The Beat: Billboard’s Leila Cobo Presents Book About Making It in the Music Industry

Executive director of Latin content and programming Leila Cobo wrote her new book “Apunta a las Estrellas” (“Aim for the Stars”) as a practical guide for anyone starting out in the music business.

“The two things that artists need are conviction and support,” Cobo said during a book launch party at LIPPI restaurant in Miami, which took place April 21 on the eve of the 2014 Billboard Latin Music Conference. Addressing an audience of Latin music industry veterans at the cocktail reception, Cobo noted that successful artists’ most common attribute is “an enormous work ethic.”

In a Q&A at the event with Miami radio personality Humberto “El Gato” Rodriguez from MEGA 94.9 FM, Cobo pointed to the importance of perseverance in a music career, while discussing key practical points from the book on subjects ranging from managers and publicists to social media.

The book draws from Cobo’s interviews over the years with Latin music artists, and includes anecdotes from their trajectories from unknowns to superstars. Subtitled “A Guide Making Your Passion a Successful Career,” ”Apunta a las Estrellas” is published by Penguin’s C.A. Press.

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