Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alex Sandoval. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alex, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
As a new artist manager, there have been a lot of things I have had to learn and that learning never stops no matter how experienced you are. The music industry is a very complex industry to not only enter but to remain in for an extended period. Because of this, I need to know how to do my job as best as possible, which entails thinking constantly about how I can improve the career of my artist. The digital world has made collaboration and learning about certain topics much more accessible with things such as podcasts, e-books, and educational videos all being immediately available online or on our phones and this has helped me tremendously. When starting out as a manager, I did not know much other than the fact that I loved music and I loved the music my artist, Justin Irby, was making. Since then, I have watched countless videos by industry professionals, read recommended books in relation to my role in this industry, and have listened to hours on hours of podcasts. Ultimately though, this time has been very enjoyable and I have loved being much more involved in the music scene this past year. As I said, I am still very new to this compared to many others in this industry but perfecting my craft as an artist manager is all part of the fun of working in this industry and I look forward to continuing to do so every day.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Simply put, I love music. Always have and always will. I am a native “Arizonan” so I have been able to grow up and see what the music scene has looked like here throughout various parts of the state and have attended many concerts and some of the festivals that still exist or have existed in the past. I believe my love for music began at a very young age due to my cousin being a DJ and introducing me to so many different types of music and artists. As I grew up, you could never find me doing anything without listening to music. Music is a lot of times just used or thought of as “background noise,” but for me, so much music is tied to different moments of my life and I think that goes for many avid music listeners out in the world which adds a much deeper connection to the songs and artists you listen to on a daily basis. I never fully pursued a career on the creative side of the music industry, however I definitely dabbled in some songwriting as I was growing up and attempted to learn some instruments along the way. Although I did not take that route, I still knew that I wanted to work in the music industry someday and always kept that door open but I once again never fully committed to anything. As time went by, I thought this would never happen as so much time had passed without me ever really getting any kind of experience in the industry and my college degree not having any classes related to music other than some rock history courses along the way. Then came along Justin Irby who I had known since college, and knew he was now making music, but we had not been in touch for a few years. After seeing him play live a few times, and absolutely loving what I was hearing from the music he was making, we sat down and talked about his goals as well as mine and came to the agreement that we should work together. This was the entrance I was always looking for into the industry and it happened to be with someone I had known for quite some time. Since then, I have had to adapt to not knowing much about not only the electronic music scene but also the industry as a whole. Although our time working together has not been very long, we have seen tremendous growth throughout 2023 in the numbers related to the music he is releasing (streams, listeners, etc.) and have big goals going forward.
As I mentioned, since I did not pursue a music career creatively, I knew I always wanted to work in the industry on the business side of it to some extent but I never knew what that looked like for me. Luckily, after having this dream for so long, I was able to finally take the leap into this industry and artist management is something I have found a passion in and plan to do for as long as I can successfully do so.
Not to keep repeating myself, but I love music, and this is what drives me and allows me to enjoy working in this industry. I knew very little about the electronic music industry when I started working with Justin Irby, but because I loved the music he was making, I was determined to do everything in my power to make sure we got his music out to as many people as possible. This is what I believe is my biggest “selling point” is when it comes to working with an artist as an artist manager. I am in the position I am because I genuinely loved the music of the artist I wanted to work with and also saw the effort and dedication to their own craft as well behind the scenes. If those few things align, I will want the success of the artist as much as the artist wants their own success and will give them my all and I believe that makes for a very powerful and determined working relationship, which is so crucial in this part of the industry.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
I love this question. In the music industry, it’s hard to stand out and it really is a grind for anyone today. Society, the general public specifically, can support artists nowadays by just interacting with those that they are a fan of in any way. Whether that be by attending a show, liking or commenting on social media posts, or even just spreading music to their friends, a little goes a long way.
When it comes to the corporate side of the industry there are flaws, some which have been major headlines recently, but we have seen things trend in the right direction this year, which is in the direction of ensuring artists are valued fairly for the art they create and share with us everyday.
Lastly, when it comes to artists and creatives in the music industry, I believe collaboration is key. Growing up in Arizona I have seen the music scene become what it is today, and although it has a much greater presence in the valley, I believe the music scene is has much more potential to grow out here. Collaboration is so important to ensuring the scene continues to grow and, at the end of the day, everybody is in this together. It’s a tough industry to make it in and collaboration, especially at a local level, is so important.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
Although I am not necessarily the “creative” in my story, when it comes to working in the music industry and especially when starting to build a career in it, a lot of people outside of the industry may not understand the work it takes or may see these types of careers as a pipe dream. However, those who are working in this industry are doing this because it is what we love to do and are determined and working everyday to make that “pipe dream” a reality. Whether someone has 1 follower or 1 million, they have a dream and a career they are pursuing just like everybody in life. Although jobs in something like the music industry may sometimes have the perception of being unattainable, everybody in this industry, big or small, is determined to overcome judgments from some of the non-creatives because it is what they love to do and want to do for the rest of their lives.
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