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Search Results for: Puerto Rico

What do you know about Kobalt?

The Alternative To Record Labels

Willard Ahdritz dressed in black sitting on a red chair
Kobalt Music Group was founded by Swede Willard Ahdritz in New York City 21 years ago (2000)

Kobalt is a state-of-the-art music company that presents an alternative to the traditional business model. This world-leading company serves as the leading independent music publisher today offering transparency and further leverage to the rights of artists, songwriters, and publishers.

Kobalt currently represents on average more than 40% of the top 100 songs and albums in the UK and the US. Among the Hispanic artists signed by this company are Enrique Iglesias (Spain), Ozuna (Puerto Rico), Karol G (Colombia), Natti Natasha (Dominican Republic), and the most recent one signed on July 19th, the Urban Composer / Producer Daniel Echavarria Oviedo (Colombia), better known as Ovy On The Drums, creator of great hits like Tusa (Karol G & Nicki Minaj), Ahora Me Llama (Karol G & Bad Bunny), Fútbol y Rumba (Anuel AA & Enrique Iglesias), Miedito O Qué (Karol G & Danny Ocean), and Sigo Buscándote (Mau & Ricky), among others.

Kobalt Music Group, Ltd. (Kobalt) has offices in the main cities of America, Europe, and Asia: London, Berlin, Sydney, Stockholm, Hong Kong, New York, Nashville, Atlanta, Miami, and Los Angeles, also manages more than 200,000 copyrights on behalf of more than 1,200 content holders, including the most celebrated composers, artists, and other music publishers.

This global technology platform from Kobalt (Ktech) innovatively tracks and collects royalties through the trillions of micropayments that streaming provides. Among the many services that they provide include brand and sync partnerships, global license management, online copyright management & use rights tracking, royalty collection and processing (website and App) with weekly online balances, monetization of YouTube, plus creative services, digital collections, and trailers for writers, publishers, musicians, and other rights holders.

  • You Can Also Read: The Business Of The Artists

How Does Kobalt Achieve Transparency?

Kobalt banner with red background
With AMRA you own your songs, keep 100% of your copyrights, have flexible online previews at your convenience, and you are free of ties

Through a global digital collection company called AMRA (American Music Rights Association – Original Name), belonging to Kobalt Music Group, but operated separated from the company. This organism began its operations in June 2015 and is the world’s first society based on technology and trust.

AMRA was designed for today’s artists and takes a straightforward, global approach to license agreement as well as digital collection and management using the advanced rights management platform, KTech, that leverages data and tracking technologies to gain insight into a valuable revenue stream with detailed reports for your clients. This optimized model allows increased efficiency by combating the margin of uncertainty, delay, and continuous errors existing in the traditional system.

I give you an example: Currently, leading digital music platforms are global companies (Spotify, YouTube, iTunes, and many more), but the traditional music industry collects their income locally and regionally. It creates an increasingly complex and fragmented collection process that causes unnecessary delays and inaccurate transmission reports that occur frequently.

AMRA works with flexible contracts, without complicated distribution rules, nor policies that discriminate or reward certain members over the artist. Most of the income is attributed to the client minus a commission absorbed by the company.

For publishers and composers, this means total clarity on the terms of the deal with complete information on all royalties collected. The association does not charge additional monthly fees or surcharges and is responsible for distributing all unattributed income.

Willard Ahdritz (Founder and CEO of Kobalt) assures that with the arrival of streaming, independent artists of medium projection level acquire most of the income of the industry through the alternative to record companies, Kobalt, what was not done before in the big record labels, who for decades denied these resources to international music figures.

“If you have $ 100k ($ 100,000) and you control your rights, the value of the masters is one million dollars in terms of the salable value of your rights.”

Willard Ahdritz

Johnny Vega Musical legend Composer and Vocalist

Born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, veteran songwriter, and singer Johnny Vega grew up surrounded by music and relatives with the same natural talent he discovered in himself at an early age.

It wasn’t long before his obvious gift of writing accompanied by strong vocals was in demand.

Many salsa greats highlighted Johnny Vega, as a songwriter and vocalist at an early age New York was the vanguard of his success.

Relocating as a teenager, with his family, he mastered his craft in both Spanish and English being one of the first Puerto Rican musicians to compose and sing a bilingual hit, singing with Cortijo for the legendary band “Cortijo y su Combo” in the early 70s.

His musical career as described here gave him the notoriety that follows today, currently involved in multiple projects, Johnny continues to write and often performs at sold-out venues in his hometown.

It wasn't long before his obvious gift of writing accompanied by strong vocals was in demand. Many great salseros highlighted Johnny Vega, as a songwriter and vocalist at an early age New York was the vanguard of his success.
Johnny Vega veteran Puerto Rican singer and songwriter Born in Santurce, Puerto Rico

Johnny Vega has participated with a myriad of orchestras to name a few:

Trio Las 3 Voces

Jóvenes Del Ritmo

Gil Suarez Y Su Orquesta Latin Highs

Sonora Casino

Cortijo Y Su Combo

Kako And His Trabuco

Conjunto Los Imposibles

Orquesta Sabor

Conjunto Antonetti

Orquesta La Muralla

Conjunto La Villa Arecibo

Paquito Guzman Y Su Orquesta

Conjunto Santurce

Los 7 Gatos

Renovación 90

Hermanos Gonzalez (Help Yourselves 2015)

Noel Quintana & Latin Crew Popeye Y La Flaca 2016

Soloist Tribute To Celia

From this era of inspiration, Johnny gives the master Tommy Olivencia the song "Pancuco", especially for Frankie Ruiz.
Johnny Vega has participated with countless orchestras.

Some of his compositions:

Popeye – Ay Caray – Adalberto Santiago

Pancuco – Frankie Ruiz

Tú y tu novela – Pasado, presenté y futuro – Mike Cora

Avísale – Clown – incredulous – La Muralla

I’m dying inside – Rafi Marrero

Volver- Tito Rodriguez Jr. Singing Gilberto Santa Rosa

My Salsa is my Cura- Josean Rivera

Hermano Cortijo- Josean Rivera

Sueño de un Borincano- Willie Morales “El Piloto de la Salsa”.

Que le Pasa al Cielo- Chevy El Pitirre de la Salsa

Aquí Mando Yo- Chevy El Pitirre de la Salsa

From that moment on Johnny began to write and share his compositions with local bands so that they could establish their own musical identity.

From that era of inspiration, Johnny gave the maestro Tommy Olivencia the song “Pancuco”, especially for Frankie Ruiz.

Also “Ay Caray” & “Popeye el Marino” for Adalberto Santiago. Many of the musicians who grew up under the supervision of maestro Johnny Vega initially, went on to form part of the orchestras of Celia Cruz, Sonora Ponceña, Héctor Lavoe and many other high caliber bands.

In Rochester, Johnny sang with Orquesta Sabor, Antonetti, and Mike Rosario’s Muralla with whom he formed a solid partnership which included great productions, one of them being “Avísale” a collector’s item for which royalties are still being paid three decades later.

Songs by Johnny Vega-

Father and Son

Compañera Mía

Tribute To Celia

Listen To My Message

Born To Sing

Johnny Vega lives in Rochester NY with his wife of 56 years, 5 children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

He continues to leave his great musical legacy.

Contact:

Facebook: Johnny Vega

https://www.facebook.com/johnny.vega.7503

Instagram: @vjohnny220

https://instagram.com/vjohnny220?utm_medium=copy_link

If you require Vega’s pen write to email.

[email protected]

Por: Erika Muñoz 

La Mulata Rumbera

Erika Muñoz 

“Se Armó la Rumba en México”

Corresponsal de International Salsa Magazine

Article of Interest: Willie Morales The Salsa Pilot Taking off with force… New, Tasty and Danceable Salsa!

 

ISM: Carine and Rafael, 8th World Salsa Champions

Meet the dance representatives of Brazil:

Carine and Rafael, 8th World Salsa Champions

Brazil, the country known for its tropics and its excellence in dancing Samba worldwide, especially dancing in popular festivals and its carnival every year, but that’s not all, at the level of salsa rhythm we have 2 important representatives that we were able to interview in This month, which are: Carine Morais and Rafael Barros, are great salsa dancers who represented their country in a great variety of dance competitions, where they became the Salsa champions 8 times in a row, these competitions are the that they conquered:

  1. World Salsa Open Brasil (2009/2010)
  2. Rey Castro Salsa Competition (2010/2011)
  3. World Salsa Open / Puerto Rico (2010, 2012, 2013)
  4. Six Degrees / Toronto (2012)
  5. World Latin Dance Cup / USA (2013, 2014, 2016)
  6. World Salsa Championship / USA (2016)

Each of them has its story, where we will start with:

Rafael Barros:

Photo by Rafael Barros
Photo – Rafael Barros

Who was born in Fortaleza, Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil; He tells us that he liked dancing from a very young age and practiced thanks to family festivals and from the age of 14 he decided to enter a dance school to improve himself and have more contact with this art, resulting in Forró already teaching at 18 , Samba, Bolero and other rhythms. His first contact with salsa took place in 2004 through a study group: the Salseira Rebellion.

Starting in 2005, she made her first trip to the São Paulo capital with the group she was part of to study and perform in one of the most important dance congresses in the country at that time: the Latin Culture Week. Two years later, he moved to São Paulo to join Cia. Phoenix and, at age 21, was third at the Salsa Open Brasil.

Carine Morais:

Photo by Carine Morais
Carine Morais – Photo

She was also born in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil, dance was part of her life since she was a child since she enjoyed it as if it were a game, at the age of 13 she began her ballroom dance studies and a year later already She was teaching as a teacher, and in 2003 she traveled with a dance group to Spain where she participated in two seasons of a Brazilian music show.However, her first direct contact with Salsa took place in a study group in Ceará and had a Paulo Burracha as his first partner; As time passed, he acquired quality, ingenuity and dedication which began to attract attention and from 2006 Carine traveled to Rio de Janeiro by invitation to improve her samba de gafieira and funkeado, but she always continued studying and training in salsa and in 2007 she won with his partner Paulo Burracha the Brazilian stage of the Salsa Open.

In September 2008, she began her victorious partnership with Rafael Barros and together they won 8 world titles, in addition to becoming one of the greatest references in world dance, Carine Morais, along with her new partner Rafael Barros, who have already traveled to more than 35 countries with the aim of teaching and acting. Not to mention the various invitations to be a judge at the main world dance championships and the various participations in television programs.

Carine Morais hanging out with Rafael Barros
On stage Carine Morais going around with Rafael Barros

For almost 12 years of collaboration between Rafael and Carine, they emphasize that it is not only about perfecting the technique and musicality in dance but also its harmony. And they did not remain in being professional dancers, but they are also professors and choreographers in demand in various congresses nationally and internationally, reaching more than 300 participations in congresses distributed in more than 35 countries, among them are: Argentina, Italy, Guatemala, Uruguay , Chile, Australia, Portugal, Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Suriname, Puerto Rico, Canada, Turkey, India, Panama, Bolivia, Costa Rica, China, Canary Islands, Thailand, Spain, Lebanon, Ecuador, Bulgaria, Austria, Singapore, the United States, Germany, France, Greece and Switzerland; And these not only stay there, it is worth mentioning that they have had numerous participations in television programs, both entertainment and journalistic, in Brazilian and international stations, among them: TV Globo Fantástico, Encontro com Fátima Bernardes, Globo Esporte, Programa do Jô , Rede Record, among other outstanding appearances.

Carine and Rafael 8th championships
Flyer of Carine and Rafael 8th championships

For almost five years they maintained the Carine & Rafael Dance School unit in São Paulo, Brazil, which ended its activities in 2020 due to the Covid 19 pandemic, but since April 2021 they began to give online and face-to-face classes in compliance with the measures of security. They comment that for seven years they have been organizers of the largest Brazilian championship and ballroom dance project: the Brasil Latin Open, which you can have more information through on their Facebook and Instagram page through @brasillatinopen.

Thanks to this great feat that this dance couple did, they have placed Brazil at the center of the World Salsa, making Brazil a very important country regarding ballroom dancing.

If you want to contact these great artists, you can do so through:

  • WebSite: https://www.carineyrafael.com
  • Facebook e Instagram: @carineyrafael
  • Twitter: @Carineerafael
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDUg6yjWAfxzar7v5zWnlcA?view_as=subscriber

Home

4 Salsa Books You Can Read In One Week

Spanish Author Saúl Delhom Immerses Us Into The World Of Salsa In Four Simple Illustrated Texts

Ficcionario Salsero and El Antimanual de la Salsa by Saúl Delhom
El Antimanual Para Bailar Salsa. Episodio I: El Social was published in November 2019 and contains 73 pages

The computer engineer, illustrator and dancer, Saúl Delhom, recreates the culture of Salsa in an exclusive selection of four short books that are easy to understand, a substantial exploration of the representatives of the genre, and an enjoyable reading that you can finish in a week.

The author of these different texts tells us quickly and with the characteristic Spanish humor about the skills, efforts, adaptability, and approach of Afro-Caribbean music.

With these books aimed at Salsa fans, you will get motivation, reflection, knowledge of history, tips, and advice on social dance based on real stories that will not allow you to get left behind in this competitive and fascinating world of Latin dance.

The four books on Salsa by Valencia-born Saúl Delhom will make you learn the most relevant data of the Salsa industry in a fast and exceptional way.

En Clave

En clave is one of the books by the Valencia dancer with which he makes a chronological journey of Salsa through the lives of 77 women artists around the world. For this reason, you will find singers, instrumentalists, composers, and directors of the genre from Croatia, Denmark, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Japan, Puerto Rico, the United States, Cuba, and Venezuela, just to mention a few countries.

En Clave is structured by a timeline dating from 1877 to 1995, separated by decades. So in the first instance, you will read the biography of an artist who is probably the source of inspiration for another. Then, you will come across a connection diagram as visual support and contribution of extra information that will provide you with emotional ties, teachers, professionals, and collaborations between members of the industry.

Likewise, you will find at the end of each biography the title of a song along with a printed code that you can scan through your smartphone that will link you directly to the Spotify digital platform to listen to it.

And finally, you will observe a second timeline with the exhibition as a frame of reference for contemporary male singers and groups and the exact date of the incursion and musical performance of the artist reviewed for that moment.

“In short, for this book, I have opted for that general vision of the term Salsa… This has also allowed me to include interpreters of traditional Cuban music, to travel back in time making prominent women visible, and to the future including generations of artists who merge, and they reinterpret. For that reason, you will find exponents of the Trova, Danzón, Danzonete, the Cuban point, Guajira, or Latin Jazz. ” Excerpt from the En Clave book.

Remember that you need to read this book because…

“More Salsas are known with female names than female names in the Salsa”. Saúl Delhom

El Antimanual Para Bailar Salsa: Episode I. The social

El antimanual para bailar Salsa is an ironic and humorous illustrated guide on how to successfully overcome a social dance of this Latin rhyme on a dance floor.

In this first book by Saúl, you will find answers to common questions of beginning dancers, such as: Should the girl be dragged to the floor? Is it better to dance only with your partner? Is doing many figures the best to stand out? Do I have to know all the songs of memory to be a real Salsero? Is criticizing other couples a national sport? Who moves my drink from here?

Delhom tells us that his intention in creating this project was initially purely personal and without any commercial intention, but due to its success and the liking of the experience acquired, he decided to write an extension of this book with a few extra chapters and face a second different book.

 Ficcionario Salsero. 50 New Words Explained For Normal People

The Ficcionario Salsero is a dictionary of 50 words invented by the author.

These simple words with minimal modifications in the union of two of them or the exchange of one or two letters make the meaning vary entirely, creating a new terminology in salsa slang.

To do this, Saúl Delhom developed an advanced algorithm that allowed him to generate each new term, which in the writer’s words, that should already exist today.

In addition, in the last pages of the Ficcionario, you will find a story about the events that take place in a Salsa Congress and in which these new words are used as an example and that make you actively get involved in this fascinating world.

It should be noted that the style and method applied to the illustrations here are different from those applied previously.

 Trivial Salsero

Finally, there is the Trivial Salsero, a Salsa cultural enrichment book. Its base consists of 360 questions that join a playlist of 160 songs.

In the questions related to a hit, for example: According to a song from El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, what city do you recommend living in summer to have fun with charm and beauty? You will have the information about the correct answer and bring you the exact time within the song through a mark on the digital link to listen to it on Spotify.

Trivial Salsero also includes a system to choose pages randomly without the need for dice or cards.

And is that if you consider yourself a real Salsero you should already know the answers to any of these questions that appear in this book and that I leave you here below as a preamble to what you will find in its internal pages:

  1. With what instrument is the artist Noro Morales associated?
  2. What discipline did Celia Cruz leave to dedicate herself to music?
  3. What nickname has the artist Charlie Palmieri received?
  4. What is the meaning of the word Segundo of the artist Compay Segundo?

“I’ll tell you a little personal anecdote… The first time I tried a Salsa class was in a pub called Cachao. At that time, I had no idea who was the legendary double bass player Israel López “Cachao”. I believed that it was an invented word or the name of some island. Years later, I not only know his story thanks to dancing and the controversial term Salsa, but I have ended up writing a book in which appears his sister Coralia López, much less known”. Saúl Delhom

Saúl Delhom dancing
Saul Delhom

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Mike Arroyo the guitarist Using Jazz to praise God

Mike Arroyo 40/20 The Concert (The past July 19, 2021, San Juan, Puerto Rico)

Using Jazz to praise God, guitarist Mike Arroyo performed yesterday, Sunday, July 18, 2021 at the René Marqués Hall of the Centro de Bellas Artes in Santurce.  As Mike himself said in front of a packed hall, yesterday’s concert became a dream come true.

At 4:50 p.m. the first call was heard over the loudspeaker.  Seven minutes later, the second call was heard at full volume, which interrupted the public’s excitement as they began to settle into their seats.  Five minutes after the scheduled time, the third and last call was heard; which immediately gave way to the greeting of the moderator already on stage, but not before opening the show with the usual invocation.  It became clear that although the concert honored Mike Arroyo’s career, during that time the guitarist has dedicated himself body and soul to praise God.

The title 40/20 originates from the 40 years since Mike Arroyo acquired his first electric guitar, an Ovation Thunderhead® that had belonged to the tres player Nelson Gonzalez.

At 4:50 p.m. the first call was heard over the loudspeaker. Seven minutes later, the second call, which interrupted the public's excitement as they began to settle into their seats, was heard at full volume.

Mike Arroyo 40/20 The Concert

The acquisition of the guitar is still an enigma difficult to explain in earthly terms.  Thus life, this shocking story, which in 1981 transformed the lives of Mike Arroyo and Nelson Gonzalez paved a path that 20 years later would see Mike’s first Jazz album, Straigth To Heaven (2001) see the light of day.  It would be good to bring up the guitar transaction for discussion, but not before exposing the provenance of the guitar.

Shortly before the transaction described here, Nelson Gonzalez lost his house with all the belongings in it due to a fire.  To Nelson’s surprise, the guitar, which later passed into Mike’s hands, was not only the only item to survive the fire, but remained intact.  That fact alone is incredible, but in the face of a structure that was totally destroyed it looks even more dramatic.  Nelson took the surviving item – his guitar – into storage.  However, the custodian of the guitar decided to dispose of it as payment in exchange for a service.  That third person who received the guitar as payment for that service, must have understood that the guitar had not been acquired in a lawful manner, so he sold it for $140.00 to a young Mike; who had to commit himself to pay small amounts until the agreed amount was paid off.

Shortly thereafter, already in the process of normalizing his life after that same fire that had spared the guitar, Nelson returned to reclaim the guitar from whoever had deposited it.  Since the custodian of the guitar no longer had it with him, Nelson set about the task of locating it. Nelson received information about the whereabouts of the guitar itself, which at that moment became – unsuspectingly – the link between the two musicians.  Nelson went to Mike Arroyo’s home where he saw with his own eyes the effort the young man had made to get his hands on that guitar.

The respectable Arroyo family explained, the young musician pleaded and Nelson Gonzalez decided to part with the guitar, the only material object that had survived the destruction of the Gonzalez home, to give it to Mike.  At that moment, Nelson became Mike’s musical godfather and the guitar became the divine plan that made Mike a pioneer in Sacred Jazz, a Latin rhythm of light and spiritual tonalities.  The surprise of the night was the presentation of Nelson Gonzalez with Mike Arroyo, eternally united by the musical instrument that was also the instrument of that divine plan that remains intact.

At that time, Nelson became Mike's musical godfather and the guitar became the divine plan that made Mike a pioneer in Sacred Jazz.
Nelson González y Mike Arroyo

Mike is recognized in the music scene as a pioneer and precursor of “Christian Jazz” with 6 record productions and two video DVD productions. In 2017 he innovated the stages by performing a concert in the traditional format of “Jazz Organ Trio” being Brian Charette and Vince Ector the international guest musicians of that event that took place at the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico.

Aware of the need to strengthen us as a people, through his “Jazz with a spiritual touch”; just as 40 years ago Nelson gave Mike that magical instrument, yesterday Mike gave the public a masterful concert, presented by BCC (Breñas Community Church).  It should be noted that BCC is the church where Mike has been pastor for 15 years.

The select group of accompanying musicians included the Puerto Rican piano: Luis Marín, Gabriel Rodríguez, Jimmy Rivera, Héctor Matos on drums, José Nelson Ramírez, Tommy Lee on tumbadoras and Giovanny Rodríguez.
Piano of Puerto Rico: Luis Marín, Gabriel Rodríguez, Jimmy Rivera, Héctor Matos on drums, José Nelson Ramírez, Tommy Lee on tumbadoras and Giovanny Rodríguez.

The select group of accompanying musicians included the piano of Puerto Rico: Luis Marín, Gabriel Rodríguez, Jimmy Rivera, Héctor Matos on drums, José Nelson Ramírez, Tommy Lee on tumbadoras and Giovanny Rodríguez in his first performance with his former teacher -Luis Marín-.   I imagine that no one will be surprised if it is stated that Luis Marín’s chords were gravitating towards salsa, while Tommy Lee prophesied in correspondence on the leather of the tumbadoras.  Also singing were: Yanira Torres, Gilda González, Janet Hernández, Alma Galarza and Vanessa Rosado.

Photos: Miguel Rojas Candelario ©.

During these 40 years Mike has stood out musically with Christian groups and singers such as Renovación Cristiana, Abba Padre, Manuel Román among others and several recordings. He has participated with the Symphony Orchestra of PR, a Symphony Orchestra in the Dominican Republic, The Quique Talavera Orchestra in the Chucho Avellanet Show accompanying other singers such as Ismael Miranda, Braulio, Tito Rojas among others, The Pijuán Orchestra, where besides the Sextet, he also accompanied Danny Rivera and Wilkins. Mike also had the joy of dedicating a piece with his guitar to his favorite artist Jose Feliciano when he came to celebrate his 50th artistic anniversary in Puerto Rico. With his guitar he has participated in International Jazz Concerts and Festivals (PR, NY, Chicago, Curacao, among others) and has also performed in Germany.

Mike is also a musician/pastor of the Breñas Community Church (BCC) IDDPM.I. in Vega Alta for 15 years and Chaplain of the Police of PR. He is also a Music Teacher in his academy “Mike Arroyo Music” in his hometown of Vega Baja and is a Biomedical Engineer in Clinical Laboratories and Hospitals.

“Mike Arroyo 40/20 El Concierto” was dedicated to his graduating class of Lino Padrón Rivera High School of Vega Baja 1983 and to his “Padrino Musical” Nelson González.

Article of Interest: Tito Rodríguez, Jr. “The Palladium legacy lives on”

By: Bella Martinez “La Escritora Irreverente de La Salsa”

Puerto Rico

Bella Martinez
Website: Bella Martinez Home
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International Salsa Magazine (ISM) is a monthly publication about Salsa activities around the world, that has been publishing since 2007. It is a world network of volunteers coordinated by ISM Magazine. We are working to strengthen all the events by working together.