Latin American Music Awards

The Latin American Music Awards (Latin AMAs) are a fan-voted music awards ceremony celebrating the most popular Latin music artists across pop, urban, regional Mexican, and tropical genres. Founded in 2015 as the Spanish-language counterpart to the American Music Awards, the ceremony is produced by TelevisaUnivision and broadcast on Univision, UniMas, and Galavision. The 9th Annual Latin AMAs took place on April 25, 2024, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

How the Latin AMAs Work

The Latin AMAs follow a fan-driven selection process:

1. Nominations: Nominees are determined based on commercial performance metrics including sales, streaming data, radio airplay, and social media engagement. For the 2024 ceremony, Feid and Peso Pluma led nominations with 12 each, followed by Bad Bunny and Grupo Frontera with 11 each.
2. Voting: Fans vote through the official Latin AMAs website and social media platforms. Every category is fan-voted, making the Latin AMAs the only major Latin music awards show where the public decides all winners.
3. Ceremony: The awards are held annually, typically in April. The 2024 ceremony was hosted by Thalia, Alejandra Espinoza, Becky G, and Carlos Ponce, and broadcast simultaneously on Univision, UniMas, and Galavision in the United States and Canal 5 in Mexico.

The fan-voted format means artists with highly engaged fanbases can win regardless of critical consensus. Karol G holds the all-time record with 23 Latin AMA wins, followed by Bad Bunny with 15. CNCO holds the group record with 13 wins.

Real-World Example: The 9th Annual Latin AMAs (2024)

Karol G dominated the 2024 ceremony, winning Artist of the Year and Album of the Year for "Manana Sera Bonito." She also won Song of the Year for "TQG," her collaboration with Shakira. Young Miko won New Artist of the Year, beating out Bad Gyal, Chino Pacas, Gabito Ballesteros, Peso Pluma, and others.

Yandel and Feid won Collaboration of the Year for "Yandel 150." Feid and Sean Paul took Collaboration Crossover of the Year for "Nina Bonita." Marshmello won Best Crossover Artist. The ceremony featured performances from Thalia, Marc Anthony, Carin Leon, Peso Pluma, Feid, Yandel, Anitta, Becky G, and Danny Ocean.

Special awards presented at the 2024 ceremony included the Legend Award (received by Banda MS and Ricardo Montaner) and the Pioneer Award (received by Yandel).

Why It Matters for Independent Artists

The Latin AMAs are entirely fan-voted, which means independent Latin artists with passionate fanbases can compete directly with major label acts. The nomination process is data-driven, so strong streaming numbers, social media engagement, and sales can earn a nomination without label lobbying.

The New Artist of the Year category specifically targets emerging talent. Young Miko's 2024 win demonstrates that relatively new acts can take home top prizes. The Favorite categories are split by genre (Pop, Urban, Regional Mexican, Tropical), giving independent artists in niche genres a better chance at recognition.

If you are an independent Latin artist, focus on building streaming numbers and social media engagement during the eligibility period. Use our Streaming Royalty Calculator to track your performance. Check the Univision website for eligibility windows and voting dates.

Related Resources

• Streaming Royalty Calculator - Track streaming performance that feeds into Latin AMA nominations
• Target Streams Calculator - Set streaming goals for awards eligibility
• 21 Ways Musicians Can Earn Income - Build revenue alongside awards strategy
• Latin GRAMMY Awards - The industry-voted counterpart to the fan-voted Latin AMAs
• Performance Rights Organizations - Latin PROs like ASCAP and SACM collect royalties for Latin AMA-winning songwriters