MIAMI (Billboard) - So far, it's been a long, dry 2009 for Latin music, without a single blockbuster release since Marco Antonio Solis' "No Molestar" (Fonovisa) last October.
Now as summer approaches, a trio of major releases should breathe some life into the relatively listless Latin retail landscape. Even with these titles, retailers aren't shouting victory just yet. With sales in a serious slump, the mood is one of cautious optimism.
Reggaeton duo Wisin & Yandel will release "La Revolucion" (Machete/Universal) May 26. Urban bachata act Aventura's new album, "The Last" (Premium/Son), comes out June 9. And on June 23, pop star Paulina Rubio will release "Gran City Pop" (Universal Music Latino).
These are all top acts with strong sales histories. Wisin & Yandel's last studio album, 2007's "Los Extraterrestres," sold 434,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Aventura hasn't released a new studio album since 2005's "God's Project," which sold 316,000 in the United States, while two subsequent live albums have sold more than 600,000 combined, according to SoundScan.
"We have a lot of faith in what's coming out," said Juan Carlos Acosta, a buyer for the Puerto Rico retailer/distributor Distribuidora Nacional. Wisin & Yandel and Aventura "are two key products for us," he added.
Hopes were high for "IDON," the new Don Omar album, which sold close to 15,000 copies in its first week, the best debut-week sales for a Latin album so far this year, according to SoundScan. Still, sources said, early sales of "IDON" have been short of expectations.
"I buy new releases conservatively and with a lot of hope," one buyer said. "But it's not pleasant to see actual sales be half of what I predicted."
ECONOMIC REALITIES
All the executives Billboard spoke with agreed that the economy is crushing sales, while digital and physical piracy remain major problems, particularly for youth-driven genres like reggaeton. The challenge is getting buyers into stores in this atmosphere. The summer season is a perfect time to do so, said Isabelle Salazar, Latin/world music buyer for Trans World Entertainment.
In addition to the aforementioned releases, there are several more "summery" albums in the pipeline, including the debut album by former Kumbia Kings singer Pee Wee, due July 23 on EMI Televisa, and Los Super Reyes' "Kumbia Con Soul," which targets bilingual youth and is due June 30 on Warner.
In this tough economy, Salazar said, artists should make an extra effort to drive retail sales. "I believe artists have to remember how they started: working the streets, touching the people who buy the product," she said. "Even if it's a developing act and you get 15 or 20 people at an in-store (performance), well, that's a start."
Such efforts will vary depending on the kind of product in question. This summer bodes well for the regional Mexican genre, with Fonovisa releases coming from K-Paz de la Sierra (June 2), Graciela Beltran (June 16), Alicia Villarreal and Rieleros del Norte (both June 23) and Pedro Fernandez in July.
The indie distributor Select-O-Hits also has Diana Reyes and Patrulla 81 slated for summer. These bigger acts, Select-O-Hits vice president Johnny Phillips said, "basically sell themselves with a little help from (promotional) programs at Wal-Mart."
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