We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alejandro Vallejo a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Alejandro thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

Q: Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work?

A: Yes, but it took me a few years to figure out. What has worked for me personally the last ten years has been a steady mix of a few music revenue streams. Most musicians start playing music as a creative outlet or to jam with their buddies. If you decide to make it something you’d like to try as a career, then you learn a little more about the business side of how to actually monetize yourself as a creative.

Q: If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

A: My first foray into more of music business mindset was as our band’s tour manager and booking agent. I would settle out with the club owners at the end of the night then deposit our measly earnings into the band’s account. As the band gained more popularity, it just forced me to learn more about how to essentially manage the band.
But the actual pivot point for me to earn additional money other than being a drummer was when a local promoter Rich Garza brought me in to help co-produce the Panchanga Latino Music Festival. He would book the acts and I would help him contract the bands and advance production details. Eventually he had me book a few of the artists and I just learned how to talent buy and book bands from making sense of their email chains.

Q: Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

A: It wasn’t like that from the beginning and have to admit I really enjoyed just being a musician and touring all over the world the first ten years or so. We did waste many years making bad business deals with record labels and managers but feel like they were all part of learning what NOT to do the next time around.

Alejandro, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I started out in the music world as a drummer in the Austin based band, Vallejo. We toured all over the world performing with national acts such as Stone Temple Pilots, Juanes, Matchbox 20, Collective Soul and pretty much any 90’s rock band that was being played on the radio.

Once we were let go from our Sony/Epic recording deal, we purchased all of our own studio and recording equipment to start recording or own music on our own terms. From there, we also started recording our friends bands and eventually turned into a small independent production label called VMG (Vallejo Music Group).

As we took on more artists, we slowly started our path into taking more of a music business role managing artists and producing their albums.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me the most rewarding part is creating something that people connect with through music. It’s amazing to me that something you created out of thin air can have such a huge impact on someone or yourself as an artist. That playing the drums spawned all of these other ventures I’ve been a part of from studios, non-profit centers and music schools.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My goal now is to help create more opportunities for musicians and creatives in Austin that our band did not have when we started out. If we had someone leading us in the right direction in the beginning, it would gave saved us many years of wrong decisions working with the wrong people.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://vallejomusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vallejomusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vallejorocks
• Twitter: https://x.com/vallejomusic

Image Credits

Various