LOS TIGRES CALLING

Got an interesting press release emailed to me, that kinda ties in with what I wrote about in this post:

VERIZON TEAMS WITH REGIONAL MEXICAN MUSICAL LEGENDS LOS TIGRES DEL NORTE

Multi-Tiered Relationship between Mobile Music Leader, Verizon, and Famed Norteño Performers, Los Tigres del Norte, Includes Exclusives on V CAST Music, Contests for Private Concerts, In-Store Appearances and More

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and MIAMI - Reaching out to the broad fan base for Latin music, Verizon today announced an expansive relationship with Fonovisa/UMLE recording artists, Los Tigres del Norte, the multiple GRAMMY® and Latin GRAMMY®-award winning group known to fans around the globe as one of the world's most popular regional Mexican bands. The announcement was made at the Billboard Latin Music Conference being held in Miami this week.

Beginning this summer, select music from Los Tigres del Norte's forthcoming album will be available exclusively to Verizon Wireless V CAST Music customers in the form of a four-song Mobile EP. Verizon will also be a sponsor of the band's tour dates in the United States, and the band will make select in-store appearances at Verizon Wireless Communications Stores across the country.

Fans can also look forward to the opportunity to enter a contest to win a private Los Tigres performance as well as more promotions during the year that will allow them to interact with the band and its music through their Verizon mobile phones.

"Latin and Hispanic music is an important genre for Verizon, and we are excited to work with and feature the legendary Los Tigres del Norte and bring more of their music to our customers," said Ed Ruth, director of digital music at Verizon. "As the band moves into the next phase of an astounding career, Verizon will be there to help them communicate with their fans using the latest in mobile technology."

"Communication is what our songs have always been about," says Los Tigres del Norte front man Jorge Hernandez. "We've always sought to sing songs that tell the stories of our fans. It's important for us to keep in close contact with them and thanks to Verizon we will be able to do that in new and innovative ways."

"Universal Music Group, which distributes Los Tigres del Norte's music, is committed to offering consumers the ability to enjoy music in many forms across a variety of different platforms," stated Amanda Marks, executive vice president and general manager of Universal Music Distribution. "And our partnership with Verizon exemplifies just one of the many new and exciting business models we are utilizing to fulfill this demand, while at the same time, expanding the digital playing field further for our artists and creating new revenue streams. We're delighted to be working with Verizon, which has been and remains an excellent partner, and with Los Tigres del Norte to help grow the mobile music business, particularly in the Latin market where mobile plays such an important role."

"At Fonovisa we are thrilled to have Los Tigres del Norte to join with Verizon to build an unprecedented mobile-driven campaign in support of their new album and tour. Regional Mexican continues to be the leading genre within Latin music in the U.S. and this campaign is a major step in consolidating the genre's positioning in the digital music world," said Gustavo Lopez, president of Fonovisa & Disa.

Hailed by The New York Times as "[Regional Mexican] music's greatest statesmen," Los Tigres del Norte has recorded more than 500 songs over the course of nearly 60 albums and sold more than 35 million albums worldwide. The group has also received multiple GRAMMY and Latin GRAMMY awards, and were awarded the Latin Recording Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007. Hailing from Rosa Morda, Sinaloa, Mexico, the band, comprised of brothers Jorge, Hernán, Edurado, and Luis Hernandez, plus cousin Oscar Lara, came to the United States in the late 1960s. The look of determination on their faces caused a border guard to dub them Los Tigres del Norte, or "The Tigers of the North." From their very beginning, the band has chronicled real-life stories of love and hardship, many of them passed on by their fans, others researched like a newspaper story. Their gritty realism and plain-spokenness led Billboard magazine to say, "Los Tigres del Norte are not just another popular musical act... Instead they're widely viewed as the voice of the people."