¿Puede la música latina ahorrar la industria?

In a time where record sales are pretty much universally tanking, there is one beacon of light in the shipwreck. The Latin music market has actually been growing slightly every year in terms of sales, giving the labels a bit of hope in a time of drastic changes. Unfortunately, this is a false hope.

The demographic that listens to Latin is quite different from your average consumer. The purchasing power driving these sales are reluctant to use the internet, or may not be savvy enough to be able to use downloading software. No matter what format the consumer is interested in, the demand for Latin music will continue to grow. And it is only a matter of time before the the digital revolution comes to Latin America.

In my experiences with my students at a local middle school, I found the Spanish-language boy band Rebelde extremely popular with the next wave of Latino young people. Part of the reggaeton revolution, rapper Pit Bull - who is slated to perform at the Shrine Auditorium - also commands an impressive sway over a younger, more technologically advanced fan base. As these fans grow older and begin to purchase music on their own, I predict that their purchasing method of choice will soon become digital downloads.

The trend is already implementing itself. Although iTunes, Napster or BitTorrent might not yet be household names in Latin America, times are changing. Digital downloads have increased by 15 times since 2005, with high quality ringtones for wireless devices comprising a good amount of that increase. This already shows a shift in the Latin American culture in general. With the explosive popularity of mobile devices, consumers are becoming less and less reluctant to forgo the CD format.