Moderater: Emily Simonitsch House of Blues Concerts
Amy Blackman Tsunami Entertainment
Fernan Martinez Fernan Martinez
Communications
Jorge Naranjo Cardenas Marketing Network
John Pantle The Agency Group
Kate Ramos Live Nation
Michel Vega William Morris Agency

The standard paradigm does not work for the Latin market. An agent doesn’t just book dates; a promotion company faces one of the more stressful presales it will ever encounter; and niche marketing is the order of the day.

Want to find the Latin audience? Follow a tortilla truck.

In other words, Latin music touring is lucrative but definitely the redheaded stepchild of touring.

John Pantle learned the ways of the market as a club buyer. He would offer a Latin act the standard guarantee, then learn the group also wanted visas, a flight and hotel. Pantle had only seen the standard agreements, the ones he made day in and day out with agents like Frank Riley and Steve Martin.

“Bruce Solar doesn’t have to concern himself with buses or flights with a band like Cake,” Pantle said.

In contrast, Pantle deals with visas, bus companies, airlines, hotels, Internet companies and has to actively pursue television opportunities for his clients.

It’s not always comfortable but, Pantle said, “I remember my experiences at a club and I didn’t want other talent buyers to equate this particular market of tremendous amount of growth, that makes fantastic, exuberant music and will continue to grow, smeared with, ‘Oh, they’re not together.’"

Michel Vega dispelled myths about the Latin market, including that there is one.

“There is no such thing as a Latin market. The last time I heard Latin was at a cathedral in Italy,” Vega said. “One cannot think of it as a specific market. We’re talking about millions of people from multiple places. Some speak English, some speak Spanish, some speak both. A 40-year-old from Mexico will have different taste than a 15-year-old from Puerto Rico.”

Another myth: A U.S. promoter does not have a Latino community in the market. Juanes recently sold 2,600 tickets in Minneapolis whereas The Killers sold 1,800. In Atlantic City, Snoop Dogg sold 1,000 tix, The Killers sold 3,500 and Juanes 4,000.

It’s also a myth that Latinos do not have the money to buy tickets; in fact, the average ticket price for a Latin show is much higher than the same act in the general market, Vega said.

He added that, despite what some believe, Latino audiences will buy tickets prior to the day of show, at least for concerts with reserved seating. However, he later shocked the audience with presale figures for GA shows. For instance, Los Tigres Del Norte played a bingo hall in West Warwick, R.I., with 2,700 in attendance at $75 a pop.

“Would anyone like to venture what the presale was?” Vega asked.

Three hundred, Jorge Naranjo guessed.

Vega shook his head. “Zero. Zero tickets sold the day before the show. It was paid in cash, 2,700 people, day of show. I’m just telling you you’re going to have to accept this because this is the way the market works.”

Promotion is required up until the doors open. Sometimes parking fees can turn away customers (solution: include the parking in the original ticket price). Marketing can require following tortilla trucks because
they will lead the promoter to the city’s Latino neighborhoods. Lots of consignment tickets are required, with sales at record stores and bodegas. It’s very important to Latinos to have tickets they can hold in their hands.

No other ethnicity is growing at the rate of the Latino market. It skews young and will wield $900 billion purchasing power in 2007. About 30 percent of Hispanics earn $50,000 or more annually.

Here’s another interesting fact: About 80 percent of Latin acts are not repped by major agencies.
In fact, there is little competition in the industry at the moment, with two of the six major Latin act managers sitting in on the panel. Vega said anyone interested in promoting Latin concerts could count on the panelists for help because there is yet to be a need for competition. Of course, that day will soon be here.