Gil Gastelum, founder and president of Cosmica Artists, shares his journey from record shop worker to successful label owner. Growing up with Tex-Mex music and oldies, Gastelum's musical perspective transformed after discovering Los Lobos, who uniquely blended traditional Mexican music with punk rock.

After abandoning his dreams of becoming a musician upon seeing David Garza perform, Gastelum immersed himself in the music industry. He worked at record stores, toured with punk artist El Vez, and even spent seven months living in his truck before landing an internship at MCA Records.

His career progressed through roles at A&M Records and work with filmmaker Robert Rodriguez before a pivotal moment: becoming David Garza's manager. Despite Garza receiving critical acclaim (ranking #2 Album of the Year in the New York Times), label challenges led Gastelum to establish Cosmica Artists, taking out a loan and manually burning CDs to launch the label.

Gastelum highlights ongoing industry challenges, particularly regarding Latin artists:

• Marketing budgets for Latin artists remain significantly lower despite comparable sales
• The industry tends to focus on established successes rather than emerging talents
• Latin music often faces unnecessary segregation from mainstream markets

Now partnering with Downtown Music's FUGA, Gastelum continues to champion artists who might be overlooked by larger companies. At 53, he maintains his passion for working with innovative musicians who, as he describes, "can barely function in society... But put a guitar in their hand or a piano in front of them? They become absolute masters at what they do."

His success story demonstrates how dedication, resilience, and belief in artists can lead to meaningful contributions in the music industry, particularly in supporting underrepresented talents and genres.

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