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.”

Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.

Miami-based promoter Loud and Live has announced details of the inaugural Country Bay Music Festival in conjunction with its South Florida-focused live events division, EngageLive!

Staged on the grounds of Miami Marine Stadium, the festival will take place from 11-12 November with headliners Thomas Rhett, Sam Hunt, Chris Young, Lee Brice and Lainey Wilson.

“We are thrilled to announce the launch of this premier country music festival in Miami, bringing together the best of country music across the vibrant and energetic backdrop of this magical city,” says Loud and Live CEO Nelson Albareda. “Our goal is to create a memorable experience for music fans and our partner sponsors alike, and ultimately to establish Miami as a destination for country music enthusiasts from around the world.”

Country Bay Music Festival also promises to showcase performances from Randy Houser, Chris Lane, LOCASH and Elle King, as well as up-and-coming artists such as Restless Road, Blanco Brown, Josh Ross, Hailey Whitters, and David J, plus country-Latin duo Kat & Alex and Neon Union.

“We are confident that Country Bay Music Festival will be a must-attend event for years to come”

“With an incredible lineup of the top country music artists and a picturesque waterfront venue that has a long history of iconic country music shows, including Jimmy Buffet and Kenny Rogers among others, we are confident that Country Bay Music Festival will be a must-attend event for years to come,” adds EngageLive CEO Tony Albelo.

The two-day festival will also offer activities, including The Saloon Experience, a 360-degree country-themed bar offering an assortment of craft beer, whiskey, bourbon, and tequila. Fans will also be able to enjoy other festival experiences, including sponsor activations, games, culinary experiences, photo booth opportunities, line dancing, a mechanical bull, and a giant Ferris wheel.

Fans will also have the opportunity to attend the event by boat or yacht with an anchorage access pass. Weekend festival passes start at US$159 (€148), with Beach Club passes available from $699 (€652) and platinum VIP weekend tickets at $1,599 (€1,491).

Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.

Loud and Live founder and CEO Nelson Albareda has given an insight the company’s global expansion plans in a Q&A with IQ.

The Miami, Florida-headquartered live entertainment and sports firm produces and manages the tours of many of the world’s biggest Latin artists, presenting more than 300 live concerts around the US, Canada, Puerto Rico and Latin America in 2022.

It has worked with the likes of Pitbull, Ricky Martin, Chainsmokers, Steve Aoki, Luis Fonsi, Calvin Harris, Roberto Carlos, Juan Luis Guerra and Franco De Vita, and moved into Europe last year with the inaugural Madrid Championship CrossFit competition.

Albareda will chair the Latin Live panel at this year’s ILMC at 3.30pm on Wednesday 1 March. Here, he expands further on Loud and Live’s international plans, reflects on its link-ups with Move Concerts and ASM Global, and considers what the future holds for Latin music…

How do you plan to grow your touring offering on a global level in 2023?

“We expanded our geographical touring focus in 2022, having launched our Latin America division, including producing shows in Colombia and Ecuador with the likes of Camilo, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Carlos Vives, Gian Marco and Ricardo Arjona. A handful of those shows took place in stadiums, including Carlos Vives and Ricardo Arjona, the latter of which included multiple sold-out stadium shows in Ecuador.

“In 2023 we’ll be doubling down on those efforts, expanding our offering even further into Central and South America. We’re also looking to initiate our European presence, with some initial shows in Spain on the back half of 2023.”

“The plan is to grow our team and presence in Madrid to expand our focus across live music as well”

Last year, you entered the European market with the Madrid Championship. Will you be making any moves in the continent’s live music scene?

“Yes, we launched this event in 2021 and we’ve been growing our footprint there ever since. The plan is to grow our team and presence in Madrid to expand our focus across live music as well.”

In what ways has your joint venture with Move Concerts been fruitful?

“Our complementary business focuses have brought together a compelling value proposition from a geographical expansion perspective, which has resulted in a broader offering and value proposition to the artists we work with. We will continue to collaborate and expand on our partnership in 2023, particularly as Loud and Live looks to continue its growth in Latin America, where Move is a leader.

“On a personal level, I continue to learn from Phil Rodriguez and his wealth of knowledge around the business, he’s truly a pioneer in live entertainment and someone I – and our team – consider a mentor.”

How do you see your partnership with ASM Global evolving?

“Our partnership with ASM has gone well and we continue to collaborate across strategic opportunities. We already have a robust pipeline of live shows lined up across their venues for 2023 and beyond.”

“Latin music has evolved and is now mainstream, and there’s a slew of Latin artists that have yet to blow up ala Bad Bunny”

2022 was a seminal year for the Latin music business, how do you see that continuing in 2023?

“Honestly, I expect the genre to continue the growth it’s had over the last two decades. Latin music has evolved and is now mainstream, and there’s a slew of Latin artists that have yet to blow up ala Bad Bunny, which will only further solidify Latin music on a global level.”

How are ticket sales going for 2023 concerts and what is selling well?

“Ticket sales are going very strong for 2023 and we don’t see any indication of that slowing down, so we expect sales to be strong again across all the type of artists we work with. That said, we have seen indications that Tropical music is making a strong comeback and sales are outperforming vs. previous tours, so that’s an interesting trend that we’ll continue to follow.”

What kind of challenges lie ahead for Loud And Live and the business in general?

“We’re coming off of a historic year of growth and our pipeline for 2023 is even stronger, so currently our biggest challenge would be managing any macro-economic factors. That said, live entertainment has proven to be a somewhat recession proof industry, so time will tell what impact, if any, those factors could have.”

“The largest opportunity we see for 2023 is continuing the growth of our market share across North America, while continuing to expand globally”

What opportunities do you foresee for 2023?

“The largest opportunity we see for 2023 is continuing the growth of our market share across North America, while continuing to expand globally.”

What will 2023 bring for Loud and Live?

“Besides continuing to forward investment across our live event side of the business, we will continue to diversify across complementary verticals.

“Among other exciting opportunities, we recently announced a partnership with booking agency Tesa Entertainment, a leading Latin-urban focused booking and management agency. The global partnership deal includes exclusive touring and booking rights for Loud And Live, in an effort to elevate the Latin urban genre to the next level. The first artist signed under the deal is Panamanian singer-songwriter Boza, who broke out in 2020 with his hit song Hecha Pa’ Mí and was nominated for best new artist at the 2021 Latin Grammys.

“Additionally, we will be investing further in live event IP, including launching and producing Miami’s premiere country music festival, appropriately titled Country Bay Music Festival. The large-scale multi-day music festival will feature A-List talent (to be announced in February), as well as emerging country acts. The festival will take place at the historic Miami Marine Stadium on 11-12 November 2023.”

Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.