The Beat Goes On – Newsweek

A year ago, it was difficult to find a nightclub in Latin America that wasn’t pulsating to “Gasolina,” a raunchy number by reggaeton star Daddy Yankee. Bootleg CDs of the tune were on sale at street stalls from Santo Domingo to Tijuana. In the United States, however, the 28-year-old Puerto Rican was still a no-name outside of urban, largely Hispanic areas like the Bronx.
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In fact, Latin music””reggaeton included””could be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the current digital revolution. After all, the demand is already there: in recent years, Latin music has enjoyed unprecedented global popularity thanks to the initial U.S. crossover success of artists like Shakira and Juanes. But while U.S. sales of Latin music are rising””growing at nearly 20 percent so far this year””it’s also the most pirated genre. As a result, the supply chain has been cut: several major Mexican record labels have folded in recent years, and in 2004 piracy prompted a Warner Music Group division to dump the hugely popular Mexico City band El Tri. Although El Tri was selling out concerts, the group just couldn’t move enough records to generate a profit. Satellite radio could offer these popular-yet-still-struggling artists a direct channel to their listeners.

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cross-posted at latinmusicnews.com

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