Spanish labels’ body Promusicae has signed a cooperation deal with Miami-based Latin music entertainment portal elHood.com to help promote Spanish artists across the Latin music scene.
Promusicae president Antonio Guisasola and his elHood.com counterpart Damian Bellumio inked the contract in Madrid on Wednesday (Nov. 8). The deal is the first of its type since the June launch of elHood by Hoodiny Entertainment Group, which has offices in Miami, Los Angeles and Madrid.
ElHood.com describes itself as a technology marketing tool that mixes social networking with music. It offers free Websites to artists and provides music streams.
Guisasola says the accord means that Promusicae’s 79 member labels will receive preferential treatment when offering artists to elHood. “When elHood was launched, we contacted them because it was a clear chance to back a legal P2P network that used the very latest technology to make Spanish-language music available on Internet,” he says.
ElHood’s GM in Spain, José María Martínez, says elHood.com has 2,500 registered artists and 10,000 registered users, of which 45% live in Spain. Martínez is one of elHood’s founders, and he doubles as managing director of Madrid indie label Pep’s Records, a Promusicae member. “But elHood’s relationship with Promusicae is based on the quality of the product, not on friendship,” he insists.
Guisasola says the service will benefit Spanish labels’ artists, “because elHood is conceived as a tool to boost marketing potential, as well as an example of how to create a legal online music site”.
