Vision and concerns, renew or die.
Within music you can be at the top, but you can also live in oblivion. Characters behind the scenes that shine with their own light, are the ones who often have the magic powder or the strategies; those who take risks and bet on placing artists who remain in force. The master key of specialized professionals to be timely, we talk about the bookers in the industry and to show a button: Lalo Rojas who knows it perfectly. Creator and director of the agency booking and event promoter Gentlemenas well as Andromedastore with merch official of musicians and bands.
I have had the approach since I was 16 years old, where I began to be the manager of the band that today people know as Little Jesus (who has been in the field for approximately 12 years), and is the one with whom I have carried out this role in every sense of the word.”
At a young age, what one must learn is to be a sponge, despite the experiences that did not remove him from a winding path within music. A few years later, the pandemic arrived at the end of 2019 around the world, seriously affecting the entertainment business; The massive events had to be reinvented to remain on the podium and the presentations required dynamics to survive. Lalo He has a small lost thought, returns to ideas and then begins the conversation.
The music part is the most romantic part that I always tell. My first approach to her in this role is totally opposite to the musician, the producer, the person who is on stage, or the person who entertains, I am on the other side. Part of the music in my life comes after working in an agency where I began to recognize the role of a booker, So in my beginnings I detected what I really wanted to do. Now, my job is to develop artists in the live part.”
To continue working in the field you need to be curious and restless, meet the people who can guide you towards various objectives. Lalo precisely knows that the formula is perseverance, and by continuing in the adventures of music that was how he came to work with the Spanish musician C. Tangana.
I started the urban universe part in 2016. In a more committed way to work it allows me to get to know Tangana. I have worked with him since the first time he came to Mexico, to the festival Ceremony. That same year we brought to Mexico not only a show, but the entire Guatemalan project as such. “Jesse Baez”.
Lalo Rojas Among other things, he was very popular for his participation in a project merch next to MagĂĽis Sosadaughter of Lolita Ayalawhich in 2020 with the disaster of the pandemic, managed to become a trend on the social network that was previously called Twitter (now x) when a line of t-shirts with the journalist’s image went on sale, which were a success, selling more than a thousand t-shirts in their first weekend. Experiences like this are those that are developed through Andromeda. If you want to take a look, click on the following link: https://andromeda.shop/
The pandemic issue was quite a challenge, it brought many negative things, I tell you honestly. I had never seen so little money in my bank account, and at the same time I was alone on the computer. To be honest, all booking was paralyzed and there were no shows, no concerts, nothing was happening. As soon as we had the opportunity to reopen these events, I had to think of a way to adapt.”
They had to think about how to resume the shows, analyze the capacity of people who were looking for a space to have fun in the new normal, the issue of spaces and restrictions was something that allowed them to light a candle to start new shows. And within the crisis, on a positive side, ideas began to emerge with Drip.
There had to be fewer people in spaces that had to be adapted: if massive events or concerts are for 100,000 people, then in a place with a thousand people you have to fit 400 souls because they must have a certain separation. It had to be done branding, which is a smaller concept. So, due to all these factors, Drip, and it was time to activate that promotion part again. The idea is that it becomes an event for people who like perreo and dancing reggaeton, but it no longer becomes a one-hour show, but rather a party of special selections; As of today there are approximately 29 Drips”.
Artists such as Dani Flow, Uzielito Mix, The Malillaand The Bogueto, to mention just a few.
Drip It is the place where people can freely be, do and feel safe, take good photos. There is Drips that we have made bigger, but in general it is always like a party for about 500 or 600 people because I feel that in this city, each party has its role, the role of Goteo is not a party that happens always, but it happens when it has to. It happens and it occurs to us when a collaboration arises with another party that we like, and that’s how it happens, with one a month or every 15 days, but basically it works when I believe there is a reason to do it and that is when it happens positively.
For Lalo Rojas If something defines him, it is that he has always had a great thirst to search, to want more, and the most important thing is that looking at his surroundings is something that leaves him with greater satisfaction when doing something for his city, for his community, and even for his cologne.
I liked to see in MTV when you could see more journalistic content, like the history of Mexican rock for example, and suddenly chronologically talking about the artist, I remember something in a documentary format, with music in Mexico City and I imagine seeing Café Tacuba, or to the Damned Neighborhood, giving their opinion and telling anecdotes. Although I always liked the idea in my head that at some point I could be one of those people (since all the people who appeared in that documentary or in that content were because they had done something) who had a social impact on any issue; What I would love is that, if in 10 years there is a documentary about music in Mexico from the years 2000 to 2030, or about music during the pandemic in Mexico, or about the reggaeton genre in Mexico, someone would send me an email and told me: LaloDo you want to come out and give your point of view? The fact of going out and being told Lalo red of Gentlemen and they tell me that I did something or that I have left a mark and impact, that is what fills me.”
Tips
It has worked for me, it is to diversify: Diversify as an entrepreneur or as a person who bets and has several businesses, I think it is a perhaps very simple and well-known saying, perhaps even silly, but it is the best logic on this planet. Maybe you never even know when something like the pandemic will happen again. Maybe suddenly two deals that went wrong for you and those were the only two deals you bet on, that’s pretty bad; Also try in a good way by trying to be original, having part of the business in different places.
be very worker: This defines me a lot, in fact, it is something that has brought me problems perhaps on a personal level, especially in my life and in my obsession or in my great desire to always be working. It is difficult for me to have a partner because I am always busy on my cell phone or working on shows.
Be risky: I like to take risks, my drug today is promoting shows, which gives me adrenaline and I like to bet on bringing artists (my forte now is with Spaniards) and see what will happen; I have had successes but it can also happen that you sell many tickets, maybe none and it is a risk. I love being a promoter and it amuses me, it is also a part of this whole career that you have to love. I’ve had shows where I had a lot of fun and I’ve lost a lot of money, it’s going terrible for me; but how booker I have a more secure amount of money.
Sometimes it happens that what I earn in a booking you lose in a single show, but they are risks, I take a lot of risks in the promotion part, but the interesting thing is that I have been able to grow that part and have genuine fun, I have fun and I love booking!, doing tours and selling artists .
Another is Loyalty: is another word that defines me and I give you that advice, because I have been very honest with myself, because we have dedicated ourselves to developing in our place, the world of urban artists and the genre, I have received proposals with something super mega pop, which, although it goes hand in hand, is a flag that has nothing to do with my world and I am sincere when it comes to saying no, because I understood that what we do is develop this genre.
