There is a tidal wave of Latin music going around the world and Mexican music is at its crest. Mexico City is now Spotify’s world streaming capital

Where is Mexican music going? Follow the Latin tidal wave

Do you listen to Latin music? Do you stream Mexican Music?  If the answer is yes to either question you are part of a tidal wave of musical change in the world.  If you live in Mexico like I do, you are part of one of the fastest growing music audiences in the world and you are listening to one of the fastest growing genres in  the world.

Latin America was the second fastest growing music market in the world (Southern Africa being #1). Recorded music revenues in Latin music were up by 19.4% last year, outpacing the global growth rate. Mexico, the region’s second largest market, was up +18.2% (Brazil with 86 million more people is first).

Celia Carrillo, Executive Vice President, Marketing, of Universal Music in Latin America & the Iberian Peninsula, knows why: critics, the industry, and people love Latin Music. She points to Karol G. as example #1: “in 2023 we broke new records with Karol G’s album Mañana sera bonito becoming the first album in Spanish from a female artist to top the Billboard 200 list in the United States” and it went on to win 3 Latin Grammys and Album of the Year.

While Karol G is Columbian, Mexican artists and audiences play a huge part in the Latin music explosion. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Latin music revenue in Mexico reached a record $627 million in the first half of 2023 (data not available for the full year). This is an 18.2% increase over the previous year. In 2024, the revenue in the Digital Music market alone in Mexico is projected at US$511.20m, driven by the young demographics of Mexico.  Ad in disc sales, concerts, merchandise  and we are looking at a $1 billion+ music market in Mexico.

There is another reason for Latin music’s explosion, especially in Mexico: pride. As Afo Verde, Chairman & CEO of Sony Music Latin America, Spain & Portugal points out, “there is a growing sense of cultural pride and revival amongst Latin audiences. Local genres and artists are gaining popularity as people seek out music that reflects their identity.”  This is one reason why Mexico is # 5 globally in the number of listeners on Spotify and why Spotify announced last year that  Mexico City is the music streaming capital of the world. Mexicans revel in music that reflects who they are.

Part of the pride is seen and reinforced by the explosive popularity of mariachi. From the first recording of mariachi in 1908 by Cuarteto Coculense to the annual Encuentro Internacional del Mariachi y la Charrería  in Guadalajara, which  attracts over 10,000 people a day, mariachi has exploded into  a worldwide phenomenon. Mariachi is a key part of Mexican musical pride and of the rise of Mexican regional music in the Latin explosion.

Of course, Mexican regional music has been around for centuries. Regional Mexican – which includes  banda, corridos, norteño, sierreño, mariachi, Son Jarocho, Son Huasteco, Aztec ,  and more subgenres – are  accessible on streaming platforms worldwide. New regional artists push Mexican music to next level by fusing traditional genres with hip-hop, rap, rock, and reggaetón to appeal to wider and younger audiences that live on streaming platforms.  Mexican and Mexican-American artists are leading the Billboard Global 200 — taking the three top spots on the May 6 chart -unheard of!

So where is Mexican music going? With artists like Dulce Maria, Alfredo Olivas, Denisse Guerrero, Camila Sodi, Groupo Fronteras, Groupo Firme, Estabo Armando, Selena Gomez,  Bad Gyal, Chio Pacas,  and Peso Pluma now topping Spotify playlists,  it seems that Mexican music is going the same place Latin  music is going– around the world.

Patrick O’Heffernan