Los Del Río

Los Del Río

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Latin GRAMMYs: Special Awards Ceremony Raises Thanks For Music

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From Los Del Río to Lucecita Benítez, Lalo Schifrin and Guadalupe Pineda, the Latin Recording Academy's 2017 Special Awards ceremony honored an array of talent who shaped history and touched millions of hearts
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Nov 15, 2017 - 5:08 pm

Latin GRAMMY Week for the 18th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards is underway as Special Awards honorees gathered for an invitation-only event at Las Vegas' Four Seasons Hotel on Nov. 15.

2017 Latin Special Awards Honors Living Legends

The 2017 Latin Recording Academy Special Awards recipients embody multiple national traditions, contributions to history and independence, and admirable musical excellence. Or, as Latin Recording Academy President/CEO Gabriel Abaroa Jr. put it, they are "living legends" who are "all unique and all matchless."

Receiving Lifetime Achievement Awards were Lucecita Benítez (Puerto Rico), João Bosco (Brazil), Ilan Chester (Venezuela), Víctor Heredia (Argentina), Antonio Romero Monge and Rafael Ruiz Perdigones of Los Del Río (Spain), Guadalupe Pineda (Mexico), and Cuco Valoy (Dominican Republic). Rounding out the legendary honoree roster were Trustees Awards recipients decorated engineer Jon Fausty and Argentinian composer Lalo Schifrin of "Mission Impossible" fame.

"Humility and simplicity [are] what take you to all the places in the world, and today we are really proud," Romero Monge said during Los Del Río's acceptance. "We tell young people not to throw in the towel and that anyone, if they have faith in what they do, can one day have their 'Macarena' or their 'Despacito'."

"This speaks of a trajectory, of someone who sowed seeds that paid off and came to fruition," said Pineda. "I feel very proud to represent Mexico … and very grateful because it's been 43 years working in music, [and] I owe it to my audience."

Benítez took an opportunity to pay a touching homage to her native Puerto Rico, which was recently ravaged by Hurricane Maria. "I want to dedicate [this award] to ... my land, to those hands that work and continue to work … so that it returns to be the island that it always has been."

18th Latin GRAMMY Awards: Full Nominations List

Ilan Chester

Ilan Chester

Photo: Michael Buckner/WireImage.com

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Los Del Río To Ilan Chester: Latin Recording Academy Special Awards

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Lucecita Benítez, João Bosco, Cuco Valoy, and Lalo Schifrin also among group to receive special honors
Renée Fabian
GRAMMYs
Sep 13, 2017 - 4:10 pm

Each year the Latin Recording Academy honors esteemed Latin music makers with their Special Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award and a Trustees Award. On Sept. 13, The Latin Academy announced this year's class of Special Awards recipients.

Lucecita Benítez, João Bosco, Ilan Chester, Víctor Heredia, Los Del Río (Antonio Romero Monge and Rafael Ruiz Perdigones), Guadalupe Pineda, and Cuco Valoy will receive this year's Lifetime Achievement Award. Jon Fausty and Lalo Schifrin will receive the Trustees Award.

Benítez began her career as a young Puerto Rican star of Nueva Ola pop, and later grew in international recognition for her contributions to the nueva trova movement and her classic boleros. Singer/songwriter/guitarist Bosco is an essential part of the música popular Brasileira movement in Brazil in the 1960s and '70s. A Latin GRAMMY-winning musician, Chester is a pioneering Venezuelan singer, keyboardist, arranger, and composer.

Argentine singer/songwriter Heredia is arguably best known for his symphonic work about Taki Ongoy, a movement against the Spanish conquest in South America. Los Del Río — comprising Antonio Romero Monge and Rafael Ruiz Perdigones — made their mark on Latin music with the smash crossover 1990s hit, "Macarena." Mexican singer Pineda, aka the Queen of Bolero, has released more than 30 albums in her career. A Dominican salsa, son montuno and merengue artist, Valoy is arguably best-known for his song "Juliana."

A Latin GRAMMY and GRAMMY winner, Fausty is a sought-after engineer and mixer who has worked with artists such as Celia Cruz, Marc Anthony, Tito Puente, and Eddie Palmieri. Also a Latin GRAMMY and GRAMMY winner, Argentine pianist/composer/arranger/conductor Schifrin is instantly recognizable through his popular themes, including the "Mission—Impossible" theme (GRAMMY Hall Of Fame, 2017) and Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry films.

Lifetime Achievement Award for performers who have made unprecedented contributions of outstanding artistic significance to Latin music and the Latin community, and the Trustees Award for individuals who have made significant contributions, other than performance, to Latin music during their careers.

"Our 2017 class represents a wide-range of artists that together have contributed to shape Latin music's iconic rhythms and lyrics throughout history," said Gabriel Abaroa Jr., Latin Recording Academy President/CEO. "Each honoree is an inspiration to our culture and community as well as a muse for new and contemporary work."

The Lifetime Achievement and Trustees Award honorees will be celebrated during a private ceremony held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas on Nov. 15 as part of the 18th Annual Latin GRAMMY Week. This ceremony will be followed by the 18th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards, which will broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Nov. 16, from 8–11 p.m. ET/PT on Univision.

Nominations for the 18th Latin GRAMMY Awards will be announced Sept. 20.

Read More About The Latin Recording Academy Honorees

Latin GRAMMY statues

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2017 Latin GRAMMY Week In Las Vegas: What's Happening?

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Las Vegas will be a flurry of Latin GRAMMY activity this week — get the scoop on the official list of events
Brian Haack
GRAMMYs
Nov 13, 2017 - 6:49 pm

Latin GRAMMY Week 2017 has officially begun in Las Vegas, and the schedule is packed with events hosted by the Latin Recording Academy designed to celebrate Latin artists from all over the world and honor their contributions to recorded music and philanthropic efforts.

Here is your definitive guide to this week's official Latin GRAMMY events.

The Leading Ladies Of Entertainment

A brand-new event added to Latin GRAMMY Week for the first time in 2017, The Leading Ladies Of Entertainment will be held at Mastro's Ocean Club in the Crystal Mall on Nov. 14. Honored for their indelible impressions and contributions they have made to the Latin entertainment industry, the inaugural class of honorees includes Marcella Araica, recording/mixing engineer, vice president N.A.R.S Records/Dream Asylum Studios; Leila Cobo, executive director of content & programming for Latin music & entertainment, Billboard; Erika Ender, singer/songwriter; Rebeca Leon, CEO and founder of Lionfish Entertainment; Gabriela Martinez, general manager, Warner Music Latina & senior vice president, Marketing Warner Music Latin America; and Jessica Rodriguez, executive vice president and CMO, Univision Communications Inc. All proceeds will benefit the charitable efforts of the Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation.

Latin GRAMMY Special Awards Presentation

Bestowed annually to recognize significant lasting achievements in Latin music, the 2017 Latin Recording Academy Special Awards will be presented at a private ceremony at the Four Season Hotel in Las Vegas on Nov. 15. This year's Trustee Awards recipients are GRAMMY- and Latin GRAMMY-winning engineer/mixer Jon Fausty and GRAMMY- and Latin GRAMMY-winning composer/arranger/conductor Lalo Schifrin. This year's Lifetime Achievement Award recipients are Lucecita Benítez, João Bosco, Ilan Chester, Víctor Heredia, Los Del Río (comprising Antonio Romero Monge and Rafael Ruiz Perdigones), Guadalupe Pineda, and Cuco Valoy.

Flashback: "Macarena" Madness In 1996

Latin Recording Academy Person Of The Year Gala

The sold-out celebration honoring 2017 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year Alejandro Sanz will also be held on Nov. 15. Taking place at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino Convention Center., Sanz will be honored for his artistry and substantial philanthropic contributions. The Spaniard will be feted with tribute performances by a host of GRAMMY- and Latin-GRAMMY winning artists including David Bisbal, Camila Cabello, Santiago Cruz, Alejandro Fernández, Luis Fonsi, Juan Luis Guerra, Jesse & Joy, Juanes, Mon Laferte, Natalia Lafourcade, Gian Marco, Manuel Fernández Montoya "El Carpeta", Niña Pastori, Residente, Rosalía, Jimmy Zambrano, and more. Proceeds will benefit the charitable efforts of the Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation.

Latin GRAMMY Premiere Ceremony

Held at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino Convention Center on Nov. 16, the Latin GRAMMY Premiere Ceremony takes place hours prior to the 18th Latin GRAMMY Awards telecast. Hosted by Latin GRAMMY-winning singer/songwriter Tommy Torres, the ceremony will kick off The Biggest Night In Latin Music with performances by current nominees Tiago Iorc, Las Migas, Debi Nova, and Sig Ragga. Approximately 85 percent of the awards for the 18th Latin GRAMMYs will be given out during the nontelevised premiere ceremony, with awards presented by current nominees Paula Arenas, Eduardo Cabra, Cesar Camargo Mariano, Miranda! You can live-stream the ceremony beginning at 1 p.m. PT/4 p.m. ET via LatinGRAMMY.com.

"Noche De Estrellas"

Directly preceding the Latin GRAMMY Awards telecast at 7 p.m. ET/PT, Univision Network will present exclusive "Noche De Estrellas" ("Night of Stars") coverage of the celebrity arrivals direct from the Latin GRAMMY red carpet. "Noche De Estrellas" will provide viewers with an intimate look at Latin music's most glamorous event with live interviews and commentary on the stars and their fashion.

Polls

18th Latin GRAMMY Awards: Who do you think voters will choose for Album Of The Year?

18th Latin GRAMMY Awards Telecast

The main event, The Biggest Night In Latin Music, will be held at the MGM Grand's Garden Arena on Thursday, Nov. 16, with telecast coverage provided by Univision Network beginning at 8 p.m. ET/PT, 7 p.m. Central. Hosted by Mexican actor/singer Jaime Camil and Puerto Rican singer/songwriter Roselyn Sánchez, the 18th Latin GRAMMYs will feature, among others, special collaborative performances by Juanes with Logic and Alessia Cara, Carlos Vives and Sebastián Yatra, J Balvin with Bad Bunny, French Montana and Steve Aoki; Lila Downs and Banda el Recodo de Cruz Lizárraga; and Bronco with Ha*Ash.

Presenters include Anavitória, Camila Cabello, Sofia Carson, Flo Rida, Leslie Grace, Maribel Guardia, Juan Luis Guerra, Olga Tañón, and Wilmer Valderrama, as well as Best New Artist nominees Martina "La Peligrosa" and Rosalía. Additional behind-the-scenes show coverage, including interviews from the red carpet, will be provided by the Latin Recording Academy via Facebook Live beginning at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT.

See The Full List Of Nominees For The 18th Latin GRAMMY Awards

Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran

Photo: Matt Jelonek/WireImage

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IFPI Global Music Report: Streaming, Ed Sheeran Top 2017

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International recording industry organization reviews a year of continued strong growth, but music still has not recovered its former market strength
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Apr 24, 2018 - 2:52 pm

On April 24, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) released its Global Music Report 2018, reviewing and tabulating the business fortunes of the recording industry last year worldwide. The music industry grew overall in 2017 by more than 8 percent to $17.3 billion, led by streaming revenues which grew more than 41 percent. "We're not getting complacent," said Warner Music Group CEO of international and global commercial services Stu Bergen at the report's release event in London. "We've fought too hard to get here and, after 15 years of decline, there's still plenty of room to grow." Last year was the third consecutive year of growth for the first time this century.

The IFPI report credited Ed Sheeran's "Shape Of You" as last year's top song followed by Luis Fonsi's "Despacito." While top sellers and the 176 million subscribers paying for premium music accounts make for good news, IFPI chief executive Frances Moore warned that "there is a structural fault in the system" because of the value gap. Combining paid and ad-supported streaming for music, revenues total $5.6 billion with 272 million users overall. On the video side, revenues are $856 million, much less, with more than 1.3 billion users, much more. "Until we fix that structural defect to the market it will always be a struggle," said Moore.

In 32 global markets, digital is now more than half of all revenues. Physical sales and downloads have continued to decline. Without counting video, streaming is 33 percent of all revenues. In 2017, adding video back in bumps that 5 percent up to 38 percent from all digital. If the value gap wasn't holding back fair music revenue for video streams, that video bump would be much more substantial.

Catching Up On Music News Powered By The Recording Academy Just Got Easier. Have A Google Home Device? "Talk To GRAMMYs"

Jann Wenner photographed in 2006

Jann Wenner
 

Photo: Michael Loccisano/FilmMagic

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Penske Media Acquires 'Rolling Stone' Magazine Majority Stake

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The 50-year rock culture classic, reporting on music and important news, sells majority stake to Penske Media Corporation
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Dec 21, 2017 - 12:12 pm

Following music and culture in the U.S. has often included reading Rolling Stone magazine over the past 50 years, thanks to the publishing success of Jann Wenner. So it came as a surprise last September when Wenner announced he would sell the magazine. Now, it has been announced Penske Media Corporation has acquired 51 percent of the magazine for an estimated $100 million. Wenner will remain on as editorial director.

Jay Penske, who also owns entertainment business magazine Variety, and PMC look forward to being a big part of what happens next.

"Our interest in Rolling Stone is driven by its people, its cultural significance and the globally recognized brand that has no peer in its areas of influence," Penske said. "We believe that Penske Media is uniquely qualified to partner with the Wenners to ensure the brand continues to ascend for decades across multiple media platforms."

The remaining 49 percent of Rolling Stone parent Wenner Media remains held by Singapore's BandLab.

Apple Acquires Music Recognition Service Shazam