Lenny Tavárez & More Share Key Advice for Indie Artists at Latin Music Week 2025

The 2025 Billboard Latin Music Week officially kicked disconnected Monday (Oct. 20) astatine The Fillmore Miami Beach with “The Power of Independence” sheet presented by Platoon.

In the speech — moderated by Billboard’s Ingrid Fajardo — creator Lenny Tavárez, duo shaper MadMusick (comprised of brothers Yan and Yon) and Pinky Mordan (head of Latin euphony astatine Platoon), discussed however to successfully pb a vocation arsenic an autarkic artist.

Below, cheque retired the champion takeaways from the panel:

Pinky connected Discovering New Artists: “Managing [artists] arsenic an autarkic boutique is interesting. At Platoon, we specifically question retired artists we privation to enactment with and marque an interaction connected the genre.”

Lenny connected Major Label vs. Indie Label: “All my processes person been necessary. I miss immoderate things astir [major] grounds labels, but they’re not arsenic powerful. I deliberation the affirmative happening astir being autarkic is that they don’t effort to alteration the DNA you privation to task yourself with. When I started with Sony arsenic my duo Dyland and Lenny, the A&R told america we needed a merengue. The statement came with pre-made songs. Later, erstwhile I moved to Warner, they had galore of the characteristics of an autarkic label, which I liked, but for artists similar me, who find it hard to beryllium controlled, autarkic labels volition support the artist’s intelligence health.”

MadMusick connected Labels Wanting to Change a Producer’s Sound: “Our occupation is to lick problems. If we travel with a task and we’re coagulated connected the sound, it’s better. People are competing for attention, not to marque the champion product.”

Pinky connected Platoon’s Role successful an Artist’s Career: “We don’t privation to overly impact the [artist’s] vision. It would beryllium astir amplifying their stories, their vision, adding definite things the creator isn’t seeing. The situation is for the creator to travel with their team, and we tin propulsion that aspect.”

MadMusick connected Social Media’s Importance: “You person to cognize however to usage it; it’s a full-time job. Many indie artists don’t usage it to their advantage. Big labels propulsion that, they request it. Many artists usage societal media lone to merchantability euphony and halt showing the quality being. You person to amusement your personality, who you are authentically, and that’s what genuinely builds a instrumentality base.”