A Conversation with Marco Gutierrez

By Abby Garcia, Office Operations Coordinator

As part of Hispanic Heritage Month, Vydia’s Sr. Project Manager of Label Services, Nico Moreno, sat down with Marco Gutierrez, founder of the independent record label Maxaria Records.

Marco has dedicated his career to supporting artists’ journeys and visions by creating a platform that nurtures their creativity and amplifies their Latin identity. In this interview, he shares his story, from falling in love with music as a child, to DJing and producing, to studying the music industry in college, ultimately leading him to found Maxaria Records in 2023.

Q: Where do you work, what is your current title, and what are some of your key responsibilities?

I’m the founder of Maxaria Records. Maxia Records is an independent label operating between Mexico and the US. We are a small label; we have only four artists, but the philosophy of this label is to give strong support to our four artists. We have all the tools for them. We believe in their journey and in their music. 

Our first four artists include Chan, a DJ from Milwaukee, Aurala from Puerto Vallarta, Paulé from Cancun, and heynat from Chile. I currently lead A&R for the label, and I am involved in all aspects of discovery and development. We also have a marketing department and a scheduling team for releases, which I am also involved in. Being involved in all aspects of the label has been my goal from the beginning, when I launched it.
 

Q: How did you go about finding these artists? Was it an existing relationship? Did you hear their music through a certain platform and approach them? What was your A&R process like finding them?

I started this label in 2023. In the beginning, I was just a producer and DJ. When I was working with other artists on making music, I realized that I wanted to do more. I met Aurala first because we are both from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. We started as friends, and eventually began making music together. I saw that she had a lot of potential, so I helped bring on more support for her releases and worked on scheduling releases with her as well. 

Then, I met Paulé in LA because we went to the same school, which was a small college in Burbank called ICON. When I first met Paulé, I didn’t know that she had an amazing voice and had amazing music. Around the time we met, she was looking to form a team for her project. I told her I wanted to support her in any way that I could, and she ended up becoming the second artist signed to Maxaria Records. 

The third artist I signed was heynat. She is also from the same school as me, and I found her project very interesting because she started as a DJ,  and it wasn’t until later that she started singing and combining other Latin genres like punk, reggaeton, and other Latin music in general with EDM. I loved it the first time I heard it. 

Finally, Chan. I discovered him on Instagram. I sent him a message to let him know that I work at an agency and offered him our services. We sparked a relationship from the beginning. I said, “Hey, I noticed that you don’t have this support,” such as a release schedule or any label processes. He reached out with interest in our services and was then the fourth artist to join the Maxaria Records family.

Q: Was there a specific moment when you realized you wanted to work in music professionally?

I discovered music in Spanish and English when I was around 6 years old, and I fell in love with it. Michael Jackson was the first artist whose music I felt something more with. 

And then, when I was 12 years old, I started listening to EDM music and DJing. By 15, I started producing. I realized that there is a whole industry behind the music we hear- one that often goes unnoticed. While most people focus on the creative side, meeting other artists, and making music, few talk about what happens behind the scenes. When I was 16, I visited a university in Mexico City that offered a music business program, and I instantly knew that was what I wanted to pursue. From that moment, I was determined to learn everything I could about the business side of music.

Q: How do you help artists develop their careers while staying true to their Latin roots?

It’s a different process with each artist, because they are each their own. However, the main approach that I take with all of the artists that I work with is that they need to make music from their true essence and be proud of being a Hispanic person. I originally started the label to bring more Latin music to the mainstream. I want each of the artists to be on their own journey, and be careful not to look back at the past or disrupt what’s in the future of their journeys, while taking pride in their Hispanic heritage. I’m very passionate about all of the music that the artists make, and I’m also very proud of all of them. At the same time, I am also very strict, and I am the one who makes sure they stay focused, making more music, and developing.

Outside of the Latin music world, people may think that there’s only reggaeton or whatever, but within our Latin music world, there are actually many genres. One of my passions is making sure that people from all over the world know all that Latin music has to offer. It includes a variety of sub-genres and creative blends, for example, drawing inspiration from Mexican music and mixing it with elements of Colombian music. Latin music and culture are full of layers and nuances, which is what makes them so rich.

Q: Do you feel that, sometimes, being Latino, you have to face certain difficulties in this industry?

I think right now, we are in the perfect moment to be making Latin music. It is a great time to be proud of the music we are making, to work a lot more, and to be more focused than ever, because we are having a huge moment. I think if we looked back to five or ten years ago, we’d probably have more challenges, because people didn’t care about Latin music, but right now, all people want to hear is Latin music. We are seeing that right now, people are more curious about Latin music than ever before. So, I’d say our current challenge at the label is just to work harder to bring more music to the world. As part of the Latin music community, we must keep innovating to maintain the momentum that has brought us this far. By staying true to ourselves, creating original art, and producing consistently, we can continue to engage and inspire our audience.

Q: Are there any specific moments when you remember listening to Mexican music and feeling especially proud of it? Is there a memory from your youth that has stayed with you to this day?

Yes, I have moments when I feel very proud of being Mexican. When I am listening to Mariachi, specifically the orchestration and the singer in person, I get goosebumps. When I listen to music with my grandfather, mariachi from the 50s and 60s, and discover this kind of music from years ago, I think, “wow,” and I feel even more proud of being Mexican. But obviously, when you hear music from other countries in Latin America, you also feel, “wow, we are so rich.”

When you are outside of your country, for example, in the U.S., and you are talking with new friends who want to know about your music, I feel very proud to talk about it, because we have good music. We have a good reference to show. We have very strong music and culture.

Q: Lastly, if you had to choose one song to be the soundtrack to your journey, what would it be and why?

In English, it would probably be “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson, because he was everything to me when I was five or six, and that’s when I started falling in love with music.

In Spanish, that’s a much harder question. Probably a song by Aleks Syntek, because he had the same impact on me as Michael Jackson, one of my first musical idols. Most likely, “Duele El Amor.”

Follow Maxaria Records on Instagram here.
Follow Marco Gutierrez on Instagram here.