Billboard Gears up for its 2nd Annual Regional Mexican Music Summit Featuring Star Panelists Jenni Rivera, Montez De Durango, Diana Reyes and More!

New York, NY (Billboard Publicity Wire) August 8, 2007 -- Billboard, the world's most comprehensive source of music, digital data and events, will hold its second annual Regional Mexican Music Summit, in association with Starbucks Coffee, on October 1-3 at the Hilton Universal Hotel in Los Angeles. This 3-day summit is the only event completely dedicated to the top-selling genre of Latin music, and is a networking and dealmaking platform for Regional Mexican music industry power players.

This year's Billboard Regional Mexican Music Summit will focus on the latest radio, retail, branding, licensing, touring, digital and publishing trends impacting this lucrative sector of the Latin business. This unique event will gather artists, record label executives, radio executives, concert promoters, retailers, managers, and marketing and advertising executives, and will kick off with a major showcase presented by Promotores Unidos - the association of Mexican music concert promoters.

"The summit will celebrate the strength, musical quality and enormous business potential of Regional Mexican music, and we're thrilled to be starting this event with the Promotores Unidos showcase" says Leila Cobo, Billboard's Executive Director of Content & Programming for Latin Music & Entertainment.

The Promotores Unidos showcase will feature live performances by an impressive lineup of Regional Mexican artists including:

Betzaida--The romantic ballads of Betzaida music is not typical of banda, norteño, Tex-Mex, mariachi or ranchera. Instead, this brunette beauty focuses on sleek Latin pop, producing a smooth sound that carries wide appeal in the Spanish-speaking world. At the young age of twenty-three, Betzaida was chosen by Univision to sing the official theme song for the 2004 Copa America, a major Latin American soccer tournament taking place in Peru.

Inquietos Del Norte-- Born in Guadalajara, the Meza brothers, along with friend Jorge Torres, came together in the early '90s to form Los Inquietos del Norte. The group has prided itself on its use of raw, street-level lyrics combined with a gritty musical approach. Comfortable in many styles, the group writes corridos, rancheras, boleros, and more. Living both in Mexico and northern California, Inquietos Del Norte has earned a large fan base both on their native soil and in the United States.

Mazizo Musical--This fresh, young group hailing from Chicago offers a unique twist on what has become one of the Spanish-speaking world's fastest rising genres: duranguense. This seven-piece band is well known among the ever-growing duranguense audiences for their lively stage presentation, youthful good looks and hip, urban-edged attire. Adding their own authentic sound, Mazizo Musical has integrated acoustic instrumentation and a live horn section into a duranguense style that is typically synthesized.

Morros Del Norte--This Norteño group consists of three brothers and one cousin hailing from Culiacan Sinaloa, Mexico. Beginning solo in the early 90's and eventually joining forces with power label, Disa, the band has earned a hard-won reputation as major figures in the regional Mexican music scene.

Pablo Montero--Over the last decade, Montero recorded five albums and won numerous music awards for his passionate, Mexican beats. A musical icon in his county, Montero has recently brought Mexican music to an international level, performing in China and the United States.

Wences Romo-- This unique eight-member group captures a voice that combines the authentic elements of romantic bolero and pop music. Creating a combination of modern style and rhythm that reflects the group's youth, Wences Romo is a unique conglomeration of excellent musicians with a renewed vision of regional Mexican sound.

Program highlights also include:

? The Billboard Q&A

? Educational Sessions

? Valuable Networking Opportunities

? Premios Premmusa presented by Promotores Unidos

? And More!

For information about the Billboard Regional Mexican Music Summit, visit www.billboardevents.com

General Information: Margaret O'Shea: 646-654-4698

Registration: Erin Parker: 646-654-4643

Sponsorships: Cebele Marquez: 646-654-4648

Hilton Universal Hotel: 818-506-2500

Press credentials: Catherine Lewis: 212-255-8455.

About Billboard

Now in its 113th year, Billboard is the world's premier weekly music publication and a diverse digital, events and brand, content and data licensing platform. Billboard publishes the most trusted charts and offers unrivaled reporting about the latest music, video, gaming, media, digital and mobile entertainment issues and trends. Billboard is the flagship property for the Billboard Information Group, which also consists of Billboard.biz, Billboard.com, Billboard Chart Alert, Billboard Information Network (BIN), Billboard Directories, Billboard Books, Billboard Licensing & Events and Radio & Records. Billboard's many strategic partners include Microsoft, Reuters, Sirius Satellite Radio, Telemundo, Univision Radio, ABC Radio Networks, Azteca America and Billboard sister companies Nielsen SoundScan and Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems. These partnerships leverage Billboard's proprietary data, charts and information resources to develop broadcast entertainment, digital and mobile platforms and contextual commerce applications that expand Billboard's franchise and consumer reach.

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