On Grupo Firme’s final night of seven sold-out shows in 2021 at what was then called the Staples Center, frontman Edwin Kaz opened their a cappella chorus of “En Tu Perra Vida” – “In Your Wronged Life.”
Standing in the back, wearing white Dodgers-inspired T-shirts emblazoned with “Thanks LA,” the rest of the septet waited for Cas to finish before joining in.
“It was like a party on stage,” recalled Hallie Yavitch, senior vice president of booking operations and marketing for Crypto.com Arena and the nearby Peacock Theatre and LA Live. “It was the best way to kick off our concert series post-COVID.”
Grupo Firme members will receive an announcement at the Staples Center in July 2021.
(Timothy Norris/Getty Images)
Grupo Firme’s shows were among the first to take place in Los Angeles after pandemic restrictions were lifted and reflected not only post-COVID relief but the continued rise of Mexican music in the United States and around the world. Los Angeles plays a key role in the rise of the genre.
Javic said he had hoped to book Grupo Firme for three shows, but tickets sold out quickly and four more concerts were added to meet demand. A group from Tijuana was close by 80,000 fans to the arena and He won 7 million dollars.The group currently holds the record for most Latin shows in a single year, behind only Adele’s record during that time.”Adele Lives 16” journey.
After the group’s success in 2021 at Staples, Grupo Firme continued its tour across the country and the fifth highest-grossing tour of the year, earning $167.7 millionaccording to trade publication Pollstar.
The Recording Industry Association’s 2022 report. The United States has revealed that Latin music revenues, which include reggaeton and salsa, exceeded one billion dollars for the first time.
A Luminate report released earlier this year revealed that regional music in Mexico is now the largest Latin subgenre in the US.and was also one of the most important factors in the development of Latin music. Year 2023 Spotify Report shows that Mexican music streams have increased by more than 440% worldwide in the last five years.
Los Angeles is a huge market for this genre. According to the Pew Research Center, people of Mexican descent make up 75% of the total Latino population in the region, and almost half of the city’s residents are Latino. Luminate’s 2023 report revealed this 83% of the US Mexican regional audience They are Latinos.
Since Grupo Firme broke records, other regional Mexican acts have performed at Crypto.com and the Peacock Theatre, including corrido tumbado singer Junior H, sad-sack sawyer Esclabón Armado and romantic balladeer Iván Cornejo. Yavich estimates that one in five shows at these venues falls into the Latin music category.
Those artists, the executive said, also drive business to the adjacent LA Live area. After concerts, fans can continue the night at restaurants and bars, all of which Yavitch Markets serves.
From the return of live entertainment, artists such as Los Bukis, Peso Pluma and Youth Hamong others, were looking at Los Angeles as a key stop, according to Eddie Orjuela, a veteran Latin music bookie for national live event promotion company Nederlander Concerts. He adds that streaming is also boosting attendance and venues are seeing a surge in ticket sales for Mexican music acts.
Peso Pluma will appear at the YouTube Theater in July 2023.
(Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)
According to Orjuela, artists and venues will receive larger payments. Venues also benefit from the sale of alcohol, food, merchandise, parking fees and other costs associated with the concert.
“That’s where the money is,” Orjuela said. “It really becomes a win-win situation for the venue, the artist, the promoter and the manager.”
Grammy-nominated Latin group bookmakersLed by co-founder Marco Antonio Solis, it also capitalized on the post-pandemic return to Los Angeles as the first Latin act to sell out SoFi Stadium. according to Survey Star DataTheir two stadium dates were just a pair behind the Rolling Stones (at SoFi and Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium) as the third-highest-grossing concerts of 2021, grossing more than $13 million.
Adolfo Romero, vice president of event bookings and revenue generation for SoFi Stadium and YouTube Theatre, was not surprised by Los Bucice’s performance.
“Obviously, it’s a profitable business, so we’ve worked to identify those key areas of business that make sense,” Romero said, adding that a third of the shows booked at the two venues are Latin acts. “But at the end of the day, the way we make our decisions is whether or not it makes sense for us (LA) community.”
Los Bukis frontman and co-founder Marco Antonio Solís will play the Los Angeles Coliseum in August 2022.
(Raul Roa/Los Angeles Times)
He performs with the cumbia group Los Ángeles Azules, the balladeer Ana Bárbara and the phenomenon of corridos tumbados. lightweight also benefited from the genre’s strong growth and performed at the YouTube Theatre, a 6,000-capacity venue next to SoFi. Romero said the concerts attract a diverse, multigenerational audience.
Promoters and bookmakers like Orjuela are interested in Mexican music shows outside of Los Angeles, as well as from the Inland Empire to Orange County. Orjuela said acts can make a lot of money as long as the shows are sufficiently spread across the three regions. Fuerza Regida is a great example, he adds, as the San Bernardino group visited a nearby town. Ontario and sold out Toyota ArenaBuilding with 11,000 spaces.
Other artists, such as Los Tigres del Norte, have performed in the Inland Empire area, and tickets for Banda MS’ November show will go on sale soon for the Toyota Arena.
“Los Angeles is a melting pot of regional Mexican music,” Orjuela said, adding that promoters across the country are featuring the Los Angeles theme as a guide for bookings. “If they do well here, artists know they have a better chance of going to other markets.”
