Is There a Latin Alternative? - Answer: Yes

I won't be attending SXSW this year, so I will not know what transpired, first-hand. Now that I've put that out there, I want to say a few things about a panel that will be taking place there. The panel is called, "Is There a Latin Alternative?" For those not in the know, the answer is yes. Here is the full description of the panel:

A Spanish-language band can gain instant access to the growing Hispanic audience and sponsors targeting that demographic by marketing themselves as "Latin". But how limiting is being marketed as a "Latin" band — even Latin alternative? Can bands and labels eliminate the need to "crossover" by avoiding the term altogether?

In absentia, I would like to respond:

Question #1 - But how limiting is being marketed as a "Latin" band — even Latin alternative? Answer: It's not limiting; it's liberating. This is a new genre with plenty of growth ahead. There isn't even a commercial radio format for it (yet) in the U.S. As mentioned in an earlier post, in certain demographics, Hispanics (and some non-Hispanics) love this music. Ximena Sariñana, Zoé, Café Tacuba, and so on, is just the beginning. When artists like these perform in the U.S., the people show up - in droves. Wait until owners of radio stations finally get smart and switch to an Alternativo format. The word "limiting" will no longer be associated with the genre.

Question #2 - Can bands and labels eliminate the need to "crossover" by avoiding the term altogether? Answer: Not initially. You need the label, "Latin Alternative" or "Alternativo" or some variation in order to a) Alert music fans that there's a new genre of Latin out there and point them in the right direction and b) To identify the music. Once the genre has been established, then maybe the term will be dropped.

Now that I have answered the questions, I have a few questions and comments of my own. First, why would you want to eliminate the need to crossover? Wouldn't artists and record companies want to reach a larger audience? Wouldn't you want to include a guidepost like, "Latin Alternative," in order to lead audiences to the music? Lastly (and this probably opens another can of worms), from my experiences in speaking with major labels about groups like Austria, the Latin divisions have claimed that Alternativo is not mainstream enough, and that there isn't a large enough audience in order to support these kinds of acts. The English-speaking divisions of labels "don't do Spanish." The answer to this dilemma? When the majors sense that Alternativo is a moneymaker, they will create divisions within their labels in order to properly market and promote these acts. When the genre is well established, it's possible these departments will dissolve into the Latin division.

But for now, Alternativo just needs to keep growing.

By the way, if anyone does attend the panel, feel free to report how it went, especially if my comments were way off base (I'm not ashamed of being wrong).

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.

The Power of an Austria Song Shines Through

Many people overlook the value of a great song. When your favorite (and most likely world famous) artist's song is being covered by someone you don't know, you don't make a big deal of it; people do this quite frequently. But when an act that isn't quite a household name has its songs recorded and shared on youtube, it's a testament to the power of the the songwriter's craft.

I'm not a youtube expert, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are thousands of youtube performances by people that very few of us know, who play hit songs (that we do know) and share them with the world. In fact, it's been said that a great way to increase the popularity and/or awareness of a musical act is to cover a song that is currently riding the pop charts. The purpose of the cover song is partly to gain an audience that might not initially be interested in the artist. Take the Talking Heads' version of Al Green's "Take Me to the River," for example. "River" was the the Heads' first single and the band's main introduction to the world before their original songs were promoted at radio.

For Latin Alternative act Austria, "Adormecida" (on their current album, "Nada,") - which means "numb" in Spanish - is not getting played on the radio (that I know of) and hasn't, as yet, been included in a popular TV series or motion picture, yet a young man in Argentina not only admires "Adormecida," but decided to perform it and share it with the world.

Is this unique? Maybe not. But if there are people covering songs from artists that aren't quite as popular as, say, Taylor Swift, I doubt the songs they're performing are as powerful as "Adormecida," which was written by Martin Rougier (pictured above).

Make no mistake - when a song from a band on a small independent label is being covered, it's a powerful statement - and I wouldn't be surprised if this isn't the last time we hear an Austria song sung by someone other than the band.

Austria Performs in Buenos Aires and Gains Fans

As posted by the Buenos Aires Herald last week, this piece led up to a Lisandro Aristimuño show that included Austria on the bill. The preview closes by saying, "The doors open tonight at Konex at 8pm, with Austria, a band from Rosario, warming up at 8:15pm."

Well, I guess "warming up" could be used as a description.

More like "fired up."

Buenos Aires is for all intents and purposes, Argentina, much like London is England. It's the epicenter of the country and that includes the music industry.

Austria is no stranger to Buenos Aires; it knows of it's success from the country's third largest city, Rosario, where the group is from, and as popular as the band is in their hometown, from time to time there can be somewhat of a disconnect between Rosario and Buenos Aires, for the band.

Until now.

Due to a series of events, Austria was invited to play one show with Lisandro Aristimuño (a popular Argentinean artist in his own right), and it apparently awakened a sleeping giant. Austria played in front of up to 700 people, largely to a set of ears that had not heard the group before. Like Austria always does, it grabbed the audience's attention, coupling their exceptionally high-level songwriting with a splendid performance. By all reports, there was a spike in the band's social networking sites ("listens," likes," talking about this", especially "talking about this") the next morning, and fans wrote on the band's Facebook page about how delighted they were to hear Austria's set having no expectations of the quality of music they would be faced with while waiting for Aristimuño's set. Some fans didn't wait until the next day; they told the band how great Austria was right after the show and even told Lisandro, himself.

The scenario (and reaction) is all too familiar, especially if you caught the band's set in Southern California a few months ago: From "I have no idea who this band is that I'm about to hear" to "Wow, these guys are great!," Austria consistently prove themselves to music fans.

So, Austria grabbed a few headlines, so to speak, in the capital city last week, and was invited back before moving on to play a few nights later to an immensely enthusiastic hometown crowd that welcomed them back for the band's first show in Rosario since returning from the U.S.

The beginning of a very important trend? We'll see.

There Will Be a Latin Alternative Music Explosion - Not Maybe

I'm not one to air my views publicly. It's not my thing; but when I'm working on something and absolutely know it's going to happen and someone says it might happen, I have to speak up. I admire Desmond Child. I love some of his songs and even had an opportunity to meet with him when he was producing some tracks with Chynna Phillips back in the 90's at the old EMI Music Publishing studio on Sunset. (He's a nice guy, by the way.) I won't, for a second, forget how talented he is and the many accomplishments he has achieved, but when someone much more steeped in Latin music than I am - and I have only been working in the Latin Alt. world for about a year - says that Latin Alternative might explode (see link to article, below), I can't just let it go. Come on! Latin Alternative is a ticking time bomb - in the United States, anyway.

Great artists like Ximena Sariñana, Zoé, Carla Morrison and Hello Seahorse! are making big strides and all without the aid of a commercial radio format in the U.S.! As Christian Mejia, an Orange County, CA club promoter and head of Intoroq said recently, can you imagine what would happen to the Latin Alternative genre if Latin Alternative artists were played on commercial radio (a la Los Angeles Modern Rock station KROQ) next to Foo Fighters, Coldplay, Florence + The Machine, Rage Against The Machine and Tori Amos? Well, it would blow up. Why? Because there are thousands of young Latinos and Latinas in the United States who are bi-lingual and listen to cutting edge music both in Spanish and English. Ever go to a rock concert featuring current American or British acts and see Latinos? Of course you have! Do you think it's possible that some of them might be fluent in Spanish and have roots in Latin music? Of course it is! Lastly, I've seen the thirst for Latin Alternative music with my own eyes. When Rosario, Argentina's Austria played in Southern California a few months ago, Latinos came up to the band's merch booth with a look in their eyes that said, "Wow, these guys are great! Where are they from?" (By the way, some of those people actually said those words.) One lady at the Long Beach show confessed, "I don't even speak Spanish and I love this band," which gives some credence to the fact that Latin Alternative not only draws in a Spanish-speaking crowd, but can woo the non-Spanish speakers, as well.

So, Desmond...love your music, totally respect you and I'm sure you will have continued success for years to come, but please don't be afraid of predicting the future; I have, and the future is Latin Alternative. It is going to explode.

http://iphone.alborde.com/featured/41375-desmond-child-latin-grammy-nominations.html

Austria Teaser of Tour Documentary Released

Austria has put together a teaser to their forthcoming documentary about their Southern California tour this past September. Look for the doc to include interviews, performances and plenty of footage from San Diego to Malibu.

Final Austria Show - Malibu

What became Austria's final performance of their Southern California tour, took place at a private party in the exclusive section of Malibu Colony, in Malibu, CA (down the block from Paris Hilton's and a few doors up from Sting's). True, people who saw the band at House of Blues the prior Wednesday were more than happy to see the band again, which added to the color and enthusiasm of the show, but those who knew little of Austria leading up to their sea-side performance, absolutely loved them. The band's set was broken up into two parts and wowed the mostly non-Spanish speaking audience so fiercely that the band was practically forced to play a short third set later in the afternoon, which consisted mostly of songs in English and covers. The real jewel of the event, however, came well into the night and after most of the audience had gone home, when Lautaro Gonzalez de Cap and Martin Rougier performed as an impromptu duo with Martin at the resident's piano. The 'set' consisted of Austria originals and some popular covers in Spanish. Maybe a dozen people were in the room. While the group's tour was heavily documented (the footage is currently being edited), Martin and Lautaro's piano/vocal performance was not. Truly special and truly a treat.

So when are Austria coming back? They hope to return early next year...and sooner, if the opportunity arises.

Austria Returns to The Stardust Lounge - 9/16

Austria's first show was at The Stardust, Sept. 2, in Downey. The band was scheduled to go on at midnight that night, but didn't go on until 1am. Many people had left the club by then, but the those that hung in there, were treated to a great set.

The second show was different. First, the band went on before midnight which helped retain a larger audience. Second, some of those that saw the band at the 9/2 show, came back to see them again.

The band played a short, but condensed set and with a bit of swagger, including Martin Rougier (keyboards) performing part of his repertoire on the stand-up mic, before returning to his usual position behind the 'boards. To help fuel the fire, some fans even shouted out requests - and those requests were honored.

Next show: Malibu, Sept. 17

Austria Takes On San Diego at The Office Bar - Sept. 11

While it was a somber day for most of the United States, Austria soldiered on by driving down to San Diego to play a popular club called The Office Bar, in the section of North Park. After a pre-show meal, the guys left their mark by banging out an explosive set that turned many heads in the room (including the bartenders'). While the The Office has been known as a place to gather to watch their beloved San Diego Chargers, the club should now be re-named "Austria's Office Bar."

Next up: Austria's show 9/16, in Downey.

Austria's Long Beach Show - Sept. 9

This was a great show, not only because of the performance, but the attendance. People had this look in their eyes that said, "Wow, so this is what good music in Spanish sounds like!" The expression on their faces was similar to many who approached the merch. table at various shows and inquired about the band. One woman quipped, "I don't even speak Spanish and I like this band!" It was a good thing the band had several pens on hand, because they signed a lot of autographs that day.

More on the Austria/So Cal Tour

I was probably too ambitious when I set out to blog about the Austria dates, day by day. Now that the guys have returned to Argentina and things have settled down a little, I plan to report on each of the rest of the shows.

The show following Irvine was September 7 at The Juke Joint, in Anaheim, . Booked by Christian Mejia of Intoroq, the band performed a very tight set that, by now, included their signature opener, España, written and sung by Martin Rougier. Some industry came to the gig and a handful of fellow Argentineans also attended the performance.

Next show - Long Beach.

Austria @ Great Park - Great Show

Austria's performance at Great Park in Irvine went very well. Sound issues delayed the set time, but once the guys got started (opening their set with Neil Young's "Buffalo Springfield"), the show went smoothly. This was not a typical Austria audience, but the crowd clearly picked up on the songs and the sound, and people inquired as to when the band would be returning.

Austria Shows Off to Good Start

Austria's first two shows were good, though Saturday's show in Paramount was much better, due to the fact that there was a sizable crowd to check out the band. While Friday's show at The Stardust in Downey was a really strong set, the band didn't go on until 1am. Saturday's show was an afternoon set and many people hung around to check out the group over a two-hour period. The guys play today at Great Park in Irvine.

Good Show for Lautaro at Great Park

Lautaro Gonzalez de Cap, of Austria, played solo/acoustic at Great Park in Irvine. Admittedly, a different demographic, but many of the onlookers got the message. The full band will play Great Park, next Sunday. The booker of the event would love to have the play a future date beyond 9/4, based on the album and Lautaro's performance.

Preparing for Sunday's Show and Promoting Others

Lautaro Gonzalez de Cap and Austria have been actively promoting their upcoming shows, most notably the gigs September 2nd and 7th. Lautaro will be hitting the streets of Anaheim tonight promoting the 9/7 show at The Juke Joint and tomorrow (Saturday) making the rounds in Downey for the show 9/2.

Lautaro plays solo/acoustic (and unplugged) at the intimate Great Park, Sunday, from about 11am - 1pm.

Lautaro Gonzalez de Cap of Austria in L.A. - Plays First Show

After a long journey from Rosario, Argentina, Lautaro Gonzalez de Cap has arrived. Yes, Lautaro was caught in a 10-plus hour delay in Mexico City, but was on his game at his first performance in Huntington Park, this morning. A curious crowd that seemed pleasantly surprised by the music, heard an extensive Austria set that included songs usually sung by co-lead singer, Martin Rougier. Lautaro's next show is Sunday morning at Great Park, in Irivine. Lautaro/Austria dates continue through September 19, throughout Southern California.

Austria Launches New Blog

Austria has added another webpage to their arsenal with the launch of their blog, AustriaLaBanda.com. The blog will include fresh content updated often and include updates via their Twitter feed, plus an opportunity for fans to get in touch with the guys directly.

Marketing Latin Alternative Music Through Social Networking Sites

When I started to research marketing Latin Alternative music to consumers, the only two resources I utilized were the Internet and Billboard magazine. Yes, I was aware of some of the marketing basics regardless of the genre, but I wanted to customize my marketing strategy to Austria’s “Nada” album as best I could. The question that came to mind every time I began a research session was, “Why isn’t there a book or an instruction manual on how to market Latin music through the Internet?”

Fortunately, I began running a filtered search on Google covering anything and everything having to do with Latin pop music, and in one of those filters I found my Holy Grail: Marketing Latin Alternative Music Through Social Networking Sites. Finally, someone was asking the same questions I was – and then providing some of the answers. These answers, in the form of a thesis, came from San Jose State University graduate student, Vanessa Garcia.

Through various surveys and interviews, this information-packed paper directly addresses not only how independent artists market to music consumers, but how some of the Latin music industry markets to them, as well. It even reveals what goes through the minds of Latin music fans when looking for new music.

Not surprisingly, many of the tactics are similar to marketing to American rock and pop, such as keeping an artist’s website content fresh, updating fans on upcoming shows, etc., however, in her report, Garcia reveals where an artist should service its music, such as Al Borde, Remezcla, Pandora and others that are dialed into the Latin Alternative scene. Someone who does not know the Social Networking players in the industry could very easily find themselves crawling around in the dark, haphazardly sending links or discs to companies that are not necessarily where consumers are going to go to learn about new Latin Alternative music.

I could go on and on praising Garcia’s paper and the important information she brings to the surface, but it might be more effective simply to spend some time reading her paper and noting the passages that are key to you (artist, publisher, label, booking agent, publicist, marketing guru), as there is definitely something for everyone who is connected to the Latin Alternative arena to learn from this report.

As important as this paper is, Social Networking is evolving and new strategies and key companies will surface in the future, so it is my hope that Ms. Garcia will from time to time keep us informed on marketing Latin Alternative music through the Internet and its ever-changing world.

Austria to Perform at Trova Rosarina Festival

Austria has been invited to play at this year's Trova Rosarina Festival. The Trova Rosarina is one of the biggest festivals in Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina. The event, which takes place Monday, March 7 at Julio Parc, will feature some of Rosario's greatest artists including Silvina Garré, Rubén Goldín, Fabián Gallardo and Adrián Abonizio. Austria was invited by Pichi de Benedictis to share the stage with him - a coveted spot for the band amongst so many luminaries. In addition, the guys will be performing their own material, much of it from their new release, "Nada." This festival has become more and more popular as years go by and festival officials expect a crowd of 2,500 at this year's event.