Marisa Martinez didn’t just hear music growing up, she lived through it. Growing up in Austin, Texas meant seeing live music performances at nearly every family outing. Whether it was a mariachi, rock band or folk group, the sounds of her city were never far away.
Martinez is a 24-year-old graduate student at the USC Thornton School of Music, pursuing a Master of Science in music industry. She found an interest in business during her undergraduate program at St. Edward’s University, which made pursuing a career in music management make even more sense to her.
“I think I finally had the ‘aha’ moment of, ‘oh, just because I’m not musically talented doesn’t mean I can’t still be in the industry,’” she said with a smile, while sitting in one of her classrooms at The Music Complex, USC Thornton’s hub for music production and composition. The room is filled with instruments, and the walls are lined with vinyl records, ranging from Nat King Cole to N.W.A.
“That’s kind of how I put together that marketing could be my way into the industry. And so I started researching programs that were more tailored towards music or the entertainment industry, and that’s kind of like what I based my grad school search on,” she said, not missing a beat even after the conversation is interrupted by the lights abruptly shutting off. Our conversation was so focused that the room picked up on our stillness, or rather, lack of motion.
Like any born-and-raised Texan girl, Martinez grew up on the sounds of George Strait, Brooks and Dunn and (of course) Selena Quintanilla blasting in the car. She played countless CDs, and, like many young millennials, she and her older sister Alycia would pool their iTunes gift cards together to buy the latest tracks from their favorite Disney Channel artists. They both recall their first concert, and how they screamed their lungs out to the beloved songs of their favorite childhood group: The Cheetah Girls.
Alycia feels that her little sister is living out the dreams she was always meant to achieve. “Anything that Marisa wants to do or accomplish, she’s gonna do it,” she said.
As sisters, they can be compared to kindred spirits with different volume levels. Where Alycia is more extroverted, Marisa is quiet but kind and giving. “If anybody is ever in need of a good laugh, or just an understanding, caring face, she’s someone you want to know,” Alycia said.
She recalls their last trip to Barton Springs, a popular destination for many Austin locals, and the laughs she shared with her younger sister before sending her off to California. The plunge into the cool spring waters were almost a rite of passage that the sisters shared before saying goodbye.
Being of a generation that was introduced to digital media at an early age, Martinez has a keen understanding of the ever-changing scope of how music is consumed. Her lived experience has allowed her to apply what she has grown up on to what will be the future of the industry.
According to Martinez, there has never been a more challenging time to be studying the business models of a globalizing music industry. The rise of apps like TikTok have created a shift in recording artists making music solely for the purpose of creating a sound that will go “viral.” Martinez believes that there is a fine balance between creating for the masses versus a select audience that appreciates the music.
“A lot of people are trying to figure out how to stay up, riding out these trends and staying with the flow of what sort of social media and streaming has brought into the music industry,” Martinez said of the current state of the digital landscape.
“Now it’s changing even more quickly, and so just trying to stay on top of those changes, and always trying to sort of be one step ahead of them, and use the trends and the new resources and tools to the advantage.”
Another new concern for creatives and producers across the spectrum of the music industry is the new tools which are utilized to create new sounds, seemingly out of thin, digital air. Often, songs are manipulated or doctored with AI software, which can lead to an overall lack of authenticity.
“I think that’s like the main question that we should be asking as listeners, right? Like, is this authentic? Is it something that the artist actually believes in and cherishes, or is it just for clicks?” Martinez said.
Right now, the future is unclear, but Martinez hopes to one day find a career that falls somewhere between running marketing campaigns for artists and managing large-market entertainment venues. One thing she is certain of is that Austin keeps calling her back home, so she hopes to find a job post-grad in one of the biggest music cities in the nation.
During her free time, Martinez enjoys trips to the beach with friends and attending concerts. Recently, she merged her professional aspirations with her personal relationships by organizing and promoting performances led by her friends at small local venues. Martinez is grateful for the connections that she has made from moving to California, and hopes to seek that connection in her future work.
“I really believe that music is something that unites everyone as a whole,” Martinez said. “Despite [our] differences, music is something that a lot of people can agree on that brings us joy. I think there’s a lot of power within that.”