LAMC 25 Years: The Past, Present and Future of Latin Music Panel: 5 Best Quotes

The Latin Alternative Music Conference (LAMC) continues to highlight pivotal voices in the Latin music industry, as seen in its 25 Years of LAMC: Latin Music's Past, Present & Future panel. In this Thursday (July 11) discussion at New York's InterContinental Hotel — featuring prominent music industry executives — the panel focused on the evolution of Latin music over the past quarter-century, charting key trends and predicting future developments.

Coordinator Advertising sign'small Leila Cobo and presented by MTA, panelists included Alex Gallardo of Sony Music Latin, Polo Montalvo of La Buena Fortuna, Luis Dousdebés of The Latin Recording Academy, Bruno del Granado of CAA and Jason Pascal of The Orchard. Cobo raised tough questions about the evolving landscape of the Latin music industry and whether the expansion of Latin music is more affected by streaming technology, cultural shifts, or demographic shifts. He also addressed the nature of music contracts and artist development priorities in the current digital age.

Here are some of the best quotes from LAMC's 25 Years: Latin Music's Past, Present & Future panel at LAMC 2024:

Polo Montalvo of La Buena Fortuna on the opportunities and challenges in the industry: “Not everyone has the same success on stream, live or social, so we're going to leverage each one and see how it helps us get to other places. A lot of times when we talk about success and see success, we think of big artists — but there are a lot of people here who are just starting out and don't have the access that these big artists have.

For example, with [more established artists], I have with them some tools that have developed over time, due to different relationships, deals and situations in their careers. But when you're starting out, you don't have that availability. So for me, it's important that we look at how we can help all the producers and artists that are here — that if they come to this panel or the event like LAMC, that we see how we can support them, considering that more than 90% start.”

Jason Pascal of The Orchard, on adapting global strategies: “The changes and transformations are clearly seen in the growth of the business as a whole and the explosion of Latin music. At The Orchard, this has been our plan from the beginning. we were global 20 years ago when there was no money. There are people who are still with us now who were with us then, like Laura in Argentina and Albert in Spain. They believed in that model and they worked for us, and maybe they made $3,000 in a whole year from working at The Orchard.

The plan was to have people on the ground around the world, ready when streaming exploded. So the fact that streaming and music exploded is the transformation. We're very fortunate that we had the leadership prepared for this, starting to put all these elements in place early on.”

Alex Gallardo of Sony Music Latin, on success in the music industry: “Art, where there's actually an artist able to move, is definitely a key point — and something I find today is that even the greatest artists struggle to keep making hits. And the ones I see doing the best are the most focused, the most disciplined, the ones who go to the studio every day, the ones who every day invite colleagues to collaborate, and the ones whose impulse comes from an inner “I” will. I want more, I want to do it well.'

On the other hand, there are those who sit back, waiting for opportunities to come on their own. And I feel that, right now, with so much competition and so much volume, those who are more passive and wait for things to come to them are confused.”

Luis Dousdebés of the Latin Recording Academy, on the importance of music creation: “It all starts with creating a song. When you're competing with 100 or 1,000 songs a day being uploaded on Spotify alone, I definitely think that making good music is the key to everything. The message, the pace and what you convey. Once the listener gets that vibe, that feeling of the art, it naturally starts to go viral — logically, with the help of promotions and tag flow. But if it's not good music and it doesn't convey anything, it's not going to happen.

The thing is, a lot of people either like it or they don't. This is the art. is the subjective part of grading. I think if the numbers are there and there is one below [on social networks]it means somebody likes it — and that's what's important about the track, knowing who likes it and how it's going to reach those people.”

CAA's Bruno del Granado on the economic impact of the Latino community: “There are over sixty-five million Latinos here. We continue to grow. The other thing I always say is about undocumented immigrants. They consume. They are not coming to take from this country. They go to concerts, buy sneakers and buy iPhones […] Twenty-five years ago this summer, we celebrated a Latin explosion with Enrique [Iglesias]Ricky [Martin]Shakira, Mark [Anthony] and Chayanne. It was a period where there was a clear before and after.”

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the 2024 edition of the Latin Alternative Music Conference features a Q&A with Fonseca, moderated by Advertising signLeila Cobo? a Q&A with Residente, moderated Rolling rock's Julyssa Lopez, panels on the Business of Songwriting, Publicity and Social Media, New Releases and Catalogs, Bridging Music and Money, Touring and more. To view the full LAMC guide, click here.