In the past few years, a number of Latin artists such as Shakira, Maluma and Ozuna, have been selling their catalogs, but when is it the right time to sell or buy?
“Everyone sees everyone selling and the big deals, and think they can do that, but those catalogs have to have matured already, at least have been five years since produced or recorded,” explained panelist Angela “Angie” Martinez, Esq., attorney at law, AngieLaw, during the Power of the Latin Catalog panel — presented by HarbourView — at Latin Music Week 2023.
During the discussion moderated by Hannah Karp, editorial director of Billboard, panelists Sherrese Clarke Soares, founder/CEO, HarbourView; Denny Marte, founder/consultant, MPA Advisors; and Martinez broke down opportunities for both artists looking to sell their catalogs and buyers who are interested in purchasing.
“There are plenty of opportunities for artists who want to sell and buyers who want to buy,” added Marte. “When it’s the right time to sell depends on the earnings of the catalog. There’s a lot of misinformation of names who are selling their catalogs and assume theirs would sell, [but] every catalog sells differently.It also depends on the buyer — everyone has a different criteria of what they’re looking for. It’s like the housing market and understanding when is a good time to sell your home.”
On their interest in purchasing in the Latin space, HarbourView is “really a genre-agnostic company,” explained Clarke Soares. “As a person of Caribbean descent, it was easy for me to see how important and impactful Latin music is to the communities that it serves. We saw so much growth in the underlying market, from the usage perspective … It was a no brainer for us. People who come from communities that are not mainstream are just as important.”
Latin music in general is more attractive now, hence the increase of interest on the buyers side. Compared to other genres, Latin music is catching up in terms of buyers interested in the Latin market “The numbers don’t lie,” said Marte. “Latin music is where it’s at and it has been for now some time. I already felt it was going to start happening. Latin would catch up, now it’s like we have to turn away clients because it’s too much, or their catalog is too young.”
Celebrated for more than 30 years, the 2023 edition of Latin Music Week includes a Superstar Q&A with Shakira; the Legends on Legends chat with Chencho Corleone and Vico C; Making the Hit Live! with Carin León and Pedro Capó; a panel with RBD’s Christian Chávez, Christopher von Uckermann, and Maite Perroni; Superstar Songwriter discussion with Edgar Barrera and Keityn, among many other panels, Q&As and workshops. See the ultimate Latin Music Week guide here.
This year’s Latin Music Week, taking place Oct. 2-6, also includes showcases by Peso Pluma, Mike Bahía and Greeicy, DannyLux and Fonseca, to name a few. Check out the dates and times for the showcases throughout the week here.
Official partners of the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Week include AT&T, Cheetos, CN Bank, Delta Air Lines, Lexus, Netflix, Michelob ULTRA and Smirnoff.
Latin Music Week coincides with the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards ceremony, which will broadcast live from the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Fla., on Thursday (Oct. 5), and will air on Telemundo. It will also broadcast simultaneously on Universo, Peacock, the Telemundo App, and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean on Telemundo Internacional.
