State Champ Radio Latin
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The Festival de Viña 2024 is scheduled from Feb. 25 to March 1 and will feature a star-studded performance roster that includes Anitta, Alejandro Sanz, Manuel Turizo, Andrea Bocelli, Miranda!, Maná, Men at Work, Mora, Los Bunkers, Peso Pluma, Young Cister and Maria Becerra.
The lineup was unveiled Wednesday (Nov. 8) by Macarena Ripamonti, the mayor of Viña del Mar in Chile. “We are happy to close the lineup of musical artists of the Viña del Mar Festival 2024 in advance, achieving a balance, with the best exponents for all ages and audiences, it has been a collaborative work of months together with all the production and organization of the event for families to enjoy,” expressed Ripamonti in a statement.
Each day will feature two performers. On Sunday, Feb. 25, Alejandro Sanz and Manuel Turizo will take the stage. Andrea Bocelli — who will make his Viña del Mar debut alongside his son Matteo Bocelli — and Miranda! are set to sing on Monday. Maná and Men at Work will perform on Tuesday; Mora and Anitta on Wednesday; Los Bunkers and Young Cister on Thursday; and to close the event, Peso Pluma and Maria Becerra will take the stage on Friday, March 1.
Launched in 1960, the Viña del Mar International Song Festival is held annually at Quinta Vergara, a 15,000-capacity amphitheater located in the Chilean city of Viña del Mar, in the central coast region of Valparaíso.
Over the course of six days, the event features a mix of superstars, emerging singers and local artists competing for the Silver, Gold and Platinum “Gaviotas,” the name of its awards. These awards are decided by a jury with the help of viewers from their homes, although the so-called “monster” — the audience present at Quinta Vergara — undoubtedly has a great power of influence with its ovations and occasional boos.
The 63rd annual Viña del Mar Festival will be broadcast by Canal 13 and Televisión Nacional de Chile,while the streaming platform Star+ will broadcast it throughout Latin America. Billboard will broadcast it through its digital platforms.
Ticket sales begin on Thursday, Nov. 16, with the pre-sale (for Claro customers) and general sale the next day. Prices will remain the same as for the 2023 event, according to organizers.
10 songs are in the running for coveted song of the year title at the 2023 Latin Grammy Awards.
They are: Shakira’s “Acróstico;” Pablo Alborán and Maria Becerra’s “Amigos;” Natalia Lafourcade’s “De Todas Las Flores;” Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma’s “Ella Baila Sola;” Camilo and Alejandro Sanz’s “NASA;” Lasso’s “Ojos Marrones;” “Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” by Bizarrap featuring Shakira; “Si Tú Me Quieres” by Fonseca and Juan Luis Guerra; Karol G’s “TQG” featuring Shakira; and Grupo Frontera’s “un X100to” featuring Bad Bunny.
As tradition holds, the award — one of the big four alongside record of the year, album of the year, and best new artist — is given to the songwriters of new songs containing at least 51 percent of lyrics in Spanish or Portuguese language.
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The songwriter with the most songs in this year’s category is Kevyn Mauricio Cruz Moreno, artistically known as Keityn, who has credits on “Acróstico,” “Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” and “TQG.” He’s followed by Edgar Barrera, who in addition to having songwriting credits in “NASA” and “un x100to,” leads the list of nominees for the 2023 Latin Grammy Awards with 13 nods.
The Mexican hitmaker is followed by Camilo, Karol G, Shakira, and Keityn with seven nominations each; Bizarrap with six nods; and receiving five nominations each, Pablo Alborán, Bad Bunny, Maria Becerra, Feid, Dave Cutch and Natalia Lafourcade.
The 2023 Latin Grammys — taking place for the first time internationally from the Conference and Exhibition Centre (FIBES) in Sevilla, Spain — will air at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, Nov. 16 on Univision, UniMás and Galavisión in the U.S. and at 10:30 p.m. CET on Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE) in Spain.
Which hit should win the 2023 song of the year? Vote in the poll below.
Nicky Jam plays Fishing for Answers with Billboard backstage at Billboard’s Latin Music Week 2023. Nicky Jam:Hi, I’m Nicky Jam, and I’ll be Fishing for Answers with Billboard. “What is your most embarrassing moment on stage moment?” My most embarrassing moment on stage … that’s a good question because I take care of myself a […]
While radio may no longer be the only game in town when it comes to promoting and playing music, its importance is still outsized, according to Nielsen’s newly released Audio Today 2023 report focused on Hispanic consumers.
According to the report, which took into consideration listening by adults (18 plus) in more than 250 U.S. markets, radio reaches 94% of Latins every month, more than any other linear or digital media platform. That includes live and time-shifted TV (85%), smartphones (89%) and PCs (67%).
In terms of audio services only, the difference is stark. While radio reaches 94% of Hispanic adults 18 plus, its closest competitor, YouTube Music, reaches 44%, followed by Spotify (31%), Pandora (23%), Amazon Music (15%), Apple Music (14%) and satellite radio (11%).
And while listening numbers for radio’s competitors vary between age segments, radio consistently reaches 90% or more of listeners across demographics. Among the 18-34 demo, for example, it reaches 91% of listeners, followed by YouTube Music at 44% and Spotify at 41%.
That dominance also holds true among non-Hispanic listeners, though it’s a little less pronounced. Radio reaches 90% of all non-Hispanic listeners 18 plus (compared to 94% for Hispanics) and 82% of non-Hispanics 18-34 (compared to 92% for Hispanics).
Radio additionally leads in terms of listening time. The “share of ear time” for radio among adults 18 plus is 30%, followed by streaming audio at 21%.
Radio’s massive consumption comes down to accessibility and culture, says Stacie de Armas, Nielsen’s senior vp of diverse intelligence & initiatives.
“Radios’ reach is exceptional and always has been,” notes de Armas, who says the numbers weren’t surprising for her. “In fact in the past 10 years, it’s only dropped three percentage points. And that means that radio is a deeply embedded part of Hispanic life. It’s accessible everywhere, and a very important part of the Latino experience in a way I don’t see replicated in other groups. Radio serves a unique role in the lives of Hispanics. Radio is local. It gives people touchpoints into what’s happening.”
Accessibility has also given radio staying power among Hispanics, and it has a major bearing on the strength of YouTube Music, one of the first platforms to offer a multiplicity of content in Spanish.
Historically, says de Armas, Spanish language television has long been a part of the Hispanic experience in the United States with Univision and Telemundo. But cable was inaccessible for many people because the consumer had to pay, and there was an additional cost for Spanish programming. YouTube, on the other hand, was free, as long as you had Internet access.
“So, a lot of shifting went to YouTube. It was very easy to introduce YouTube Music,” says de Armas, noting that Hispanics spend 51% of their TV viewing on streaming, and 16% of that streaming comes from YouTube (although Netflix is a close second at 13.1%).
By the same token, Pandora is the third most listened-to option (after radio and YouTube) among the 35-49 and 50 and over segment of the Hispanic population because it was the first audio streaming service to focus on Spanish. But it doesn’t have the same accessibility as radio or YouTube.
Despite the numbers demonstrating radio’s continued reach, the format has been all but dismissed by some in recent times — in part because it wasn’t as measurable as other platforms. But, says de Armas, when advertisers make the effort to measure radio’s audience, they see results. “There’s engagement potential there that’s being lost on brands that are under-utilizing radio,” she says.
It’s not lost on the user, however.
“Community engagement is key,” de Armas says. “The cultural connection with radio hosts, for example, which fosters a sense of community. There’s a trust factor we’re underestimating, and I don’t think it exists in the same way with streaming platforms. And there’s also nostalgia and habit.”
Despite men dominating the Latin hip-hop scene, the women do not fall behind. From Farina to Nicki Nicole, and beyond, check out the list of raperas killing the game.
Regional Mexican star Carin León signed an exclusive global publishing agreement with Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), Billboard has learned. A leading force in the música mexicana genre, the Sonora-born singer-songwriter has established himself as one of Mexican music’s most versatile and eclectic artists today recording in norteño, banda, R&B and pop. “There is no […]
Mexican star Peso Pluma is set to perform at the 2023 Billboard Music Awards, taking place Sunday, Nov. 19. The música Mexicana singer-songwriter will perform “Rubicón,” a corrido — powered by prickly guitars — from his chart-topping album Génesis. The performance will include a special guest appearance by boxing legend Mike Tyson, who is a […]
After seven years working for regional Mexican indie labels — including DEL Records and most recently AfinArte Music — and helping grow the música mexicana genre, industry veteran Maria Inés Sánchez has been appointed Sony Music Latin’s new vp of West Coast operations.
Based out of Los Angeles, Sánchez, who began her career over two decades ago with stints at Sony and Universal, will report directly to Esteban Geller, general manager of Sony Music U.S. Latin, and oversee a team that includes other new hires such as Gonzalo Herrerias, senior director A&R and label manager Juan Tapia.
With Sánchez’s appointment, the label doubles down on its dedication to support the genre, which has seen extraordinary global growth this past year alone. “Sony Music Latin is really committed on continuing this explosion,” Sánchez tells Billboard. “The commitment being that we have to support a new generations of artists and help develop them because these young artists will only continue to fuse and evolve the sound, which has helped the genre grow.”
With indie labels mainly driving the the genre’s surge, Sánchez says the key to keep pushing the genre forward will be creating key alliances between major labels and indies. Sony Music Latin has already entered partnerships with labels such as Lumbre Music (Yahritza y Su Esencia) and Rancho Humilde (Fuerza Regida).
“We saw Mexican music grow because artists started to collaborate,” explains Sánchez. “It’s the same thing if companies start joining forces. Major labels like Sony, we can reach a broader spectrum of the business in general. We have eyes where indie’s perhaps don’t with offices internationally, which help export the music and work in other key markets such as Latin America and Spain.”
It aligns with how Sony U.S. Latin president Alex Gallardo visualizes the label’s role in regional Mexican music today. “We want to be the best possible partner for any artist, label, manager, or any Mexican music project, for this we have reinforced the West Coast team, and we have a clear vision to take Mexican music as far as possible,” says Gallardo.
Sony U.S. Latin also has an alliance with Sony Music Mexico to work both countries, Mexico and the United States, as a “single market,” Gallardo explains.
Adding that, ultimately, the plan is to break regional Mexican music beyond those two countries and enter new markets throughout Latin America and Spain. “We have already taken steps like getting Christian Nodal to sell out a WiZink Center in Madrid for 15,000 people … In countries like Colombia, Chile or Spain [the genre] is entering little by little and I believe that the strength of Sony in all these markets should be focused on bringing this wonderful music that is coming out of this new wave of artists.”
Naming Sánchez as vp of West Coast operations, a role previously served by Manny Prado (now at Interscope), means having someone who has a “very complete vision of both the business and Mexican music” having experience in both indie and major labels. Plus, having a woman in charge is something that “makes us very happy,” adds Gallardo.
“As a woman, I bring passion and conviction to a genre that I respect and love,” says Sánchez. “I’m committed to keep fueling this música mexicana explosion and impacting on a bigger level.”
From career milestones to new music releases to major announcements and those little important moments, Billboard editors highlight uplifting moments in Latin music. Here’s what happened in the Latin music world this week.
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RBD’s songs get the regional Mexican treatment
RBD’s “Nuestro Amor” in banda? Yes, please. A number of regional Mexican artists, including Calibre 50, Chiquis, Banda Carnaval, Banda Los Sebastianes de Saúl Plata, Los Socios del Ritmo, among others, have teamed up for Somos Rebeldes, a 15 songs-set, via Universal Music Group México, that pays tribute to the Latin pop band, which recently wrapped their epic reunion tour in the U.S. The LP drops ahead of RBD’s upcoming tour in Latin America, including shows in Mexico, Colombia and Brazil. Below, steam Somos Rebeldes, which includes reimagined versions of “Sólo Quédate en Silencio,” “Qué Hay Detrás” and “Sálvame.”
University of Miami’s new Knight Center for Music Innovation
Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Ben Folds and Jon Secada were among the stars in attendance for the opening of the Knight Center for Music Innovation at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music Nov. 2. The cutting-edge, $36.5 million, 25,000 square foot music and technology center includes two performance spaces: the 200-seat Robert and Judi Prokop Newman Recital Hall, and the Thomas D. Hormel Music Innovation Stage, a versatile innovation space equipped with advanced recording, lighting, and broadcast technology. Performances in both spaces can also be seen via a state-of-the-art technology Windowcast system that broadcasts live in the surrounding plaza. Thursday night’s gala featured performances by Frost School alumni Jon Secada, Dawnn Lewis, and Lee Levin, among others. The gala was hosted by University of Miami Board of Trustees Chair Laurie Silvers, University of Miami President Julio Frenk, and Frost School of Music Dean Shelton G. Berg.
Gloria Estefan and Emilio Estefan arrive at the Frost School of Music’s Knight Center for Music Innovation Inauguration Gala at the University of Miami on November 2, 2023 in Coral Gables, Florida.
Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for Frost School of Music at The University of Miami
Bésame Mucho in Texas
After launching the first edition of Bésame Mucho in Los Angeles last year, the festival is expanding and holding its first Bésame Mucho festival in Austin, Texas on March 2. Following the concept showcased in Los Angeles in December, the one-day event will feature an array of artists different genres, including rock, pop and música mexicana. The lineup includes headliners Los Tigres del Norte, Grupo Frontera, Caifanes, Cafe Tacvba, Gloria Trevi and Alejandra Guzmán. Others set to perform include Banda MS, El Tri and Belinda. The second Bésame Mucho festival in Los Angeles is still set to take place Dec. 2 at Dodger Stadium with headliners Maná, Los Bukis and Reik.
Alejandro Sanz to donate to those impacted by Hurricane Otis
Spanish superstar Alejandro Sanz announced donations to benefit the victims of the devastating hurricane Otis in the beach resort of Acapulco and the Costa Grande region of Guerrero, in southern Mexico. Sanz said he will donate 800,000 Mexican pesos (about $45,540) to those affected by the powerful category 5 hurricane that hit Mexico’s Pacific coast on Oct. 25, his representative agency in Mexico, Ocesa Seitrack, said Wednesday (Nov. 1). The money will come from tickets sold at his recent concerts in the Mexican cities of Tijuana, Hermosillo, Culiacán and León, part of his Sanz En Vivo tour.
Laura Pausini talks Person of the Year
In a candid interview with Billboard Español, Italian singer-songwriter Laura Pausini shared how she’s feeling just a few days out from being honored as the Latin Recording Academy’s 2023 Person of the Year. She will become the first artist born outside of Latin America or Spain to receive the accolade. On Nov. 15, on the eve of the 24th edition of the Latin Grammys — which for the first time leave the United States to take place in Seville, Spain — Pausini will be celebrated at a gala. “For 30 years I always say that I am the most Mexican, most Argentinian, most Spanish Italian… because I have grown up spending many days of my life with you,” Pausini said. “Maybe not my blood, but my soul, my ideas, my ideals, I have made them grow with yours, and I feel Latin.”
Read her interview here.
This week, our New Music Latin roundup — a compilation of the best new Latin songs, albums and videos recommended by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors — is powered by new music from Don Omar — in collaboration with Luny Tunes and Wisin y Yandel — Silvestre Dangond and Sofía Reyes, who both released new albums, respectively. Marking a reunion between Don […]
