Now Spinning: Latin Music Is the B-b-beat of This Summer

With each new year, Latin music continues to enter (and redefine) the mainstream—shattering records, blurring lines between genres, and further proving that the Hispanic audience isn’t a monolith. Think of Bad Bunny embarking on his global tour this year. In a single week, he sold almost 3M tickets. And let’s not forget Karol G, whose fifth studio album, Tropicoqueta, delivered 1M+ total streams on Pandora.

Music is more than rhythm to Hispanic audiences. It’s a way to preserve culture and legacy, offering connection and reconnection. While it may still be summer, we’re already thinking ahead to Hispanic Heritage Month. Almost half of Hispanic American listeners who are 18 and up plan to celebrate. And among those who celebrate, 76% listen to culturally relevant audio, like music and podcasts.  

If you haven’t been prioritizing Latino audiences, keep this in mind: The entertainment industry misses out on $12-18B annually by failing to properly engage them. There’s no better place to target multicultural audiences than Pandora, where listeners tune in to a blend of nostalgic hits of past decades and the hottest tracks of today’s modern queues. From Grupero to El Pulso, this is where Hispanic listeners and advertisers alike find their beat. 

The Trending Stations for This Summer’s Soundtrack

Rhyming to the Beat with Reggaeton 

This station is a force on Pandora, reaching 14M listeners. Reggaeton offers up the biggest hits from the last decade, showcasing why this genre has become a mainstream staple of Latin urban music. It can be said that reggaeton finally reached the mainstream a few years ago, with artists like Bad Bunny and Karol G helping pave the way and attracting a larger English-speaking audience. And while the genre was once male-dominated, female artists continue to make their voices heard.

A Blast to the past with Viejitas Pero Bonitas 

Loosely translated to, “Oldies but beautiful,” Viejitas Pero Bonitas features some of the most classic romantic ballads from the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Nostalgic listeners come to this station to turn on the songs that they grew up with and think back on memories. At 7.3M listeners, it’s one of the most-listened-to Latin music stations on Pandora. The station features artists hailing from genres like Latin pop, Bolero, and RMX. 

Moving to El Pulso 

One of our most-listened-to stations, El Pulso captures the pulse of today’s Latin music, reaching 4.2M listeners. While other Pandora stations may zero in on a specific genre, El Pulso showcases the diversity of Latin music. The station features today’s biggest chart-toppers like Bad Bunny, Feid, Rauw Alejandro, J Balvin, and more. 

El Pulso is more than a Pandora station but an annual, cultural event. Brands can take the connection offline and IRL with the live concert we host in Miami, creating activations for die-hard fans. This year, for our eighth El Pulso event, headliner Manuel Turizo, who received 53M Pandora spins in 2024 alone, took to the stage. Music is more than a digital relationship to Latino fans, as two in three Latin music superfans plan on attending a live concert in the next 12 months.

More than a Moment but a Female Takeover with Del Corazón

Translated to “From the heart,” Del Corazón is the sister station to El Pulso. The station shines a bright light on some of the most talented Latinas in contemporary music, like Karol G, Carla Morrison, Shakira, and more. This station helped set the tone for last year’s Hispanic Heritage Month, seeing +102% in listeners and +684% in station adds compared to the previous month.

The Reign of RMX+ 

RMX stands for regional Mexican music, a broad term used to describe a range of genres that are popular in Mexico and among Mexican-Americans. RMX is a dominating force and has the title of being the largest Latin subgenre in the US. Some of the major elements shaping the landscape include: 

• Artists are mixing RMX with other genres like hip hop and trap

• Gen Z artists are attracting a new generation of listeners

• Social media continues to contribute to its popularity

While RMX is traditionally male-dominated, female artists continue to leave their mark on the industry. The RMX+ station delivers just that, highlighting leading female artists. Celebrators of Hispanic Heritage Month agree, with this station receiving +192% in listeners and +5067% in station adds compared to the previous month. And it’s not just Pandora that’s feeling the influence, RMX is also now the #1 Latin subgenre on SoundCloud.  

Pressing Play on El Ambiente: Corridos de Hoy 

As a subgenre of RMX, corridos proves that it’s not just genres that deserve the limelight but subgenres, too. Corridos is taking over global charts, with artists developing new branches like corridos alterados and electro corridos as well as blending corridos with reggaeton. El Ambiente: Corridos de Hoy features a 88% Latino listener composition and boasts 1.1M listeners.

The station showcases some of RMX’s biggest stars, like Clave Especial, Neton Vega, Kane Rodriguez, and more. 

Grooving with Grupero 

As another subgenre of RMX, Grupero features the most beloved romantic Mexican groups from the '80s and '90s, highlighting artists like Grupo Bryndis, Los Temerarios, Los Bukis, Samuray, and more. 

With a 88% Latino listener composition, this station is a top choice for advertisers looking to reach this audience.

Hitting the DAME DANCE Floor 

Latin music is frequently mixed with other genres, solidifying that it can’t be defined in a single way. And DAME DANCE captures this perfectly, with the beats of Latin and EDM going hand-in-hand. 

The station is a top choice for listeners, especially during Hispanic Heritage Month. Last year, the station received +942% in listeners and +7422% in station adds compared to the previous month. Top artists on this station include some of today’s hottest names: Farruko, Becky G, and Rauw Alejandro. 

How to Reach Latino Audiences on Pandora and SoundCloud 

Pandora 

When you sponsor a Pandora station, you can break through the noise. Sponsored Stations blend musicology experience with personalization via listener thumbs. Plus, advertisers get a 100% share of voice (SOV). In addition to the popular Latin stations listed here there are still more for fans and brands to discover, so you can rest assured that there’s a perfect match out there for your campaign. 

SoundCloud 

In addition to Pandora’s deep reach with Latino listeners, SoundCloud allows brands to meet die-hard music enthusiasts who seek out emerging talent before they hit the mainstream. With solutions like Promoted Tracks, brands can spotlight emerging artists. Or with SoundCloud Scenes, the award-winning documentary series, brands can be a part of highlighting the hottest rising music communities that form on the platform. 

And no matter if you’re advertising on Pandora or SoundCloud, both platforms offer leading targeting solutions, whether your target audience is Spanish- or English-speaking or bilingual listeners. Reach Latin Enthusiasts and Latin Intensives alike, those who spend up to 49%, or over 50%, of their time with Spanish-intensive content on our streaming audio.

Say Sí with SiriusXM Media 

When it comes to targeting this music-loving audience, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Thanks to the diversity of Latinos and their cultural spectrum, their audio tastes and preferences are varied—and we have the content that they’re turning on for the first time (and millionth time). 

Ready to get in the groove with Latino audiences, and sponsor one of the above Pandora stations? Let’s chat. 

For More on Reaching Latin Audiences