Miami is a networking hub for a new generation of multicultural talent, and SiriusXM is claiming major real estate in the epicenter of the action with the launch of their “next-level” studios in South Beach. The audio entertainment company officially opened the new broadcast center earlier this week and announced a full itinerary of exclusive interviews and performances to celebrate.
Everyone from Carrie Underwood to Pitbull, Anitta, Andy Cohen, Bon Jovi, Bailey Zimmerman, Carlos Vives and content creators like TikTok’s Alix Earle and Tinx have already made their rounds at the new studios that boast “super video capabilities.”
“It’s just one studio, that’s meant for everybody, with a ton of possibilities,” says Scott Greenstein, SiriusXM’s resident and chief content officer. “We really tried our best to look at what the artists that live here are doing and we observed how they do what they do and how the big ones do it well.”
Undoubtedly, Miami is synonymous with its booming Latin music scene, which for the past few years has been driven by the urban artists who call the Magic City home. In 2022, Latinmusic revenue in the United States reached an all-time high of $1.1 billion — marking the industry’ssecond year of double-digit growth, according to the RIAA’s year-end report.
Ad-supported on-demand streams (from services like YouTube, Vevo, and the free version of Spotify) increased 24% compared to the previous year, to $230 million. By comparison, this category makes up 21% of total Latin music revenues, versus the 11% total of the overall U.S. market.
“This space [was] built from scratch to be a true audio and video studio. All artists, but in particular, Latin artists use social media and other short-form ways of promoting their content,” says Greenstein. “I think we are providing an optimal space to come here and do audio — anything from a concert to a town hall. Plus, the studios are a beautiful space to have in the background of that content.”
Under the direction of Bryant Pino, director of Latin music programming, and Azu Olvera, senior director of Latin talent and industry relations, SiriusXM will be adding a new Latin pop-infused Hits Uno channel to the station which already hosts 16 Spanish-language channels ranging from regional Mexican, Spanish ballads, Latin jazz and more.
“There’s some tough competition in TV and radio when it comes to New York or Los Angeles,” he says, “But here, it was sort of ours to crack. Latin artists often have had to split their promotion time between English and Spanish media — I thought, wouldn’t it be great to have a bilingual-bicultural studio, right in Miami, and have it function identically for everybody. We want anyone who uses the studios to feel greeted by people they know, by people who can speak comfortably in Spanish.”
Among week-long inaugural programming, Howard Stern — a “tremendous team player and huge supporter of the company,” according to Greenstein — had a busy lineup of artist interviews. Mr. 305 showed up for an in-depth conversation about his upbringing as a child of Cuban immigrant parents which somehow ended with a dance lesson with Stern as the student and Pitbull as the professor.
“When things are important like they were in the early days, Howard did a lot of work a lot of events,” says Greenstein. “I love the idea that he has Pitbull and Anitta coming in while also having Carrie Underwood perform. Miami is truly a national platform. It’s bilingual and multicultural and we want the whole world to understand that.”
See more photos from the opening week below:
