Even though Bad Bunny didn’t release a new album in 2024, Latin music continued its buoyant trajectory as a force in the global music marketplace.

Consumption and revenue for music en español — the definition of “Latin” music for music business purposes — grew yet again. According to the RIAAs mid year report, Latin music’s growth continues to outpace the overall music market. By mid year 2024, revenues for Latin music in the U.S. alone stood at $685 million, a 7% increase of the $639 million reported in 2023. Latin’s share of the overall U.S. music pie is now 7.9%, larger than it has ever been since the RIAA began breaking it down. While the growth in recorded music revenue is driven by streaming numbers, on the touring end Latin also soared, recording a 37% increase in revenue among the top 100 tours of the year compared to 2023, according to Billboard Boxscore. Latin is now the third genre in terms of touring revenue among the top 100, behind only pop and rock. 

Globally, Latin’s numbers also continued to soar. According to the IFPI’s 2024 State of the Industry report, Latin America registered its 14^th year of consecutive growth, with revenues rising steeply by 19.4%, more than any other region in the world except Africa.

What is driving Latin’s expansion and sustainability? Fans of Latin music worldwide not only overconsume music, but they’re increasingly willing and open to listening to a new lingua franca: Spanish. Music in Spanish is now the second most listened to in the world, behind only English. A robust touring market, a young fan base, a predilection for streaming in a streaming world and the rise of new sounds — from Mexico to Chile — have compounded Latin’s outsized presence.

Here are 12 stories that drove the narrative for Latin music in 2024.