Ancillary 5

It’s a hot July day and as I relaxed in my backyard, ready to tan, I decided to play some music from my phone. As I hit shuffle on my phone, a cultural exchange, of unparalleled strength, had taken place. The first song that came on was in Spanish, so I explored these foreign sounds to a shallow depth, refraining from jumping down the rabbit hole of Reggaeton music. After what seemed like minutes I looked at my phone and realized that nearly an hour and a half had gone by while I had been absorbed by the Spotify radio I was listening to, inspired by the latin top charts. The reborn popularity of Latin Music is due to the ability of streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal alongside the strong Hispanic culture that has taken a foothold in the United States from immigration. Since Selena, in the 90s, Latin Music has always been on the cusp but never quite attaining the level of popularity in the American Music Industry. Artists like Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Marc Anthony and Pitbull have paved the way for aspiring hispanis artists, but the availability and ease of access that the music industry represents is what holds the key to the next generation of superstar artists.