Making It in the Music Industry at Capitol Studios

1 IN DEPTH DAVID MARTINEZ Making It In The Music Industry at Capitol Studios By Teresa Kelly The Capitol Records building is one of the most distinctive landmarks in Hollywood. Capitol Studios has been a landmark in the music industry, hosting some of the most treasured recording artists in music history from Frank Sinatra to the Beastie Boys. For Cal Poly Pomona music alum David Martinez working as an Assistant Mixer to Niko Bolas at Capitol Studios is a dream come true. You can’t be that guy in the corner waiting around being told what to do. You have to be on it. Pretty much everything they say about the industry is true: you have to work hard.” Teresa Kelly is a Communications Specialist II for the Music Department. She is the editor of and contributor to the department E-Newsletter. Her duties include writing, graphic design, social media moderation, publicity, media relations, website content management, event production, and student mentoring. CAL POLY POMONA MUSIC DEPARTMENT IN DEPTH 2 David Martinez loves music with It was at Stagg Street Studios that rock, country, and blues being his David met Niko Bolas from Capitol favorite genres, and at Capitol Records. Again, David’s work Studios he’s surrounded by some ethic stood out from others and of the greatest music legends in Bolas asked him to come work for the business. him at Capitol. His work as a setup assistant As David knows, “People at top primarily consists of set up and in the music industry have been tear down of recording sessions in it for a while, so you don’t get as well as ensuring clients have their respect right away. You have everything they need to make to earn it. When you put your ego their session go as smoothly as aside, do the work, and be the possible. David has worked with kind of person people want to be various singers, songwriters and around, it helps you move along a bands including The Vim Dicta and lot faster.” Incan Abraham. One of the first things David David studied music and recording learned from Bolas at Capitol at Cal Poly Pomona graduating Records is to develop your own in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts style rather than trying to copy in Music. “Everything I learned someone else - “While working at Cal Poly Pomona helped me as an assistant, you’re not going greatly. The classes taught by to take over someone’s job Arthur Winer when I was a student anytime soon so the second best have been very useful in giving me option is to provide a service that a good base to start from”, can’t be duplicated.” he says. While assisting Bolas on a Martinez spent eight years in LeAnn Rimes project, David was the military and after graduating asked by producer Darrel Brown from Cal Poly Pomona, attended if he wanted to handle the editing. and graduated from The Los David jumped at the opportunity Angeles Recording School, a and received editing credit for division of The Los Angeles Film his work on the recording. When School, where he studied audio asked if he would like the record to engineering. win a Grammy, he humbly replied, “That would be great of course, but The day he graduated from The I’m just thankful for the opportunity Los Angeles Recording School to work.” he started working as an intern at Stagg Street Studios after he was David’s education and experience David’s advice for those pursuing recognized for his work ethic. have helped him get where he a career in music “Work hard, “You can’t be that guy in the corner is, but when you meet David you be enthusiastic, and don’t fake it waiting around being told what to notice the most obvious factor to because everyone will know if you do. You have to be on it. Pretty his success is his great positive do. Try not to get fired, because much everything they say about attitude. there is someone else right behind the industry is true; you have to you ready to take your job.” work hard”, remarked David. CAL POLY POMONA MUSIC DEPARTMENT.

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