New national report examines the rise of Latin music in Canada and its need for industry support

The reporttitled Understanding the barriers and opportunities of the Latin music community in Canadaidentifies the structural and financial challenges of the Canadian music ecosystem, as well as the need for increased support and representation of Latin artists and industry professionals.

The report points out that Latin music receives little recognition at the Junos in particular, where Latin artists compete in the broad “World Music Album of the Year” category. There is also a lack of Latin music executives in relation to the success of Latin artists.

“The Latin community has grown significantly over the last 10 to 15 years in Canada, but it still remains largely untapped,” says Martín Añón, co-founder and president of Speaking Non-English, at Billboard Canada. “We hope that more industry leaders and stakeholders will speak to the Latin community and understand the huge missed opportunity for Canada to not support and invest in the development of diaspora music . »

Mr. Añón, along with his co-founder and Chairman of the Board Maurizio Ruiz and Vice-Chairman Andrés Mendoza, partnered with researchers from the Creative School at Metropolitan University of Toronto to conduct research for more than one year, with the support of Ontario Creates and Mitacs.

Charlie Wall-Andrews, assistant professor in the Department of Creative Industries at Toronto Metropolitan University, said: “By creating more inclusiveness in our ecosystem, we will ensure greater prosperity in all areas. »

Growth of Latin music in Canada

Canada’s Latin community is growing. Hispanic-Latin Americans now make up 3.3% of the country’s population, up from 1.8% in 2001. And Canadians listen to Latin music – in 2022, Latin music was the seventh largest genre on the Canadian market. It is also the second fastest growing genre in Canada, according to the report, just behind Punjabi music.

Faced with the growth of the genre, new initiatives are emerging, such as the Fuego Fuego festival in Montreal, and others are gaining momentum, such as the Carnaval del Sol in Vancouver, which attracted 30,000 people.

The report cites the label Lulaworld Records as an example of success. Growing out of Toronto’s Lula Lounge and its Lulaworld festival, which has long programmed Latin artists, the label has helped create an infrastructure for Latin artists, offering workshops, live music and representing talent such as the Afro-Cuban group OKAN.

“There are people who do some really bad shit,” pop star Jessie Reyez says in the report, “but the more we push that shit into the spotlight, the better it will be, and the more good things will come out of it.” »

Obstacles and challenges facing the community

The research process for the report included a survey and focus groups with musicians and industry professionals, revealing significant barriers to success for Latin artists.

Although Latin music is popular, few Latin music professionals are in management positions, leading to a lack of understanding of how to support Latin artists, according to the report. There is also a lack of targeted funding specifically for Latin music and no major awards given to recognize Latin music genres.

85% of participants surveyed “believe that the contributions and influence of Latin Canadian artists are not sufficiently recognized,” the report states. “Latin American artists and music professionals tend to feel ignored and believe that their music has no outlets.

Particular attention is paid to the Juno Awards, with researchers noting that of the country’s top 11 music genres (according to Luminate), Latin music is the only one not to have its own category at the country’s major music awards. The Latin Grammys are used as an example of an awards program that has helped support Latin music, with Canadian artists such as Alex Cuba and Lido Pimienta receiving recognition from the Latin Grammys without having a similar award in their home country.

Other significant challenges include the lack of targeted financial support, difficulty in promoting events and securing brand endorsements, and the dominant institutional attitude in Canada that non-English and non-French music has less weight here. An analysis of 22 key Canadian music organizations reveals that only one offers financial support aimed specifically at Latin artists. “The number one thing I’ve consistently seen across the music industry in Canada is that we have always been responsive. We have never been proactive,” says an industry professional. “This is why Drake, Weeknd, Justin Bieber, Alessia Cara must sign with American labels to break through.

Looking to the future

The report makes several calls to action, chief among them the creation of a category for Latin music in the Juno Awards. Other calls focus on medium- and long-term strategic development initiatives aimed at supporting Latin Canadian creators and intensifying research, in order to refute the widespread idea that there is no market for music Latin in Canada.M. Añón indicates that the first call is in progress.

A proposal to create a “Latin Music Recording of the Year” category at the Junos is in the works, with more than 50 letters of support from the music community. “Although the process has been long, we are optimistic about its eventual inclusion,” adds Mr. Añón.

“Many Latin artists already exceed the average Juno winner in terms of consumption, even if you don’t take into account big names like Jessie Reyez. The community is aware of this disparity, which only increases their frustration. »

But Añón emphasizes that the Juno Awards are only one piece of the puzzle. Afterwards, Speaking Non-English plans to launch a business development program, offering workshops and one-on-one mentoring for Latino creators.