It’s a good time to be a Latin musician, specifically a Reggaeton artist. It’s bone-rattling, hip activating, start-stop beats and rhythms, have long ago expanded beyond quinceañeras and barrio dancehalls, to top every chart out there, and spearhead the way we consume modern music.
Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito” song featuring Justin Bieber singing flawless Spanish, tied Mariah Carey for the longest run at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 list, for 16 straight weeks! That’s 4 months of people listening to Despacito nonstop! That’s 1/3 of a year! Talk about a global phenomenon.
Photo: Graphic Courtesy of Spotify
It’s no wonder why non-reggaeton and non-latin artists are borrowing from this latin genre into their own songs, like Ed Sheeran’s ‘Shape of You’ which just so happens to be the second-most streamed song in Spotify ever (and it will soon be number one, over Drake’s One Dance which currently tops this list). Other trendsetting artists jumping on the bandwagon are Justin Beiber of course, Major Lazer, French Montana, Sia, among others more on the avant-garde side like Post Malone.
Spotify has endorsed the genre since Head of Global Cultures, Shows & Editorial at Spotify, Rocio Guerrero, curated the first Baila Reggaeton playlist in November 2013 to great success. On May 2014, Spotify’s 10 million users grew to 140 million in June 2017, a statistic that is directly proportional to the 119% growth of stream share in Reggaeton music.
In a way, Reggaeton fans are dictating the future of music consumption. Spotify and Reggaeton’s growth is parallel, and they both are dominating tendencies. If an artist manages to get on the Baila Reggaeton playlist, it’s a sure guarantee that his music will reach millions of ears everywhere.
Photo: Graph Courtesy of Spotify
“The importance of being part of Spotify’s Baila Reggaeton playlist is that those interested in the genre, as well as existing fans have access to the latest in Reggaeton, in turn, this expands the reach of the genre and our culture worldwide. I feel extremely blessed each time one of my songs makes it on a chart – this is one more reason to celebrate”
J Balvin
“It shows the power of our music globally, especially with Reggaeton. I realized Spotify’s influence when I saw radio programmers looking to these types of playlists to program the most popular songs on their stations. Every day, the game keeps changing.”
Daddy Yankee
Photo: Graph Courtesy of Spotify
Other things to take into consideration is the work ethic involved in the genre. Most Reggaeton comes from Puerto Rico and Colombia, and while the music is a big part of these countries culture, according to Spotify, its citizens have listened to 7,500 years of Reggaeton in comparison to the 140,000 years of Reggaeton that has been listened to Reggaeton consumers in the rest of the world. That means that 95% of Reggaeton music is exported outside their place of origin. There isn’t a single corner of the world where a Reggaeton artist won’t perform, in stark contrast with other mainstream artists and their unbearable standards, which isolates them from markets in developing countries.
Spotify has endorsed the genre since Head of Global Cultures, Shows & Editorial at Spotify, Rocio Guerrero, curated the first Baila Reggaeton playlist in November 2013 to great success. On May 2014, Spotify’s 10 million users grew to 140 million in June 2017, a statistic that is directly proportional to the 119% growth of stream share in Reggaeton music.
