Reggaeton, R&B and Radio

As I climbed into my boyfriend's car, I heard the familiar rhythmic pounding of a Reggaeton radio station eminating from his speakers. Born and raised in the Midwest, he had little contact with Latino culture prior to moving to Los Angeles for school. However with spending hours on the road commuting to school in a car that lacks a CD player, he has come to find new radio stations to entertain him while on the road. A white, middle-class, suburban, USC graduate and future doctor - he seems one of the least likely candidates to be a fan of the Puerto Rican and Cuban movement.

As I thought about it this week, I realized the same was true of my Biology major roommate from Ventura County, California. She swears by her Hip-Hop, whose lyrics talk about life on the street that she has never known. If Hip-Hop has become this popular on the radio among 20-somethings of all backgrounds and social classes, is Reggaeton the next movement? New directions in the industry have been vague, but if my boyfriend is any indication, Reggaeton could have a huge new potential audience.

A 2005 Newsweek article echoes this exact sentiment. It states that Reggaeton is no longer for the 20-something Puerto Rican; instead, it has exploded onto the music and club scene in America, particularly with the popularity of Shakira, Juanes, and Ricky Martin - the scene is primed for such artists as Daddy Yankee to hit the radio. Like Hip-Hop, Reggaeton has a driving rhythmic beat; however, it is one based on the Merengue and Salsa beat, causing hip swaying as opposed to mere head bopping.

Further, though, the article proclaims that internet, peer-to-peer filesharing, and satellite radio are allowing niche markets to go global. With the mass marketing opportunities that small genres such as Puerto Rican Reggaeton, Indian Bhangra, or Portuguese Fado have, they can gain a global audience for a minimal cost.

Unfortunately, it does not come at a minimal cost to the music industry. While the article does admit that Latin music sales have increased at a significant rate, piracy has caused several Latino major music labels to fold. Which, in turn, can also mean less clearly defined, prominent artists. The balance is delicate, and it is ironic that a bigger audience can mean bankrupt a music company.

Interestingly, a Los Angeles Business Journal Article claims that Reggaeton broke at the wrong time. There was a great deal of momentum behind the movement when Daddy Yankee first broke on the scene with his hit, Gasolina, in 2005; however, there were too few good artists to promote at the time to keep the genre afloat. In 2005 when Clear Channel first decided to include Reggaeton in its markets, their Los Angeles-based affiliate was ranked 2nd. By the end of the year however, ratings had severely declined and dropped to 13th.

It seems that a clear new direction in popular music is Reggaeton. With its thriving dance beats, it incorporates dance music into more mainstream pop music with lyrics that cover similar topics as Hip-Hop lyrics. By incorporating more Reggaeton on a Hip-Hop station, it seems that terrestrial radio could reach a much more widespread audience - particularly in the cities about the nearly 42 million Spanish speakers in America. 20-something Puerto Ricans, Chicagoans and Southern Californians alike could be potential listeners for a Reggaeton/Hip-hop fused radio station.