Matt Lowden, Developer in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
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Matt Lowden

Verified Expert  in Engineering

Software Developer

Location
Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
Toptal Member Since
October 27, 2021

Matt is a full-stack web developer with almost two decades of experience working with agencies and global corporations, founding startups, and completing acquisitions. His strength lies in understanding problems, breaking them down into smaller pieces, and finding creative ways to solve these problems while incrementally adding value to the business.

Portfolio

Warner Music Group
PHP, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, jQuery, Google Cloud, Node.js, React, Angular...
Topsify & Playlists.net
PHP, JavaScript, MySQL, CSS, HTML, LAMP, Zend Engine, PHP 5, PHP 7, AngularJS...
SUMO Design
PHP, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Java, LAMP, PHP 5, HTML4, HTML5

Experience

Availability

Part-time

Preferred Environment

PHP, JavaScript, jQuery, Symfony, Node.js, CSS, HTML, MySQL, Laravel, React

The most amazing...

...thing I've developed is a tool that allows record labels to see what their fans are listening to in real-time and communicate with them based on this usage.

Work Experience

Director of Technical Development

2014 - PRESENT
Warner Music Group
  • Built a product responsible for reporting all of WMG's global streaming consumption across Spotify, Apple Music, and Deezer.
  • Led a team of developers and product directors to launch multiple successful products.
  • Built a product responsible for user acquisition, which saw at least 25% year-over-year (YOY) growth each year since its release in 2017.
  • Created a product that allowed artists to see what their fans were listening to in real-time to help make the best possible marketing decisions.
  • Built a product that allowed record labels to see precisely which playlists and charts their new releases were featured in worldwide to gauge market penetration.
Technologies: PHP, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, jQuery, Google Cloud, Node.js, React, Angular, AngularJS, PHP 5, PHP 7, TypeScript, Microsoft SQL Server, BigQuery, Google Cloud Spanner, Google App Engine, Google Cloud SQL, HTML5, HTML4, Google Cloud Storage, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Facebook API, Spotify API, Deezer API, YouTube API, Google APIs, Express.js, Squarespace, Go

CTO

2010 - 2014
Topsify & Playlists.net
  • Developed, in collaboration with Spotify, Playlists.net, a playlist sharing and music recommendation service.
  • Led a team of three developers, one designer, and numerous contract-based agencies and individuals.
  • Developed the service using JavaScript, HTML5, CSS3, and PHP using the Zend Framework.
Technologies: PHP, JavaScript, MySQL, CSS, HTML, LAMP, Zend Engine, PHP 5, PHP 7, AngularJS, HTML5, HTML4, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Facebook API, Twitter API, Spotify API, Deezer API, YouTube API, Google APIs

Senior Developer

2008 - 2010
SUMO Design
  • Developed the front end and back end of websites using a proprietary CMS.
  • Led projects from the initial brief to completion and handled after-sales support.
  • Worked with clients such as Newcastle City Council, York Museums Trust, and the BBC.
Technologies: PHP, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Java, LAMP, PHP 5, HTML4, HTML5

Flash & Web Developer

2007 - 2007
Twenty First Century Media
  • Assisted in developing a new brand for the organization focusing on tutorial videos, teaching users to how to play poker.
  • Created a service built using Flash and PHP that allowed users to pay for videos that could then be streamed.
  • Used Windows Media Server for streaming video content.
Technologies: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP

Web Developer

2003 - 2007
IGN Entertainment Inc.
  • Maintained and managed a collection of different gaming websites.
  • Collected the latest gaming news and updated websites with content using raw HTML and CSS.
  • Worked remotely from the UK while collaborating with colleagues in the USA.
Technologies: JavaScript, HTML, CSS, HTML4, PHP, PHP 5, Active Server Pages (ASP)

Warner Connect

Warner Connect is a central product used globally by Warner Music Group as its primary platform for user acquisition and engagement. I was the team leader and lead architect on the project, built using PHP, JavaScript, and Node.js on Google Cloud Platform.

The finished product can acquire users from various third-party services such as Facebook, Apple Music, Deezer, and Spotify. It can also build rich profiles on these users to create highly targeted segments so that teams worldwide can then send tailored and relevant communications to their customers.

Playlists.net

https://playlists.net
Playlists.net is a community built around sharing and discussing Spotify playlists and currently has over 5 million users.

The web application is built using PHP and JavaScript (Angular) and uses third-party APIs such as Spotify and Facebook.

Topsify

https://topsify.com
Topsify is a portal for finding high-quality curated playlists on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and Deezer. Users can search and sort through a tailored music collection to find the perfect playlist for a particular occasion.

The website is built on a PHP back-end API with a JavaScript front end.

Homepage Takeover CMS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlglUPLBdHE
This product is built using Laravel and Angular to create reusable advertisment units for use in the Spotify desktop client.

The product is used by hundreds of internal users globally and serves over half a billion views annually.

Languages

PHP, JavaScript, CSS, HTML, SQL, HTML5, PHP 5, PHP 7, TypeScript, HTML4, ECMAScript (ES6), Java, Active Server Pages (ASP), Go

Frameworks

Symfony, Laravel, Zend Engine, Angular, AngularJS, Express.js, Material UI

Libraries/APIs

jQuery, React, Spotify API, Deezer API, YouTube API, Google APIs, Twitter API, Node.js, Facebook API

Tools

BigQuery, Babel, Webpack

Paradigms

REST

Platforms

LAMP, Google App Engine, Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Storage

MySQL, Google Cloud SQL, Google Cloud Storage, Google Cloud, Microsoft SQL Server, Google Cloud Spanner, PostgreSQL

Other

Web Development, Websites, APIs, UI Development, Squarespace, Storybook

2005 - 2008

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science

University of Sunderland - Sunderland, England

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