sparks legal feud between Broadway hit and touring orchestra |url=https://nypost.com/2025/03/31/business/buena-vista-social-clubs-name-sparks-legal-feud-between-broadway-hit-and-touring-orchestra/ |work=New York Post |date=March 31, 2025}}</ref>
== Early life and education == Machat was born in Manhattan, New York, the son of entertainment attorney Marty Machat, who represented artists such as Phil Spector, Sam Cooke, and the Rolling Stones.<ref name="auto5">{{cite web |title=Remembering Hippos in Tanks co-founder Barron Machat |url=https://www.factmag.com/2015/04/09/remembering-hippos-in-tanks-co-founder-barron-machat/ |website=Fact |date=April 9, 2015}}</ref> He studied accounting at the University of Miami before attending Vanderbilt University Law School.<ref>{{cite web |last=Tracy |first=Liz |title=Steven Machat Teaches The Secret And Sacred Knowledge Of Music To South Florida |url=https://www.browardpalmbeach.com/music/steven-machat-teaches-the-secret-and-sacred-knowledge-of-music-to-south-florida-6417990 |website=New Times Broward-Palm Beach |date=March 12, 2013}}</ref>
== Career ==
=== Jet Records and AMI Management === In the late 1970s, Machat worked in business and legal affairs with Jet Records, a label then associated with acts including Electric Light Orchestra and Ozzy Osbourne.<ref>{{cite news |title=Jet Records |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/mar/09/popandrock2 |work=The Guardian |date=March 9, 2007}}</ref>
By the mid-1980s he was active in artist management, with credits on projects by New Edition, Ready for the World, and John Waite.<ref name="auto7">{{cite web |title=New Edition – New Edition Credits |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/new-edition-mw0000650168/credits |website=AllMusic}}</ref><ref name="auto1">{{cite web |title=Ready for the World – Ready for the World Credits |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/ready-for-the-world-mw0000190249/credits |website=AllMusic}}</ref><ref name="auto6">{{cite web |title=John Waite – Mask of Smiles Credits |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/mask-of-smiles-mw0000193359/credits |website=AllMusic}}</ref> He was also involved in launching Bobby Brown's solo career after his departure from New Edition.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bobby Brown’s Uneasy Passage |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bobby-browns-uneasy-passage-235761/ |work=Rolling Stone |date=September 7, 1989}}</ref>
=== Film and production work === Machat is credited as producer of the 2010 restoration of ''Leonard Cohen: Bird on a Wire'', which premiered at the Green Man Festival in Wales.<ref name="auto2"/><ref>{{cite news |title='Lost' Leonard Cohen film to premiere at Green Man festival |url=https://www.nme.com/news/leonard-cohen/52191 |website=NME |date=July 23, 2010}}</ref> He has also held music supervisor and production credits on films including ''Judge Dredd'' (1995) and ''Bully'' (2001).<ref name="auto9">{{cite web |title=Judge Dredd (1995) Full Cast & Crew |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113492/fullcredits |website=IMDb}}</ref><ref name="auto3">{{cite web |title=Bully (2001) Full Cast & Crew |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0242193/fullcredits |website=IMDb}}</ref>
=== Hippos in Tanks === From 2010 onward, his family was closely associated with the experimental label Hippos in Tanks, founded by his son Barron Machat. The label released music by artists including Grimes and Arca. Following Barron's death in 2015, outlets such as ''Pitchfork'' and ''Fact'' documented the label's influence.<ref name="auto4">{{cite web |last=Torres |first=Eric |title=Barron Machat, Co-Founder and CEO of Hippos In Tanks, Has Died |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/59181-barron-machat-co-founder-and-ceo-of-hippos-in-tanks-has-died |website=Pitchfork |date=April 9, 2015}}</ref><ref name="auto5"/>
=== 2020s: The SSK Organization === In the 2020s, Machat co-founded The SSK Organization, a multi-faceted company that encompasses several branches: SSK Music Presents (touring and live production), SSK Records (record label), SSK Music Publishing Orbit (publishing), and the School of Sacred Knowledge, a repository of his writings and published works including ''Gods, Gangsters and Honour''.<ref name="auto"/> Through SSK Music Presents, he is credited as producer of The Buena Vista Orchestra, a touring ensemble inspired by the legacy of Cuban music.<ref name="auto8"/>
== Publications == Machat is the author of several books. His memoir ''Gods, Gangsters & Honour'' was published in the UK in 2009, excerpted in ''The Independent'', and reviewed in ''Record Collector''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Excess all areas: A life in rock’n’roll |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/excess-all-areas-a-life-in-rocknroll-1764965.html |work=The Independent |date=July 31, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Croft |first=Mat |title=Gods, Gangsters & Honour by Steven Machat |url=https://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/gods-gangsters-honour |website=Record Collector}}</ref> His later works include ''Highways of Man'', ''Man, Community & Living the American Dream'', ''Sacred Knowledge'', ''Spiritual Insomnia'', ''Unraveling the Bible'', and ''I Can Hear Music: The Heroes and Villains of the Muses''.
== Political activity == Machat ran as an independent candidate for the U.S. Senate in Florida in 2016 and as a Democratic candidate for Florida's 26th congressional district in 2018.<ref>{{cite web |title=Steven Machat (Independent Party) |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Steven_Machat |website=Ballotpedia}}</ref>
== Personal life == Machat has been married three times and has two children. His son Barron Machat (1987–2015), co-founder of the record label Hippos in Tanks, died in a car accident in 2015.<ref name="auto4"/>
== Selected credits ==
=== Film and television === * ''Leonard Cohen: Bird on a Wire'' (2010 restoration) – producer<ref name="auto2"/> * ''Judge Dredd'' (1995) – executive music supervisor<ref name="auto9"/> * ''Bully'' (2001) – executive soundtrack producer<ref name="auto3"/>
=== Artist management === * New Edition – management/direction (mid-1980s)<ref name="auto7"/> * Ready for the World – management (1985)<ref name="auto1"/> * John Waite – management (1985)<ref name="auto6"/>
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [https://www.stevenmachat.com Official website]
{{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Machat, Steven}}
Category:1952 births Category:Living people Category:American record producers Category:American music industry executives Category:American writers about music Category:University of Miami alumni Category:Vanderbilt University Law School alumni Category:People from Manhattan