Sony/ATV’s Latin Division Heads for Record-breaking Year

“Despacito”, which is co-written by Sony/ATV songwriters Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Erika Ender, has been a No. 1 hit around the world as well as becoming the most-streamed song of all time and YouTube’s most-played video.

The success of the release – the first primarily Spanish song to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart in more than two decades – is leading a record year for Sony/ATV’s Latin operation whose songwriters are at the forefront of a surge in popularity of Latin music across the globe. Besides “Despacito”, the company has scored a succession of recent hits, including Sony/ATV signing Maluma’s “Felices Los 4”, Nicky Jam’s “El Amante”, Enrique Iglesias feat. Descemer Bueno and Zion & Lennox’s “Súbeme La Radio”, “Escapate Conmigo” by Wisin feat. Ozuma and “Chantaje” by Shakira feat. Maluma, to name but a very few.

This run comes in a year in which Sony/ATV won Publisher of the Year at ASCAP, BMI and SESAC’s Latin awards ceremonies in recognition of the 2016 performance of its songs. It is the second year in a row that the company has achieved the so-called Triple Crown by winning Publisher of the Year at the three leading U.S. performing rights organizations’ Latin awards events.

Sony/ATV Chairman and CEO Martin Bandier said: “’Despacito’ is only the tip of the iceberg. Jorge Mejia, Danny Strick and our Latin team are having the most incredible year and between winning Publisher of the Year from the three main PROs to signing Maluma it’s been a perfect storm.”

Sony/ATV Co-President, U.S. Danny Strick said: “Jorge continues to lead a thriving and dynamic division for Sony/ATV. Our unprecedented recent success is a testament to his strong leadership, and I am thrilled to work closely with him.”

“Latin Music in the global mainstream is not new: from Sony/ATV writers Ricky Martin to Shakira, Marc Anthony to JLO, the path has been forged for what we have today – a worldwide phenomenon aided by the explosive growth of digital and, of course, built on what is some truly magnificent music. The best part? There is just so much more to come,” said Sony/ATV President, Latin America and U.S. Latin Jorge Mejia who is responsible for the company’s operations across the U.S. Latin market and the Latin American region, including overseeing offices in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Miami.

Latin music is experiencing new-found popularity around the world this year with Spotify’s Global Top 50 chart recently featuring a record eight Latin songs. Sony/ATV songwriters are leading this revolution, including Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Erika Ender who co-wrote what in “Despacito” has become one of the century’s biggest songs. Its success and the popularity of other Sony/ATV Latin hits have put the company’s Latin music division on course to achieve a recording-breaking year.

In July “Despacito” became the most streamed song of all time after hitting 4.6 billion plays and is now the first video to surpass 3 billion plays on YouTube. The song’s popularity also helped Daddy Yankee become the first ever Latin star to top Spotify’s global artist chart. Including a remixed version featuring Justin Bieber, the song has been No. 1 in every major music market in the world. In the U.S. it has topped the Billboard Hot 100 for the last 15 weeks, making it the second longest-running No. 1 of all time. It has also headed Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs Chart for the past 29 weeks and received an RIAA Latin certification of 55-times platinum.

In the U.K. the song recently completed a chart-topping run of 11 weeks, a total bettered by only six songs in the 65-year history of the chart, and has also been No. 1 in territories including Germany, France, Canada, Australia, Italy, the Netherlands, Brazil, Sweden, Spain, Mexico and Argentina.

“Despacito” is one of five Sony/ATV Latin songs which recently simultaneously featured in YouTube Global Music Chart. The others are:

“Felices Los 4” by Maluma

“Escapate Conmigo” by Wisin feat. Ozuna

“Ahora Dice” by J Bavin, Ozuna and Aracangel

“Chantaje” by Shakira feat. Maluma

Maluma, who this summer became a major new signing to Sony/ATV, was also recently the only artist in any language to have six songs on the YouTube chart.