(Miami, January 27th, 2010)--With only moderate radio success and no track record as a major hitmaker, reggaetón artist Cosculluela (born Jose Fernando Cosculluela Suarez) debuted at No.3 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart with his first release, “El Principe” (Siente/Universal Music Latino). Cosculluela charted higher than established acts debuting that week. That’s remarkable because new acts seldom reach the chart’s top 10 — much less during their album’s first week.
A year ago, few outside the underground were aware of Cosculluela. The rapper eventually teamed with producer Buddha (Buddha’s Family) and also recorded singles for Don Omar’s “Los Bandoleros” compilation. Cosculluela later caught the ear of producer Elias de León (Calle 13, Jowell & Randy). Working together, de Leon and manager Ricardo Cordero invested heavily in Cosculluela, putting money into videos, promotion and publicists. When all the major labels passed on signing Cosculluela, Cordero promoted the single “Na Na Nau,” which climbed to No. 11 on the Latin Rhythm Airplay chart.
“I worked the underground circuit in Puerto Rico for a long time doing mixtapes,” Cosculluela says. “For the past two years, we’ve become small merchants of our own songs and been able to make them hits.”
Jorge Pino, VP of music for Vene Music and Siente, a joint venture with Universal Music Latino, picked upon the underground buzz. “Elias told me he had the next big thing,” Pino recalls. “We went to the studio [in August] and listened to several hours of music.”
Pino signed Cosculluela to an international licensing deal with Siente via Cordero’s label, Nueva Kamada. The deal includes ancillary revenue and a percentage of international touring.
In addition to heavy digital and street marketing coupled with radio and TV, Siente staged an album release party. Fans were able to buy tickets whose price included a copy of the album. Three weeks after its Dec. 1 release, “El Principe” has sold nearly 9,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Although the majority of sales have come from Puerto Rico, there’s growing interest in Cosculluela abroad: a series of shows are booked for Chile in the spring. “Cosculluela has a great look that can be marketed internationally,” Cordero says.