Latin superstars rock box offices
By Scott Galupo
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
We realize money isn't everything, but many times it's a leading indicator of where the zeitgeist is heading.
Take last week's Pollstar concert-tour rankings. Though it was front-loaded with familiar names such as Simon and Garfunkel, Cher and the Eagles, there lurked in the middle, at Nos. 6 and 7 respectively, a pair of acts you may not know from the rover on Mars: Luis Miguel and Mana.
Don't worry; we're in no position to unleash the "What spider hole have you been hiding in?" cracks. Mr. Miguel, for the uninitiated, is a Latin pop superstar, beloved in his native Mexico and beyond for more than 10 years.
He has won Grammys of both the general and Latin variety, and last year, he was nominated in the favorite-Latin-artist category at the American Music Awards. In the looks department, he likely would pass for a hunk. Mr. Miguel, it could be said, was a forerunner of Latin pop sensations such as Enrique Iglesias, Ricky Martin and Marc Anthony.
Mana, a Mexican pop-rock band, has eclectic tastes and a lefty social conscience. With 16 million in album sales, the rock-en-espanol band put out its first compilation album in November and also boasts an "MTV Unplugged" album. (Released in 1999, it sort of missed the boat on that trend.)
What does all this mean?
Obviously, it means that Hispanics, now that they have overtaken blacks as the largest minority population in the country, are flexing their market muscles. With 35 million and counting — and a new possibility of liberalized immigration laws — those muscles are only going to get bigger.
This new factor in the entertainment market could have interesting implications. Gaining strength in both the concert and CD industries, might Latin music serve to marginalize hip-hop in the coming years?
Even though it does well in album sales and has plenty of young white listeners, hip-hop has never really translated well to the stage. Hip-hop concert tours usually come in packages, and they never compete in proceeds with artists who play arenas or large theaters. (The Jay-Z/50 Cent "Rock the Mic" tour last summer was promising but was marred by a shooting outside a Toronto venue.)
Conversely, Latin music, as last week's Pollstar figures show, is a strong concert draw — stronger, for example, than the country star of the moment, Toby Keith, the heartthrob John Mayer and the perennially popular jam band Widespread Panic. It has proved broadly popular with crossover artists such as Christina Aguilera and specialty draws such as Mr. Miguel and Mana.
It's only a matter of time, we think, before a non-crossover Latin act — possibly even a Spanish-language album — sits atop the Billboard Top 100 with help from neither whites nor blacks.
By Scott Galupo
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
We realize money isn't everything, but many times it's a leading indicator of where the zeitgeist is heading.
Take last week's Pollstar concert-tour rankings. Though it was front-loaded with familiar names such as Simon and Garfunkel, Cher and the Eagles, there lurked in the middle, at Nos. 6 and 7 respectively, a pair of acts you may not know from the rover on Mars: Luis Miguel and Mana.
Don't worry; we're in no position to unleash the "What spider hole have you been hiding in?" cracks. Mr. Miguel, for the uninitiated, is a Latin pop superstar, beloved in his native Mexico and beyond for more than 10 years.
He has won Grammys of both the general and Latin variety, and last year, he was nominated in the favorite-Latin-artist category at the American Music Awards. In the looks department, he likely would pass for a hunk. Mr. Miguel, it could be said, was a forerunner of Latin pop sensations such as Enrique Iglesias, Ricky Martin and Marc Anthony.
Mana, a Mexican pop-rock band, has eclectic tastes and a lefty social conscience. With 16 million in album sales, the rock-en-espanol band put out its first compilation album in November and also boasts an "MTV Unplugged" album. (Released in 1999, it sort of missed the boat on that trend.)
What does all this mean?
Obviously, it means that Hispanics, now that they have overtaken blacks as the largest minority population in the country, are flexing their market muscles. With 35 million and counting — and a new possibility of liberalized immigration laws — those muscles are only going to get bigger.
This new factor in the entertainment market could have interesting implications. Gaining strength in both the concert and CD industries, might Latin music serve to marginalize hip-hop in the coming years?
Even though it does well in album sales and has plenty of young white listeners, hip-hop has never really translated well to the stage. Hip-hop concert tours usually come in packages, and they never compete in proceeds with artists who play arenas or large theaters. (The Jay-Z/50 Cent "Rock the Mic" tour last summer was promising but was marred by a shooting outside a Toronto venue.)
Conversely, Latin music, as last week's Pollstar figures show, is a strong concert draw — stronger, for example, than the country star of the moment, Toby Keith, the heartthrob John Mayer and the perennially popular jam band Widespread Panic. It has proved broadly popular with crossover artists such as Christina Aguilera and specialty draws such as Mr. Miguel and Mana.
It's only a matter of time, we think, before a non-crossover Latin act — possibly even a Spanish-language album — sits atop the Billboard Top 100 with help from neither whites nor blacks.
