Today we’d like to introduce you to Thomas Garcia
Hi Thomas, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
There are basically two parts to my story, and I am happy to focus on either one or both together! Publicly, I am an artist, DJ, and producer and use my birth name, “Thomas Garcia” but privately I am the Director of A&R for Dance/Electronic music at Create Music Group. Either one of these would be a great story to tell, but am happy to do them both together!
I am originally from Orange County (Santa Ana), and started to play music in the 6th grade. I learned to play Viola, Saxophone, Trombone, Guitar, Piano, and Bass Guitar. I studied music at school as well as played in garage punk bands. I knew I wanted to do something with music but didn’t know how. If I am honest, my dream was to play in a successful band, write songs, and tour!
I went to CSULB which is where I discussed raving, clubbing, and most importantly, dance music. Around this time I slowed down on playing music and increasingly focused on going to parties, immersing myself in the scene, and being a student. I felt a bit lost at school as I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I chose to be a business major because it felt like the least committed I could be to a field of study!
(There is a detour I’d be happy to discuss here where I wet overboard on partying and eventually got sober)
I finished school and did the “safe” thing and took job in finance. After about 8 months, I yielded to the internal call to get back to making music (5 years had passed where I hardly touched an instrument). Being single, I spent all of my spare time learning to produce (I had to overcome internal resistance to learning how to use the software, which was a huge fear), and studying. I read every blog article, listened to every podcast, and watched every YouTube video that had anything to do with producing music, making music, or the business of music.
I was fortunate in my finance job to do very well financially which helped to realize quickly that making money alone was not what would “fix me” or satisfy me. So for about 5 years, I worked this finance job, went home, produced music, and studied.
Around this time two amazing things happened. I started to release music both on small house music labels and on my own, and I started to play shows. I also got let go from my job, which I was holding on to. It was definitely a case of Golden Handcuffs, where I was too scared/ making too much money to quite.
(this is where my Create Music Group story begins)
I called a friend of mine whose label I had released on, and within 3 months I began working for his company, Create Music Group. Now, 5 years in, I am head of the department for dance music. I direct all of the signings (includes artists like Fisher, Chris Lorenzo, Night Bass Records, NERO, and most recently, Sevdaliza), as well as purchase music catalogs. With my help (and that of the whole team of course, we recently got to a 1 Billion dollar valuation and are charting a fiery course in music, in a sort of behind the scenes way.
On the artist side, things really started taking off for me in the last 2 years. It began with being frustrated with how long labels would take to release music, as well as the rejection artists face when sending music to labels. I instead starting to cold DM and email DJs I liked my unsigned and unreleased music. Within weeks, artists like Cloonee, Jamie Jones, Mile, TSHA, ANOTR, and many more, were all regularly playing my music at the best clubs and festivals around the world.
From here, shows followed, as well as releases and collaborations with Melé, and many more artists.
This could serve as the basis of a great strarting point! I could apply elaborate on the artist side, the business side, or both! I would like to be portrayed as I actually am, which is both an artist AND a high-level person in the music business charting a path for other independent artists.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
OMG lol
So this for me has taken nothing less then working hard at the day job, then adding 4 hours or so a day on top of that to do the artist project. It is truly a marathon, and takes an appetite for endless learning and long nights. However, maintaining this level of activity and focus has meant that success has come in bite-size pieces along the whole journey.
So it hasn’t been “smooth” but the results have been good, and the rewards have come, as long as I remained consistent. I’d say on the music side, the biggest challenge is to be an authentic artist instead of chasing a trend, and focusing on making music that I myself love, as opposed to making music that I think will “make me famous”. It’s very hard too do, and requires a lot of internal clarify and spiritual growth.
Emotionally it can be very tough because the “industry” rewards, views, likes, and vitality, not exactly true artistry. I myself have always focused on the music side first, and admittedly lagged on the socials / brand side. That is going to be my focus for next year, but it has meant that the journey has been longer. However, the music I make is truly music I love, and WANT to release. If I got “big” earlier, but made music I didn’t like, I think would be very unhappy. Artistry first!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
On the artist side, I make house music that references the 90s, latin cultures, and pulls from the production techniques of various other genres like Tech House, Deep House, Techno, Pop, etc. My goal is to truly synthesize all of my influences and make dance tracks that will sound fresh in 20 years +.
Artistically, I am most proud of the range that my music has. Mainstream DJs like Duke Dumont, Hugel, etc play my music along with underground heroes like The Martinez Brothers, Pangaea, Jamie Jones, etc. I think it is difficult to create music like this, and I attribute it to a) having fun when I am making music and 2) only releasing music I truly like.
On the business side, what has give me an edge has been the 4-5 years I was in finance. While seemingly unreleased to music, it was essentially a second business school, where I learned how to make deals, evaluate numbers, and be relentless in seeking business. Being an artist myself, I am able to connect with my clients on a personal level since I keep their independent aspirations in mind.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
My advice is to just throw yourself into your chosen interests. If you pursue what you actually like, you will have the energy to put a tremendous amount of work in. if it’s music making, study the music that you really like. When you are making music, find ways to make it fun. If you do that, overtime you will get results.
On the business side, connect with as many people as you can and find ways to add value, no matter what you are doing. Recognize that all experience is relevant, and nothing is wasted. I worked at In N Out burger, as well as at a Mortgage bank, and at both I learned valuable lessons that I now apply in my career.
Above all, work super hard! It is ALWAYS rewarded, but the results are delayed.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thomasgarciavs/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thomasgarciamusic
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thomasgarciamusic
