Live Nation grows Latin division with new hires
Live Nation has boosted its Latin touring operation in North America with the triple hire of Ricardo Taco, Claudia Valencia and Maritsa Restrepo.
A veteran independent promoter, Taco has partnered with LN and other promoters over the past 15 years in Ontario, Canada, working with acts including Wisin Y Yandel, Ozuna, Maluma, J Balvin, Farruko, Arcangel, Jerry Rivera and Rosalia.
He will lead Live Nation Canada’s Latin music strategy nationally, working closely with LN chair Riley O’Connor to further grow Latin artists’ touring presence in the market. He will also act as the liaison between Live Nation’s SVP of global touring Hans Schafer, and the company’s Latin booking team across the globe.
In addition, he will help develop Latin touring shows for Canadian venues of all sizes, and will soon expand into the country’s festivals and outdoor properties.
“Canada is a strong Latin music market and our new key touring hires will help set the strategy to continue building on our expansion”
Elsewhere, Valencia has joined the firm as tour director based out of Guadalajara, Mexico. She will be tasked with building and executing business strategies for LN’s Latin tours for artists such as Pepe Aguilar, Sebastián Yatra, Wisin Y Yandel, and Los Ángeles Azules.
Valencia worked closely with best-selling Latin artist Maná for over a decade, before working as tour rep for Live Nation and independent talent manager at Vibras Lab.
Restrepo, meanwhile, comes on board as a ticketing coordinator, based out of Los Angeles, California. Having previously worked at various box offices, such as at The Classic Center in Athens, Georgia, she will assist with tour set-ups, facilitate promotions, and aid in the communication between artist teams and venues, while also helping roll out various day-to-day projects.
“We have steadily grown our Latin division at Live Nation with experts who understand the music and represent Latin fans, allowing us to better service our artists,” says Schafer. “Canada is a strong Latin music market, and our new key touring hires will help set the strategy to continue building on our expansion to reach new audiences throughout North America.”
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Live Nation Latin expands touring team
Live Nation has continued the expansion of its Latin touring team with four new hires.
Daryivett Romo and Katrina Rodriguez have come on board as tour marketing director and marketing manager, respectively, while Stephanie Rodriguez joins as marketing coordinator.
In addition, Nadia Hernandez has joined as the concerts division’s new director of Latin communications, overseeing press initiatives and building out Latin media strategies for all of Live Nation’s tours and touring artists.
“Live Nation is the largest promoter of Latin shows”
“Live Nation is the largest promoter of Latin shows and as our artist roster as well as fan demand continues to grow, we are building a global team to serve artists and fan experiences better and at a bigger scale than ever before,” says Hans Schafer, Live Nation’s SVP of global touring.
Prior to joining Live Nation, Romo spent eight years at CMN Events where she worked as project manager, overseeing routings, box office setups, media buying, travel logistics and day of show settlements for tours such as Juan Gabriel, Maluma, Alejandro Fernandez and Ricardo Arjona.
Katrina Rodriguez, who served a stint at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, was most recently brand partnerships manager at Universal Music Group, spending years helping the global company develop strategies and foster relationships with brands and agencies to secure partnerships for artists on the UMG Latin roster.
Stephanie Rodriguez, meanwhile, has worked at entertainment companies such as iHeart Media and SBS Radio. In her new position as Latin tour marketing coordinator, she will be involved in 20-plus tours, including Bad Bunny, Los Bukis, Wisin Y Yandel and Angela Aguilar.
Hernandez, who brings more than 15 years of experience in public relations, joins from Cashmere Agency, where she led strategy for Taco Bell, Coca-Cola and Danone. n her new role, she will oversee theatre shows, as well as global and national Latin tours.
The new hires join Fabi Kulick who was announced last year as the company’s head of Latin tour marketing.
The Latin concerts team has grown to handle national and regional touring, as well as national and regional marketing strategies for its slew of tours including Bad Bunny, Los Bukis, Maná, Marco Antonio Solís and Rosalía.
Maria Lanao was previously confirmed as the new Latin talent buyer for the northeast as well as the addition of two new regional marketing directors as part of the Latin touring team: Gabriela Ortega in the Southeast and Lucy Herrera in the midwest.
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Romeo Santos breaks records at 80k+ MetLife stadium
Bachata star Romeo Santos became the first Latin artist to headline – and sell out – the 82,500-capacity MetLife stadium in New Jersey on Saturday (21 September).
The Live Nation-promoted show was the highest grossing concert in the stadium’s history, breaking the record previously held by Irish rockers U2.
Special guests including Cardi B, reggaeton stars Ozuna and Wisin and Yandel and fellow Bachata artists Raulin Rodriguez, El Chaval and Zacarias Ferreira, as well as members from Santos’ former band Aventura, joined the singer onstage during his 22-track, four-hour performance.
“Romeo Santos has solidified himself as one of the greatest Latin artists of the generation with his historic MetLife show”
“Romeo Santos has solidified himself as one of the greatest Latin artists of the generation with his historic MetLife show,” comments Hans Schafer, head of Live Nation Latin. “This feat continues to show the power of Latin artists in the touring space and is a proud moment for Live Nation.”
The show celebrated Santos’ most recent album Utopia, which debuted at number one on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums list when released in April.
In 2014, Santos became the first Latin solo artist to headline a concert at New York’s 54,250-capacity Yankee Stadium.
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Second AEG exec defects to Live Nation Latin
Live Nation has hired Patricia Flores, a 15-year veteran of the Latin music industry, as vice-president of marketing for its new Live Nation Latin division.
Flores (pictured) most recently served as head of Latin marketing at AEG/Goldenvoice, and will report to Live Nation Latin SVP Hans Schafer – also an AEG alumnus.
“Patty has a unique way of tapping into the hearts and minds of Latin music fans to help connect them with artists from across the globe,” says Schafer. “We’ve worked together in the past, and I’ve seen her creative marketing strategies elevate countless projects, so I’m very we excited to have her as a key member of the Live Nation Latin team.”
Encompassing concerts, festivals and artist development, Live Nation Latin was formed in November 2017 to build on the company’s recent Latin successes, which include the Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull Live! tour, Prince Royce’s Five tour and Shakira’s El Dorado world tour.
Bolstered by the record-breaking success of Luis Fonsi’s ‘Despacito’, 2017 has been called the year of the ‘Latin music revolution’ as a result of the genre’s newfound popularity among non-Hispanophone audiences.
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Hans Schafer to head up new Live Nation Latin division
AEG’s former director of Latin talent, Hans Schafer, has joined Live Nation as head of Live Nation Latin, a newly formed department dedicated to increasing the company’s presence in the growing US market for Latin music.
Encompassing concerts, festivals and artist development, Live Nation Latin will build on the company’s recent Latin successes, which include the Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull Live! tour, Prince Royce’s Five tour and Shakira’s upcoming El Dorado world tour, to “amplify Live Nation’s touring expertise across the Latin genre”, says the touring giant.
Schafer will report into Live Nation’s co-president of US concerts, Bob Roux, who comments: “Fan demand for live events is rising across the board, and we have been seeing increased demand for Latin live events in lock step with the overall market.
“We have been seeing increased demand for Latin live events in lock step with the overall market”
“Hans’s specific insights and experience related to the Latin touring business and his valuable talent relationships will allow Live Nation to continue to grow this important segment of live entertainment.”
“Live Nation already works with some of the world’s leading Latin artists, and I look forward to continuing to develop marquee events with these performers as well as up and coming Latin talent,” adds Schafer.
Bolstered by the record-breaking success of Luis Fonsi’s ‘Despacito’, 2017 has been called the year of the ‘Latin music revolution’ as a result of the genre’s newfound popularity among non-Hispanophone audiences.
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