Welcome to The Manager’s Playbook, my personal newsletter where I share insights from Music Executives and Artists for aspiring and emerging music managers, executives and artists on how to navigate the music industry. This newsletter is brought to you by Mauricio Ruiz.

Ruiz’s Note:

Most people love to say the Grammys don’t matter anymore. Maybe that’s true on the Anglo side.

Maybe…

But after being at the Latin Grammys last weekend, I’m starting to think we’re having two completely different conversations.

I’ll be the first to admit I’m not nearly as tapped into the Latin space (an abomination to my people I am) as I am on the anglo side.

But what I saw in that room was undeniable.

Every single person who is moving culture in Latin music was there. Not the B tier. The absolute top.

Bad Bunny in the building.

Karol G.

Maluma hosting.

Gloria and Emilio Estefan.

Then you got the new generation like Clave Especial, Paloma Morphy, Neton, and Ca7riel and Paco Amoroso all there, all week. A wave of artists who are not just crushing but shaping the culture. All in the same space. All showing up.

On the Anglo side, that seems to be the opposite. Bigger artists stay home.

The award show circuit doesn’t have the same pull it seems.

But Latin music feels different. The community shows up. From what I saw, the biggest acts treat it like something to be proud of and less of an obligation and when the leaders of the genres all show up in the same building, that tells you something.

Maybe the Grammys don’t matter everywhere. But in Latin music, they feel like a summit. A place where the giants look around the room, see each other, and acknowledge the weight of what they’re building.

That kind of energy still matters. And it’s a big reason why Latin music isn’t just on top right now.

It’s still rising.

And just like that, your boy is finally getting credit for being Colombian (even though it’s been heavy Mexican music I been bumping). My DSP algos like “ah, por fin.”

-Ruiz

THE MANAGER’S PLAYBOOK PODCAST

(FEAT. Snow Tha Product)

Snow Tha Product is an island onto her own.

 Not by choice. By necessity. 

Let me explain. 

Snow is a self contained artist who operates her business with friends and family, literally.

Not because she’s anti-industry.

To set the record straight, she’s not. She operates outside the traditional systems because for a long time, she was completely misunderstood.

One could easily even argue, she was too ahead of her time. 

That’s all changed at this point. The industry has finally caught up and are absolutely looking for artists like her. I hear it everyday, especially last week at The Latin Grammys.

I had a chance to spend some time with Snow and her wife this past week in Vegas for the Latin Recording Academy Awards where the best of the best assemble.

One thing is for sure, she is highly respected within the Latin music industry, and that’s not an understatement. Everyone from artists like Neton Vega, YeriMuaa, Herencia De Patrones and Arcángel to heavyweight executives show her the utmost respect.

It’s rare to see such universal love, especially for an artist some in the industry once labeled as polarizing because of her outspokenness.

(Which also, at what point were artists not allowed to be outspoken?… Man, a lot of folks got these artists fucked up, I’m telling you smh)

In my mind, there are 3 main reasons for this: 

Authenticity 

Culture 

Autonomy 

Snow built a career by being unapologetically herself when it wasn’t convenient.

It wasn’t trendy or algorithm-friendly.

She never diluted her identity to fit into the 3rd quarter label deck.

From early albums like Unorthodox to the raw, bilingual rapid-fire she became known for, her audience didn’t just come for the music.

They stayed and multiplied because of the human.

When labels wanted a polished, “marketable” version of Snow, she showed the industry that honesty scales better than strategy.

Her freestyle videos, her vlogs & podcasts, her transparency about family, sexuality, mental health is everything that’s created a cult following long before “authenticity” became a buzzword.

Example: Years before being openly queer was embraced in Latin hip-hop, she was already living it publicly. She didn’t posture. She didn’t build a brand around it. She just was. And that honesty earned her a level of fan loyalty most artists chase their whole career. 

Snow doesn’t borrow from culture

She documents it, elevates it, and brings it with her everywhere she goes.

She put Spanglish rap in front of audiences who weren’t checking for it. She brought Mexican-American identity to the centre without performing stereotypes to get approval.

Whether she’s rapping over West Coast-leaning beats, corrido-influenced production, or pure hip-hop savagery like her crossover freestyle with on BZRP, she rep’d her community with clarity.

She became a bridge between fans in the U.S. and the broader Latin music ecosystem that didn’t always know what to do with someone like her.

Some might even say she was the blueprint for what major regional turned superstar artist in the Latin space are today. 

Example: Long before regional Mexican exploded globally, Snow was already collaborating with artists from that world, touring the Southwest, and building a bilingual fanbase city by city. She didn’t “tap in”.

Snow is the culture.

Autonomy is Everything

It’s the driving force behind everything

After a very tumultuous label run at Atlantic which ended up with her being dropped from the label (at her request), Snow became one of the few artists who built a fully functioning business with her family, and her team.

She made it profitable, sustainable, and defensible. She controls her masters, her narrative, her releases, and her merch/touring strategy.

While most artists rely on the industry to validate them, she built her own economy:

A powerhouse merch machine,

Independent touring,

YouTube monetization revenues

All of these and more well before the term “creators” was even a realized value proposition.

She built a cult-like committed community she can activate directly.

Example: When labels couldn’t figure out how to market her, she simply did it herself, dropping songs on her own schedule, selling out shows without radio, and building one of the strongest infrastructures in Hip-Hop. And now that the industry finally “gets” her, she’s walking in with leverage, the ultimate goal as a business person in any industry. 

With all that said,  here’s the part people always get wrong about Snow. She is not anti-label, anti-manager, or anti-industry. She’s just anti-being mishandled.

There’s a big difference and she’s told me this on numerous occasion.

Snow Tha Product understands the value of great partners.

If anything, she’s one of the few artists who presents a massive upside if you meet her where she actually lives: in control of her story, her voice, and the ecosystem she’s already built. You just gotta show up as promised, not just when you’re chasing the business, and get a signature from Claudia Alexandra Madriz Meza. 

Whether it’s a major, a distributor, a manager, or a strategic partner, the opportunity is real for anyone willing to amplify what she’s already proven: authenticity works, culture moves, and autonomy scales.

Look no further than her record ‘Sabado’ which is definitely moving, and has the industry on notice. With a slate of new music coming, it’ll be interesting to see what moves she makes next.

With the right partnership (not ownership), Snow isn’t just a strong bet. She’s a force you can build an entire infrastructure around.

Watch Episode 45 with Snow Tha Product LIVE NOW

1:1 CONSULTATIONS WITH RUIZ

I’m offering private 1-on-1 sessions for artists, managers, and execs who want real, practical advice on how to move their careers forward.

With 16 years in the music business and experience working with some of the biggest artists and executives in the world, I can share insights, strategy and ways to execute the pain points in your career as it currently stands.

Book your private consultation below.

Bio

I’m Mauricio Ruiz, the host and creator of The Manager’s Playbook podcast, dedicated to demystifying the world of music management, and Founder/CEO of 8 Til Faint, an Artist Management company with over 5 billion audio streams worldwide. Our past and current clients include Grammy nominated, Juno Award winning multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter Jessie Reyez, Skratch Bastid and more.

I am also the Co-Founder of Mad Ruk Entertainment, a content agency with over 3 billion long form video streams worldwide. Our client list includes The Weeknd, Eminem, and Celine Dion, along with renowned brands like Nike, Pernod Ricard and the NBA.

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