Corina Smith, Bastian & More at Latin Music Week 2024: Memorable Quotes From Rimas Publishing Panel

Corina Smith, Bastian, Valentina and David Wild met at Billboard Latin Music Week 2024 for the panel “The Role of Music Publishers in Cross-Cultural Collaborations” presented by Rimas Publishing on Monday (October 14).

Coordinator of Billboard Pamela Bustios, the discussion with A&R, artists and producers focused on how publishers help bridge cultures and facilitate cross-border hits. Below, read some of the memorable quotes from the panel.

Corina Smith: “There is great art in performing songs that are not your own, but there is also the side of singing what you wrote. There is an exciting feeling of creating a song from scratch. When you sing it live and the audience sings it with you, it's the most beautiful thing about being an artist.”

David Wilde: “It's not a job where we think about whether a song will be a hit. Whether it is a success or not is for the audience to decide. As a team, we deliver this production to the public. Sometimes the song you least expect is a hit or vice versa. You believe a lot in a project and maybe it doesn't connect with the fans. We have to trust what we do in the studio. We don't limit art to a hit.”

Valentine: “I got my first hit in Mexico. I already had a community there. In 2022, I traveled there and started knocking on doors on radio and television. One super random day, my manager told me that a friend of a friend could help us promote my song on a 24-hour digital billboard. And in those 24 hours, someone who worked at Universal Music Mexico saw it, wrote me, connected with my team, and today, I'm signed with Universal Music Mexico.”

Bastian: “The best producer has to have a lot of discipline. It's about leveraging the tools you have in your favor to become a good business. The world is changing very fast and we cannot be left behind. I think it's important to find a way to integrate AI into your work because if you don't, you're going to be left behind.”

For the past 35 years, Latin Music Week has become the one, steadfast foundation of Latin music in this country, being the most important—and largest—gathering of Latin artists and industry executives in the world. Originally named the Latin Music Seminar, sponsored by Billboard, the event dates back to 1990, where it began as a one-day event in Miami featuring a two-artist showcase and an awards show.

Over the years, it has taken place in Miami, Las Vegas and Puerto Rico, returning to Miami Beach for a fourth consecutive year in 2024, and has welcomed some of the biggest Latin acts, including Celia Cruz, Selena, Ricky Martin, Chayanne, Jenni. Rivera, Daddy Yankee, Karol G, Bad Bunny and Romeo Santos. Latin Music Week coincides with the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards airing at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, October 20, on Telemundo. It will be available simultaneously on Universo, Peacock and the Telemundo app and in Latin America and the Caribbean through Telemundo Internacional.