Loud and Live chief Nelson Albareda says Latin music is entering a new phase of its evolution as the Miami-headquartered promoter toasts another stellar year of touring.

The live events, media, marketing, and entertainment firm reports a record 2024, producing more than 200 shows across the Americas and Europe with leading and emerging Latin artists.

Acts included Becky G, Camilo, El Alfa, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Jhayco, Jay Wheeler, Kany Garcia, Laura Pausini, Luis Fonsi, Chyno y Nacho, Jesus Adrian Romero, George Harris, Natalia Jimenez, Ruben Blades and Silvestre Dangond, among others, and Albareda tells IQ the scene has witnessed growth in the variety of genres.

“Where urban was the dominant and successful genre [in Latin music] in the last few years, now you need to follow the consumer trends more closely and be more strategic with the artists and genres that are resonating based on the constantly evolving consumer demand,” he suggests. “These challenges, among others, are forcing us to work harder to drive tickets sales and pushing us to partner more collaboratively with the artist, management and the labels to make sure we’re working closely on the marketing campaigns, choosing the right markets, the right ticket prices and the right timing.”

Loud and Live also successfully expanded its touring business into Europe, taking Dominican singer Juan Luis Guerra to new markets including Spain, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

“We don’t think the Latin music explosion is plateauing; however, it is evolving beyond the more recently dominant urban genre,” reasons Albareda. “For example, we’ve being seeing the resurgence of salsa music for some time now, and that’s more evident today when you see artists like Rauw Alejandro and Bad Bunny integrating salsa sounds and roots into their latest albums.

“In Loud And Live’s case, we continue to bet on salsa, working with legendary artists like Gilberto Santa Rosa and Ruben Blades, as well as emerging artists like Christian Alicea, who we manage booking and touring for.”

“The post-pandemic touring boom, where you saw a historic number of artists have successful global tours at the same time, clearly slowed down in 2024”

Loud and Live also presented the second edition of its Country Bay Music Festival on the grounds of Miami Marine Stadium in November. The country music event featured the likes of Carrie Underwood, Zac Brown Band, Diplo featuring Thomas Wesley, Chase Rice, Duston Lynch and Chris Janson.

“Over the two days, the festival drew over 20,000 fans to Miami and had a record number of partner sponsors,” says Albareda.

Nevertheless, the CEO notes the live business as a whole has had to navigate tricky waters over the past 12 months.

“The post-pandemic touring boom, where you saw a historic number of artists have successful global tours at the same time, clearly slowed down in 2024 as consumers were being more selective on where they spend for live entertainment,” he says.

“Although we think demand will slowly come back after a weaker 2024, we will continue to keep a close eye on evolving musical trends and consumer demands, and being more deliberate and selective with the artists we work with and the tours we produce through 2025.”

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Bad Bunny has unveiled a 21-show residency in his native Puerto Rico at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico, following the release of his latest album.

The residency spans 21 July to 24 August and will see Bad Bunny, real name Benito Martínez Ocasio, play Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays throughout the stint. The first nine shows will be exclusively reserved for Puerto Rico residents, with an in-person presale beginning tomorrow (15 January).

“I’m in Puerto Rico, I’m home, having fun and, to be honest, I don’t want to leave,” he says (as translated by Billboard) in his announcement video.

His historic Residencia en El Choli, the most expansive at the 18,000-capacity arena known locally as “El Choli”, is aptly named No me quiero ir de aquí (I don’t want to leave here).

Further international tour dates are expected later this year, including stops in Mexico, Brazil and Spain.

“Thanks to music and the love you give me through my music, I’ve had the privilege of travelling to sing in different places of the world. I appreciate and love to do it,” he continues.

“There are places I for sure will return to like Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia. And some I’ve never been to but would like to visit, like Brazil and Japan. And there are places I haven’t been to in a long time, like Italy, London, Spain, I know, and I promise before the year ends, I’ll tell you the date and time I will be visiting,” he hints.

“I’m in Puerto Rico, I’m home, having fun and, to be honest, I don’t want to leave”

Bunny released his sixth studio album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos, earlier this month. The Spanish-language album, which debuted at no. 2 on the Billboard 200, is the global superstar’s recommitment to his native island as explained to the New York Times. The 17-track album was created entirely in the country and also features all-Puerto Rican collaborators.

Despite “El Choli” being located in the capital San Juan, in-person presale for the first six shows will happen across the island while presale for the final three resident-exclusive shows will be held online, according to Ticketera.

Demand for the event will be sky high, with the Reggaeton star’s last outings shattering multiple records. In 2022, Bad Bunny usurped Ed Sheeran as the highest-grossing touring artist in a calendar year, selling over 3 million tickets across his El Último Tour del Mundo North American tour and the World’s Hottest Tour stadium trek across Latin and North America.

The Grammy Award-winning artist last visited Europe on his 2019 X 100pre Tour.

The ASM Global-managed “El Choli” celebrated its 20th anniversary last year. Booking manager Melanie García Vélez told IQ that local artists — like Bad Bunny, Ricky Martin and Daddy Yankee — are a major draw for Spanish-speaking artists and fans to stop by the country.

“We are blessed to have many internationally recognised Puerto Rican artists; this helps us position the island strategically in the industry. This opportunity is often used by international artists who use the Coliseo to meet and connect with their Latino audience, giving them the opportunity to visit other Spanish-speaking venues,” she revealed in IQ‘s 2024 Global Promoters Report.

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Move Concerts founder Phil Rodriguez has hailed the stadium concert boom as the business gears up for another huge year.

Acts including Coldplay, Oasis, Dua Lipa, AC/DC, Lana Del Rey, Shakira, Ed Sheeran, Guns N’Roses, Linkin Park, Imagine Dragons, Billy Joel, My Chemical Romance, Olivia Rodrigo, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band are all set for next year’s outdoor circuit.

The list also includes the likes of Robbie Williams, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Stereophonics, System of a Down, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Stray Kids, Sam Fender and Iron Maiden.

“I’m loving all the stadium tours that are going on and coming up in 2025,” Rodriguez tells IQ. “I remember a few years ago one of the worries in our industry was who would be our future stadium headliners. That’s been answered.”

“We had some great shows in 2024, but I must highlight our tour dates with Iron Maiden – they’re bigger than ever in our markets”

Memorable concerts over the past 12 months for Florida-headquartered Move, which is Latin America’s largest independent promoter, include Iron Maiden’s The Future Past Tour.

Rodriguez marvels at the legendary metal band’s enduring appeal in the region, as well as the growing popularity of another British group, Keane, who played arena headline dates in Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Chile and Uruguay.

“We had some great shows in 2024, but I must highlight our tour dates with Iron Maiden – they’re bigger than ever in our markets,” he says. “We had stadium dates selling out in 30 minutes. We’ve worked together for decades, but the speed and volume of sales for this tour were totally unexpected.

“Also, our dates with Keane were not only all sellouts, they doubled the attendance from their last tour – very impressive.”

Move also has offices in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru and Puerto Rico, and Rodriguez notes the “rapid devaluation” of the Brazilian currency, the Real, has provided some cause for consternation.

“We did not expect it to drop as much as it did,” he says. “At the start of 2024 the exchange rate was R$4.85/US$. This month, it is at R$ 6.08/US$ – a 20% devaluation – and it is expected to continue dropping in 2025.”

“Latin music is unquestionably in growth phase. The media ‘hype’ may have settled down, but it is solid and growing”

Nevertheless, Rodriguez insists the market for Latin music remains robust.

“It is unquestionably in growth phase,” he says. “The media ‘hype’ may have settled down, but it is solid and growing.”

Speaking in IQ‘s end-of-year issue, Rodriguez also expressed his admiration for Adele’s “historic” August concert residency in Germany, which saw the singer perform 10 nights at a bespoke 73,000-capacity pop-up stadium in Munich.

“The whole concept of a temporary venue and residency was ambitious, but the execution was flawless,” he says. “I have no doubt this will be a model that may be duplicated in different ways and/or scale in the future.”

Looking ahead to next year, Rodriguez says 2025 is “looking good” for the firm, adding his ambitions are simply “for our Move Concerts family to enjoy good health, continue to have fun doing what we do and to keep our numbers growing”.

“So far, we have a solid number of shows lined up,” he concludes. “Those announced include Katy Perry dates – that kicked off strong – and we’re also partnering on Ado with Concerts West, who quite frankly, convinced us to take the risk with them, and sales kicked off beyond our expectations.”

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After shattering attendance and revenue records in the US and Latin America, Karol G has continued to make history – this time in Europe.

The Colombian singer’s Mañana Será Bonito Europe Summer Tour has become the largest Latin music European tour ever, according to promoter Live Nation.

The trek includes sold out days in 10 cities, and sees her play two nights respectively at Amsterdam’s Ziggo Dome in the Netherlands, London’s The O2 in the UK, Paris’s Accor Arena in France, Milan’s Mediolanum Forum in Italy and Lisbon’s MEO Arena in Portugal.

“We haven’t seen a Latin artist sell tickets of this magnitude in both speed and number of tickets,” Hans Schafer, Live Nation’s SVP of global touring, tells Pollstar. “The trend is that the landscape has shifted. You’re seeing [Latin] culture sort of infuse itself in the cities at all different levels, and all those things are that canary we’re following and looking for that opportunity where we can try some things out.”

She closes the run with four stadium performances at Madrid’s Estadio Santiago Bernabéu (85,000) from 20-23 July. G is the first artist to fully sell out four consecutive nights at the Spanish stadium.

Among other milestones, the 33-year-old is now the first Latin artist to perform twice as part of the same tour at the Ziggo Dome, the Latin artist who sold the most tickets and the fastest sell-out in London, the first Latin artist to perform twice at the Accor Arena and the top-selling Latin female artist at the Meo Arena. She will also be the first female artist to hold four consecutive stadium concerts in Spain.

“People are coming to the party of Karol G who may not even speak a lick of Spanish. They’re inspired by who she is and what she’s about”

Karol G is represented worldwide by UTA’s Jbeau Lewis, Jules de Lattre and Tom Matthews, and managed by Noah Assad of Rimas Entertainment.

“Karol is an indisputable global superstar,” adds Lewis. “One of hers and our goals is to use this platform she has to take Latin music around the world. People are coming to the party of Karol G who may not even speak a lick of Spanish. They’re inspired by who she is and what she’s about.”

The reggaeton star sold more than one million tickets during the Latin American leg of her Mañana Será Bonito Tour, smashing several records across numerous LatAm countries.

Beginning the tour in Mexico in February, the Grammy Award winner became the first female Latin artist to sell out three nights at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium (cap. 87,523). She went on to do two nights in Guatemala, where she sold the most tickets for any international artist in the country, and broke Coldplay’s record by selling 104,686 tickets over two nights at Costa Rica’s national stadium.

G also became the first female artist to sell out two nights at the Dominican Republic’s Olympic Stadium (60,000) and three shows at Chile’s national stadium (60,000). She’s the only artist to sell out two nights at Venezuela’s Estadio Monumental (84,567) and became the fastest Latin female artist to sell out two stadium shows in Argentina with her two Estadio Vélez Sarsfield (49,540) performances.

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Promoters Cárdenas Marketing Network (CMN) and Breakfast Club are partnering with booking and management agency La Industria Inc to launch new one-day Colombian festival La Eterna.

The Latin music event will debut at Atanasio Girardot Stadium in Medellín on 3 August as part of the traditional Flower Fair. General sale tickets start at COP135,000 (€33).

“La Eterna is a festival-type experience never before seen within the framework of the Flower Fair,” says Henry Cárdenas, CEO of CMN. “We will have capacity for more than 42,000 people at the Atanasio Girardot Stadium with two alternate areas of the stadium with differential experiences, two stages – one of them on a 360º platform – and infinite experiences that will allow us to have an eternal party in the city.”

Artists will include Marc Anthony, Ana Gabriel, Nicky Jam, Xavi, Fonseca, Elder Dayán Díaz, Proyecto Uno and Nath, reports Revista DC.

“The Flower Festival was born to proudly celebrate our Antioqueñidad, our music and our culture,” says Breakfast Club CEO Carlos Franco. “Medellín is an abundant land, of vibrant people who have no restraints when it comes to enjoying themselves. Without a doubt, it is the eternal capital of music. That is why we will present rhythms from reggaetón, salsa, rancheras, merengue and much more.”

“Medellín is the home of the great urban artists, the square of the great concerts and festivals”

Founded by music entrepreneur Cárdenas in 2001, Chicago-based CMN promotes global tours by artists such as Marc Anthony, Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, Chayanne, Ana Gabriel and Nicky Jam. Most recently, it launched the largest global Latin music tour with Luis Miguel.

Breakfast Club was launched in 2013 and currently holds 15 to 20 events per year including electronic music festival La Solar, which was held at Parque Norte Medellín in February.

Both companies announced major moves back in March, with US-based CMN forming a strategic alliance with AEG Presents to create “the world leader in live Latin music”, and Colombia’s Breakfast Club and TBL Live joining forces to create new entertainment company Breakfast Live.

Medellín-based La Industria Inc, meanwhile, has helped launch the careers of acts such as Nicky Jam, Manuel Turizo and Chocquibtown.

“Medellín is the home of the great urban artists, the square of the great concerts and festivals,” adds La Industria Inc CEO Juan Diego Medina. “That is why we will celebrate with Eterna, a party for everyone.”

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AEG Presents has entered into a “historic” partnership with US-based Latin music promoter Cárdenas Marketing Network (CMN).

The two companies say the strategic alliance will create “the world leader in live Latin music” and will lead to the development of “elevated and expanded experiences” for artists and audiences globally.

“We are excited to partner with AEG Presents, one of the most powerful global forces in live entertainment,” says CMN founder and CEO Henry Cardenas. “I have known Jay Marciano for over 40 years and have deep respect for all his accomplishments and the tremendous business that he has built at AEG Presents. Together, we look forward to making an even greater impact on the explosive growth in the Latin market.”

Founded by music entrepreneur Henry Cárdenas in 2001, Chicago-based CMN promotes global tours by artists such as Marc Anthony, Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, Chayanne, Ana Gabriel and Nicky Jam. Most recently, it launched the largest global Latin music tour with Luis Miguel.

“We have been looking to expand our presence in Latin music and concerts for quite some time”

It has also promoted sports matches in the US, including the international football friendly between Argentina and Brazil at East Rutherford, NJ’s MetLife stadium, as well as the first soccer game at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, between Bayern Munich and Manchester City.

“Henry is a true entrepreneur and visionary, and what he and his team have built is simply awe-inspiring,” adds AEG Presents chair and CEO Jay Marciano. “We have been looking to expand our presence in Latin music and concerts for quite some time, and it was important that we took the time to find the right partner; we found it in Henry and CMN.

“AEG Presents has always placed a premium on preserving the identity and unique voice of our partner brands while providing them with the support and infrastructure to expand their reach and influence. Cárdenas Marketing Network is the most recognised and trusted name in Latin concert promotion, and we are so proud to welcome Henry and his team to the family.”

Marciano recently starred in ILMC’s (Late) Breakfast Meeting at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London, where he shared stories from his career in an interview with Ed Bicknell.

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Latin superstar Karol G has continued to break records with her Mañana Será Bonito LATAM Tour, recording the highest ever ticket sales for a concert in Costa Rica.

The Colombian singer-songwriter, who is represented worldwide by Jbeau Lewis and Ryan Soroka at UTA, sold 104,686 tickets across her sold-out 9-10 March shows at Estadio Nacional in San José.

The two dates were promoted by Move Concerts and broke the previous record set by Coldplay, who launched their Music of the Spheres Tour at the venue in 2022.

Karol G recently became the first artist to sell out four nights at Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium

G recently became the first artist to sell out four nights at Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Spain, where she will stop from 20-23 July as part of her Live Nation-promoted European tour debut, Mañana Será Bonito (Tomorrow Will Be Nice).

The Mañana Será Bonito LATAM Tour kicked off in Mexico City in February, when she became the first female artist to sell out the Estadio Azteca for three consecutive nights, with 80,000 attendees per night. The trek will visit the Dominican Republic this weekend, before moving on to Perú, Chile, Colombia, Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil.

Last year, the reggaeton star grossed $145 million with 843,000 tickets sold for just 18 shows, and also became the first female artist to reach #1 on Billboard Top 200 with a Spanish-language album. She also made history in Puerto Rico by becoming the first artist ever to sell out three nights at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, drawing more than 100,000 fans across the trio of concerts.

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Latin music specialist Magnus Talent Agency has acquired the booking and management divisions of Spain’s Industria Works.

Industria Works organises tours of Europe and Latin America for artists such as Trueno, Love of Lesbian, Paula Cendejas, Villano Antillano, Tom Tom Club, YSY A, Maikel Delacalle, Nicola Cruz and YADAM.

Those acts will now join the roster of Miami-headquartered Magnus, which already has the likes of Marc Anthony, Bacilos, Fonseca, Gente de Zona, Il Volo, Mau y Ricky and Micro TDH on his books.

APMusicales reports the partnership brings five new staff to the Magnus team and more than doubles the number of artists under the agency’s representation to 25, in addition to giving it a strategic presence in the European market.

“This new partnership is an important step in our international expansion and will provide crucial presence and expertise in the European market”

Industria Works founder Tomas Cookman will take a leading role in the merged company, with director Agustín López leading the Madrid-based office and general team in Spain, which also includes Ulia Moreno, Patricia Zavala and Alicia Toboso.

“We are more than excited to join forces with the team at Industria Works,” says Magnus CEO Michel Vega. “I have known and admired Tomas for over 20 years and we share the same passion for excellence in artist representation. This new partnership is an important step in our international expansion and will provide crucial presence and expertise in the European market and other territories; all in order to continue providing a first-class service to the careers of our iconic artists and future musical icons.”

“We have had a long-standing and warm relationship with Magnus, I have always considered Michel Vega a friend, and I am now proud to call him a partner,” adds Cookman. “We are excited by the opportunity to join forces with a strong team to increase opportunities and bring extensive global performance and artistic management experience to our combined artist lineup. “I believe in the power of teamwork and Michel and Marc have created a solid foundation on which we will continue to build.”

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Oak View Group (OVG) has inked a multi-year deal with SBS Entertainment, the entertainment arm of broadcasting company Spanish Broadcasting Systems.

The deal is described as an effort to “reimagine the live industry landscape” and an opportunity to reach new markets with Latin-focused music events.

Under the terms of the agreement, SBS events such as Mega Mezcla, Amor En Vivo, and Mega Bash, which all take place across Hispanic markets, will also be produced at OVG’s recently revamped UBS Arena at Belmont Park.

Additionally, the two companies will develop new entertainment products at other OVG-managed arenas, including Moody Center in Austin, TX; newly opened Acrisure Arena in Greater Palm Springs, CA; and in the Orlando, FL area.

“We couldn’t be more excited to expand our footprint across [OVG’s] world-class venues”

After launch, the two partners expect to expand the project to other OVG venues in North America and eventually, Europe.

“As one of the largest concert producers in the nation and trailblazers for Latin music, it is our mission to continue to build upon our legacy by creating more unparalleled live music experiences for audiences across the globe,” says Alessandra Alarcón, president, SBS Entertainment. “Our partnership with the Oak View Group is the first of its kind and we couldn’t be more excited to work with them to expand our footprint across their world-class venues and connect more Latin music fans with the artists they love.”

Francesca Bodie, president of business development, Oak View Group, says: “As the popularity and globalisation of Latin music continues to rise, we’re delighted to partner with SBS Entertainment to broaden its audience, while delivering greater diversity across our business, and bringing its iconic live events to OVG’s roster of world-class arenas. This partnership represents a foundation that we plan to grow, both nationally and internationally in the coming years, and we look forward to developing more programming with Alessandra and the SBS team.”

Founded in 2015, OVG has grown to work with more than 400 venues worldwide. The deal with SBS marks the first time they’ve teamed up with a Latin company that focuses on producing and promoting large-scale live events.

For 16 years now, SBS has produced LA’s Calibash, the best-known urban Latin festival in the US that has boasted J Balvin, Daddy Yankee and Karol G as headliners over the past few years.

A number of major companies have been capitalising on the Latam boom, including Ticketmaster which yesterday announced further expansion in the market.

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Karol G has made history in Puerto Rico by becoming the first artist ever to sell out three nights at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan.

The Colombian reggaeton star drew more than 100,000 fans across the trio of shows, which includes guest appearances by Romeo Santos, Eladio, Sean Paul, Young Miko and Feid, among others.

The 10-12 March concerts were promoted by Move Concerts and Noah Assad, who also manages Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny.

“Puerto Rico has been selling out consistently and shows no sign of slowing down”

“Puerto Rico has been selling out consistently and shows no sign of slowing down,” Move boss Phil Rodriguez told IQ last year. “We co-promoted with Noah Assad three sold-out dates at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico [cap. 18,500] with Bad Bunny in San Juan that paralysed the island as the show was streamed live to 13 municipalities for free. It is estimated over 500,000 people saw the show between the Coliseo and the free transmissions.”

Move Concerts is headquartered in Miami, Florida, and has offices in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica and Peru, as well as Puerto Rico, the source of much of the current Latin music explosion.

“Our office in Puerto Rico is killing it,” said Rodriguez. “We sold out two arenas there with Karol G – over 24,000 tickets. We easily could have done two more arena dates there.”

Bad Bunny has been the most streamed artist on Spotify globally in each of the last three years

Bad Bunny usurped Ed Sheeran in 2022 as the highest-grossing touring artist in a calendar year. The rapper generated $435,388,660 for 81 shows in 2022, according to Pollstar data, surpassing the $432.4 million box office takings of Sheeran’s 94 ÷ tour dates in 2018.

Bad Bunny has been the most streamed artist on Spotify globally in each of the last three years, while fellow Puerto Rican acts Rauw Alejandro and Ozuna are also making huge strides internationally.

Puerto Rico’s Coca-Cola Music Hall, meanwhile, reported a total attendance of more than 165,000 people during its first 12 months of operation. Since its opening in August 2021, the 4,200-cap venue in San Juan has hosted 59 concerts and 43 private events by artists such as Ednita Nazario, Caramelos de Cianuro, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, Stryper, Jesse & Joy and Louis Tomlinson, among others.

Revisit IQ Magazine‘s full 2022 feature exploring the growth of the Latin American touring market here.

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