In an effort to continue broadening the range of opportunities for its artists, Sony Music U.S. Latin has partnered with ZZinc group, the entertainment company headed by Mexican promoter/manager Armando Lozano and Mexican film financier Alex García. Through the partnership, ZZinc and Sony will leverage their assets to jointly develop talent and music-related projects, focusing on crossover projects for the U.S. Hispanic market.
ZZinc, which includes management, film and live entertainment divisions (the company has presented the Mexican of acts like Wisin & Yandel, Juanes and Luis Fonsi, among others), has been based in Mexico since 2008 but early this year opened offices in Miami and Los Angeles as part of its plan to expand operations in the U.S. and Latin America. The company has gained additional notoriety thanks to the growing visibility in the film world of García, whose AG Studios was recently referred to by The Hollywood Reporter as “Latin America’s largest production group.”
García, has reportedly invested $500 million in entertainment ventures in the U.S. and Latin America, including Mexican distribution arm Latam Distribution, animation studio Anima Estudios and stakes in several films, plus a partnership with Mark Burnett and Robert Rodríugez’s El Rey Network to produce a weekly hour-long lucha libre series for El Rey, set to debut later this year.
ZZinc’s relationship with Sony seeks to capitalize on the expertise of both companies. The ground has been tested since last year, when ZZinc helped launch the solo debut of reggaetón star Yandel, released on Sony Music U.S. Latin. The album debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart last year. The company is now part of Yandel’s management team and will also work on the release campaign for Sonus, a new act made up of three young brothers who were signed last year to Sony.
“Joining forces with ZZinc is clearly a 'one plus one equals three' proposition,” Nir Seroussi, president of Sony Music U.S. Latin told Billboard. "Sony Music US Latin is very focused on developing artists and enhancing the services we provide to our roster.”
Not all Sony acts will fall under the partnership, but clearly, ZZinc can broaden the pool of opportunities, especially for acts that in some way fall under the “crossover” realm that García and Lozano are already targeting through other projects.
“We see great potential in supporting talent that not only can transcend language and culture but also experience success on multiple media platforms,” said García in a statement.
“The synergy created by both organizations increases the value of the artist by giving them more available resources and a new way to take advantage of marketing and media opportunities, especially among Latino audiences in the United States,” added Lozano.