Corina Smith, Bastian, Valentina and David Wild came together at Billboard Latin Music Week 2024 for “The Role of Music Publishers in Cross-Cultural Collaborations” panel presented by Rimas Publishing on Monday (Oct. 14). 

Moderated by Billboard’s Pamela Bustios, the conversation with the A&R, artists and producers focused on how publishers help bridge the cultures and facilitate cross-border hits. Below, read some of the memorable quotes from the panel. 

Corina Smith: “There is a great art to performing songs that are not your own, but there is also the side of singing what you wrote. There is an exciting feeling of creating a song from scratch. When you sing it live and the audience sings it with you, it is the most beautiful thing about being an artist.” 

David Wild: “It’s not a work where we’re thinking about whether a song is going to be a hit. Whether it’s a hit or not is decided by the audience. As a team, we deliver that production to the public. Sometimes the song you don’t expect is a hit or vice versa. You put a lot of faith in a project and maybe it doesn’t connect with fans. We have to trust in what we do in the studio. We don’t limit art to a hit.”

Valentina: “I got my first hit in Mexico. I already had a community there. In 2022, I traveled there and started knocking on doors on radio and television. One super random day, my manager told me that a friend of a friend of a friend could help us promote my song on a digital billboard that lasts 24 hours. And in those 24 hours, someone who worked at Universal Music Mexico saw it, wrote to me, connected with my team, and today, I am signed with Universal Music Mexico.”

Bastian: “The best producer has to have a lot of discipline. It’s about taking advantage of the tools you have in your favor to become a good business. The world is changing very quickly and we can’t be left behind. I think it’s important to find a way to combine AI with your work because if not, you’ll be left behind.”

Over the past 35 years, Latin Music Week has become the one, steady foundation of Latin music in this country, becoming the single most important — and biggest — gathering of Latin artists and industry executives in the world. Initially named Latin Music Seminar, sponsored by Billboard, the event traces back to 1990, where it kicked off as a one-day event in Miami featuring a two-artist showcase and awards show.

Throughout the years, it has taken place in Miami, Las Vegas and Puerto Rico, returning to Miami Beach for a fourth consecutive year in 2024, and has welcomed some of the biggest Latin acts including Celia Cruz, Selena, Ricky Martin, Chayanne, Jenni Rivera, Daddy Yankee, Karol G, Bad Bunny, and Romeo Santos. Latin Music Week coincides with the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards set to air at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 20, on Telemundo. It will simultaneously be available on Universo, Peacock and the Telemundo app, and in Latin America and the Caribbean through Telemundo Internacional.