Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Beto Martinez. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Beto, thanks for joining us today. Are you 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?
I have been able to earn a full-time living from my creative work for some time now. I’ve been a musician in Austin since 1996. When I moved here, my goal was to be a professional working musician, but coming from my hometown of Laredo where there is no real music industry, I wasn’t quite sure how to do that. I knew I had to play shows and that’s the first thing my band and I set out to do. However, the reality was that we were young (18) inexperienced and not quite ready for prime time. While we could have fun and rock a party, getting paid anything near a living wage just wasn’t something we could demand right away. Instead, most of us went to school and worked part time at hourly day jobs.
The beauty of Austin at the time was that we could live relatively cheaply. Rent was very inexpensive and we could work just enough hours to leave the maximum amount of time to rehearse and play shows here and there. It really was an ideal scenario to be able to hone our craft. It wasn’t until I started a band called Grupo Fantasma in 2000 that I began to see a possibility to make a living off music. Initially it wasn’t much, but the growth of the band was quick. We saw an opportunity and began to organize ourselves into a business. Many of us were working jobs we didn’t like. So when the opportunity to replace those jobs with playing gigs arose, we took it. That meant playing all manner of private gigs, from weddings to parties and corporate retreats. All the while we played our regular shows and built the name and reputation of the band up to where we could start touring and eventually play year round. In 2005 I worked my last regular hourly job, which was staining and scoring concrete floors.
I think being committed to making it work, through the lean times and the uncertainty, realizing early on that the band was actually a small business and taking a professional attitude were crucial in reaching the goal of being a full-time musician. I think if I had come to the more recent realization of diversifying my skill set, the power of networking and building a personal brand, the process could have been sped up for me personally.
Of course, music is a fickle business with many ups and downs, my wife has been a constant supporter and partner. Through her work we have also been able to maintain stability in the more uncertain times. I have however reached a point where I have found a stable balance between live music and studio recording work.
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?
I am a musician, producer and studio engineer/owner. I began my career as a musician in Austin in 1996 when I first moved here. In 2000 I co-founded a band called Grupo Fantasma. This band fairly quickly found local then regional, national and international success. It was my first true professional experience as a working musician. Grupo Fantasma has toured the world and won many accolades, including 2 Grammy nominations and a Grammy win, 13 Austin Music Awards and induction into the Austin Music Hall of Fame. We have appeared on the Austin City Limits Television program 3 times and backed up some of our musical heroes, including Prince.
I’ve also co-founded several other groups, including Brownout, Money Chicha, Brown Sabbath, The Los Sundowns and Caramelo Haze. I am a songwriter and guitar player with these bands. I have also worked with various other artists over the years as a hired musician.
In 2013, after moving to Buda, I began to build a small studio called Lechehouse Music. Over the last few years as I’ve begun to tour a little bit less, I’ve shifted some focus to the studio and it has gone from a stop gap between tours to more of a regular source of work and income. I record my own projects in here as well others for outside clients. I produce, record and mix records for mostly local groups in the Austin area.
While there are many options for recording studios in and around Austin, from the grandiose to more humble establishments, I believe I have found a good, mid-level to exist in where I can provide affordable and accessible options for up and coming and established musicians alike. My background in Latin and Funk music has also directed the scope of much of the clientele I’ve worked with here.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
I think a lot of times people that don’t make their living in a creative field can view your work as a past time that you get paid for. They assume you’ve got to always be having a great and carefree time. The truth is, you pursue your passion initially and once your passion becomes your profession, the difficult part is maintaining the passion when your art becomes your living. When you have to produce creatively to pay the bills, you can lose sight of why you began to do this in the first place and it can become like any other grind. The toughest part is finding the balance and maintaining the inspiration to continue to do your best work.
Also, especially with music these days, convincing people that there is inherent value in your work can become difficult, tedious and disheartening. A lot of art has become devalued through it’s ubiquity and free availability on the internet. Many people not in a creative field may not understand the struggle of constantly having to sell what you do as relevant or valuable regardless of your experience or expertise.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
I think this is very simple but for some reason very difficult to actually put into practice. Supporting local art by putting the same money and effort into local and upcoming artists that you would into established global brands is what’s going to create a thriving ecosystem for creatives. The community has to support, buy the ticket, buy the merch, share it online, promote it with your friends. It’s crucial to have that support.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lechehousemusic.com
- Instagram: @elbigtoe
- Facebook: @elbigtoe
- Twitter: @elbigtoe
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCflGiEYpaIViAK_2OhQ8-Tg
- Other: IG – @lechehousemusic @thelossundowns @caramelo_haze https://lechehousemusic.bandcamp.com/
Image Credits
Ismael Quintanilla Beto Martinez