Luminate’s By the Numbers: The Global State of Spanish-Language Music
Categoria: Musica
“The next era certainly belongs to those who invest in the fans.”
Por Billboard | 19/10/2026
“Few parts of our industry have changed in the last decade as much as Latin music and few tell a more interesting story in our data,” were the opening remarks Oct. 19 of Rob Jonas, CEO, Luminate, Billboard’ s data partner, as part of his presentation By the Numbers: The State of Spanish Language Music Worldwide . Related Billboard Latin Music Week 2026 Is Here: Top Highlights From Every Industry Panel SiriusXM Celebrates Billboard Latin Music Week With Chart-Topper Channel Spotlight Karol G, Judeline & rusowsky’s ‘BbY WOW’ Scores Sixth Week at No. 1 on Billboard Global Charts Jonas launched the biggest Latin music week yet, spotlighting chart-topping Latin artists and showcasing how Latin music has evolved from a regional powerhouse into a permanent force in mainstream consumption across the U.S. and around the world. Though Luminate is a relatively new name — dating back five years — the company’s roots extend to a business that has measured music consumption for more than three decades. “Our mission is really simple,” Jonas said. “We want to build the most accurate and objective data in entertainment and make it available to everyone who needs it.” As an independent company with no record label, a publishing arm or streaming service, Luminate has become a trusted industry source measuring consumption and organizing metadata. With more than 700 verified streaming and retail sources across 60 countries, the company maintains the largest database, covering more than 300 millions artists and songwriter identification, Jonas added. Turning to one of the industry’s most controversial topics, Jonas noted that AI was the subject of debate a year ago and today has become a production tool. Early AI Impacts: According to Jonas, AI has become a consumer creation planform that has really starting to get momentum. He also highlighted some of the AI-assisted and AI-generated Latin songs this year through September 2026. “The leading track has nearly 34 million streams and every other track on this list has more than 14 million,” the CEO highlighted, with around three quarters of those streams coming from outside the U.S. “AI music is already competing for the same listeners on the same platforms,” Jonas stressed. Ownership of those recordings, who gets paid, and if they should they count on the charts as well as human artists are some of the questions are decisions the industry must make, Jonas noted. “54% of U.S. musicians feel positive about generative AI tools, compared to 35% of people who do not make music, and 18% already use AI to edit or remix music, three times the rate of none musicians,” explained Jonas, who also added that transparency for themselves and the listener is key. “AI will keep evolving and so will our detections.” Vital Stats From the Latin Music Genre: In Jonas’s words, Latin is the fifth-largest genre in the United States, with roughly one in 12 audio streams in the U.S. being a Latin music track. “So far this yea