Let's Call It "Alternativo," Instead of "Latin Alternative"

The emerging genre, "Latin Alternative," is a label to more or less separate some of the newer artists that have arrived on the scene over the last few years that don't exactly fit in some of the various Latin styles that many of us have come to know. Artists such as Ximena Sariñana, Café Tacuba and Zoé have been tagged with the Latin Alternative name, but the name isn't quite right.

In an interview with Jasmine Garsd and Felix Contreras, who host NPR's "Alt.Latino," for About.com, Contreras brings up a good point: "Latin Alternative" is only used among those in the music industry. From my observation, fans of this genre simply call it "Alternative." Think about it: Why would a native of Mexico call this music "Latin Alternative"? Do we in the U.S. label music as "American Modern Rock"? No. So let's be more inclusive and simply call the genre "Alternativo"; it speaks to the style of music and the language it is in. For those who immediately disagree, consider the term "Rock en Español" - it is understood in the U.S. to describe rock music in Spanish, so why not continue the trend? I think Latino music fans will appreciate it, as well.

In speaking with Rosario, Argentina's Austria and writer/producer, Cisco DeLuna, I am sometimes corrected by them when describing this genre. "Alternative" says it all, but "Alternativo" is more accurate.

iTunes Store Now Available in Latin America - Finally

iTunes announced this week that the iTunes Store has opened in several countries in Latin America. Why it took so long, who knows? The good news is that it's here and consumers from that continent can finally purchase music and more, just like many countries around the world.

It's good news for Latin Alternative group, Austria, as well, as several people have reached out to the band and the label asking where they can download the music because iTunes wasn't an option in their native country.

This latest move by Apple will certainly help bring Latin American music listeners and music from around the world, much closer together. For more details on the announcement, check out this article.