Latin Music Becomes the Fastest-Growing Genre in the U.S. Amid a Cultural Explosion

Halfway through 2024, Latin music has solidified its position as the fastest-growing genre on streaming services in the United States, according to a new report released by entertainment data analysis company Luminate. As of June 27th, the genre accumulated nearly 51 billion streams—a remarkable 15.1% increase compared to the same period last year—outpacing the growth of rock, pop, country, and Christian/gospel genres. Despite this surge, Latin music remains the fifth-most-streamed genre in the U.S.

“A huge part of that growth was driven by the continued rise of regional Mexican music, which is the largest Latin music subgenre so far this year with more than 13 billion U.S. On-Demand Audio streams and a +36.9% year-over-year growth rate,” said Jaime Marconette, Luminate’s vice president of music insights and industry relations, in a statement.

Among the top streaming Latin artists in the U.S., three of the four are regional Mexican acts: Peso Pluma, Fuerza Regida, and Junior H. Leading the pack is global superstar Bad Bunny, who remains the most-streamed Latin artist in the country. Each of these four artists has amassed over 100 million streams within the past six months alone.

The popularity of regional Mexican music, and Latin music in general, reflects a larger cultural movement where Latinidad has become more visible than ever before. Marcos Juarez, head of Latin music programming at Pandora, emphasized that the genre’s penetration into global music markets has never been this extensive or consistent.

“We haven’t seen this much penetration for this long or this consistent of Latin music into global music listening markets,” Juarez explained. “Audiences have become more acculturated to Latin American culture. The listeners who primarily listen to English-language music were much less receptive to Spanish-language music, but we’re seeing less of that issue now.”

Latin music’s crossover into the mainstream is particularly evident in key markets like Los Angeles. Currently, Latin artists occupy 16 of Apple Music’s 25 most-streamed songs in the region. Tracks like "Gata Only" by FloyyMenor and Cris MJ, and Karol G’s “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido” have dominated the charts, showcasing the genre’s impressive reach.

“There have been moments throughout popular culture where we see Latin explosions, but I think what’s unique about right now is the scale of it all,” Juarez added.

With its continued growth and appeal, Latin music is reshaping the American music landscape and proving that it’s more than just a passing trend—it’s a cultural force that’s here to stay.

Check out more articles at LaBocinaLatina.tv.