State Champ Radio Warner Latin
Warner Music Latin America and management and promotion company OCESA Seitrack are launching a booking and brand partnership agency for artists, together with broadcaster Sergio “Checho” Rodríguez. All Warner Music artists will have access to the services offered.
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The joint venture, called “Touring the World,” will be helmed by Rodriguez — operating from offices in Colombia, Mexico, Spain and the United States — and will offer artists support in different areas related to touring, brand partnerships, booking and other artist services. It will be supported by Warner Music’s expertise and infrastructure as well as OCESA Seitrack’s massive commercial structure in multiple countries. Touring the World will also have support from its existing artist services company, Get In, which is owned by Warner Music Spain.
The new joint venture, says Warner Music Latin America president Alejandro Duque, “signifies a pivotal moment, as we combine our experience to deliver professional services and global opportunities for artists.”
“This is a joint venture and the vision is for it to be independent,” adds Duque. “We want to avoid conflicts of interest, and for that to work, it has to be an independent agency.”
Not all Warner artists, for example, will be part of Touring the World nor will they be compelled to sign with the agency. By the same token, OCESA Seitrack, which is a massive concert promoter and management company with clients like Alejandro Sanz and Ha*Ash, will continue to operate its other businesses, separate from Touring the World.
Touring the World wants to “expand the concept of booking and provide a solution for artists so they can have both a touring strategy together with branding and sponsorship efforts,” says Alex Mizrahi, CEO and founder of OCESA Seitrack. The company will focus on artists “that are heating up and who we think have global potential.”
The list of artists currently signed to Touring the World include Piso 21, Manuel Medrano, Elena Rose, Yng Lucas, Blessd, Molotov, Lagos and Ximena Sariñana. Of note is that Touring The World is not looking to become a management company or a concert promotion company if one is already in place.
“We don’t want to take away business or management from anyone. We’ll work with existing managers if they’re interested […] But, it’s very important for us to have the best interests of the artists in mind,” says Mizrahi. “Over the past 20 years at OCESA Seitrack, we’ve meticulously built the touring commercial structure we possess today. This alliance between friends and renowned professionals promises immense benefits for the artists and managers we collaborate with.”
The notion of Touring the World was sparked over a friendly breakfast with Duque, Mizrahi and Rodríguez, a concert promoter who was also a director at GTS, UMG’s artist management and services company for Latin and Spanish artists. Under the GTS model, however, artists are managed or co-managed by GTS, while Touring the World will not be acting as management.
“Touring the World is created by and for artists and their fans,” says Rodríguez, who will oversee teams in Colombia and Mexico and work closely with Spain’s Get In. “This alliance fills me with excitement, standing alongside the finest partners one could ask for.”
Beyond their respective expertise, the partners also bring to the table in-culture and in-country expertise throughout Latin America and Spain.
Iñigo Argomaniz, founder and CEO of Get In, states: “The union of these forces for the creation of ‘Touring the World’ is exciting and will enable a wide range of opportunities to develop the careers of Spanish artists in America.”
Warner Music has revamped its regional Mexican music operation, announcing veteran executives Delia Orjuela and Ruben Abraham as co-heads of its growing Música Mexicana division.
In their new roles, Orjuela and Abraham will jointly lead the division’s overall strategy for the U.S. and Mexico. Orjuela will focus on artist relations and creative projects, and Abraham will concentrate on operations, growth and dealmaking.
Abraham, an 18-year veteran of Warner, was most recently senior vp of marketing and artist strategy for Warner Music Latina, based out of Miami.
He will now join Orjuela – who joined Warner Music Latina as general manager of Mexican music in 2021–in Los Angeles. Both executives will report to Tomás Rodríguez, president of Warner Music Mexico and Central America, with additional oversight from Alejandro Duque, president of Warner Music Latin America.
Warner’s restructure is aligned with the label’s new focus on Mexican music. Years before, Warner had been a powerhouse in that arena, but over the years the label focused more on pop.
Once Duque joined the company as president in 2021, he made Mexican music a priority and launched the Música Mexicana division, signing acts like Los Aptos, Tomas Ballardo and DannyLux, who performed at Coachella this year. Last year, the label also signed veterans Grupo Pesado, who had been in Warner decades ago, and stars like El Komander.
“Música Mexicana is a diverse body of music with a long, rich, and beautiful history. Delia and Ruben’s deep experience, relationships, and passion for Mexican music make them the ideal leaders as we strengthen our commitment to taking Música Mexicana into a new era of global growth and influence,” said Duque in a statement.
“I look forward to leading Warner Music’s Música Mexicana division alongside my colleague Ruben Abraham,” said Orjuela. “Together, we will build on the foundation that has been established to help take Mexican artists and music to new heights.”
“It’s an honor to help shape the future of Música Mexicana,” said Abraham. “The growth of Mexican music consumption in Mexico itself and in the U.S. is a big priority for us, and I’m excited to collaborate with Delia to accelerate our artist development and reach. With the teams, tools, and expertise of our network, we have an incredible opportunity to amplify Mexican music worldwide.”
Tomas Rodriguez adds: “Delia and Ruben are powerhouses when it comes to championing artists and driving business results. Our Música Mexicana efforts are in the perfect hands under their strategic leadership.”
Regional Mexican music, also known as Música Mexicana, has long been one of the backbones of Spanish language music in the United States, bolstered by a huge Mexican American population. But in the past year, both local and global interest in the music has exploded, and major labels like Sony and Warner are putting new emphasis and resources behind the music.
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