Jesus Lopez
Chairman/CEO
Universal Music Latin America & Iberian Peninsula
POWER MOVE: Doubled Universal Music Latin’s profitability during the last five years and grown revenue 30% in that period. With EMI, its market share is up to 44.1%.
THE RUNDOWN: Lopez heads the biggest Latin music operation in the United States, even larger now with Universal’s recent acquisition of EMI. “We’ve grown 30% [worldwide] in the past five years,” Lopez says. “Considering the systematic drop in the market, it’s an amazing achievement.”
In 2012, Universal Music Latin Entertainment — home to Marco Antonio Solís, Juanes, Enrique Iglesias and the late Jenni Rivera — commanded a 39.5% U.S. album market share that grows to 44.1% after adding EMI’s Latin assets. Lopez notes that 45% of 2012’s revenue came from album sales while the rest came from digital, sponsorships, synchs, management and merchandising, including the “Voice” franchise in Latin America that falls under his purview.
As head of a global corporation, Lopez oversees far more than album or track sales in a single country. He measures success not just by market share but by profitability that has “doubled in the past five years,” he says.
Lopez points to his wide range of artists with pride. His company is still a magnet for both established acts like Alejandro Sanz and such developing artists as 3BallMTY that are geared toward a different U.S. Latin consumer seeking bilingual acts.
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Jesus Lopez photo by Jeffrey Salter