From May 27th to August 10th, voting members of the Latin Recording Academy, the organization that has nominated the best artists and products for the Latin Grammy Awards for the past 27 years, will cast their ballots. This year is one of the most competitive in the last decade, and anticipation is growing daily to find out who will be the lucky nominees for the industry’s top honors in our region. We spoke with one of its Associate Members, Carlos Passage, to learn what’s coming up.
By Charlie Thompson
Carlos Passage, a Colombian music critic and journalist and associate member of L.A.R.A.S. (Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences), says that the past year has been one of the most fruitful periods for the music business worldwide, and especially for Latin America. “According to IFPI (the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry), global recorded music revenues in 2025 grew by 6.4% and reached $31.7 billion. This demonstrates how the continued work and investment of record companies and their partnerships with artists around the world are driving positive market growth, with expansion in all regions,” he says. “But the best news for Latin America is that the regional market continued to grow, registering a 17.1% increase, marking its sixteenth consecutive year of growth. Brazil is now the eighth largest market in the world, and Mexico has entered the tenth spot. So we should be happy,” he concludes.
The Latin music boom worldwide will be reflected this year at the 27th Latin Grammy Awards, and it all begins when voting members start casting their ballots from May 27th to August 10th. They will choose the nominees for the awards, which will be presented on November 12th in Las Vegas. The list of nominated artists, albums, and singles will be announced on September 16th.
“The Latin Grammys are the number one awards in the industry, and this year we expect the 7,000 voting members from 62 countries around the world to vote massively to choose the best of the year,” says Passage. “The Latin Recording Academy has announced new categories and eligibility criteria for the 2026 Latin Grammys. These changes reflect the evolving landscape of music, which is constantly changing. Three categories will have new names: in electronic music, the Best Latin Electronic Performance category will become Best Electronic Performance; in urban music, the Best Urban/Fusion Performance category will become Best Urban Performance; and in classical music, the Best Contemporary Classical Composition category will be renamed Best Classical Composition. There are also changes in one of the four major categories. New rules apply to those aspiring to a Latin Grammy in the Best New Artist category, and only humans can submit their work, be nominated, or win an award; consequently, the use of artificial intelligence—a producer without human authorship—will not be eligible in any category,” the statement reads.
Finally, there is a very important piece of data that is key to the global music business: interaction with paid streaming services consolidated last year as the main driver of the business, with revenue growth of 8.8%, representing 52.4% of global revenue according to IFPI. Currently, there are 850 million users with streaming subscriptions who pay for a monthly plan.
The Latin Recording Academy is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering, celebrating, honoring, and elevating Latin music and its creators. Established as the world authority on Latin music, this entity, composed of music professionals, produces the Latin GRAMMY Awards, the most important night in Latin music, which highlights excellence in the arts and sciences of recording, in addition to providing educational and outreach programs for the music community through its Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation.
Carlos Passage