From Red Tape to Green Lights: Avoiding Visa Issues Is Crucial for Regional Mexican Acts as U.S. Tour Revenue Grows
Twelve years ago, regional Mexican bands with U.S. tour dates could generally get their visas approved without much red tape. But in the time since 9/11, like many musicians traveling to the United States, regional Mexican acts have faced heightened security, with bumps in the road sometimes resulting in denied entry and the loss of major business. And with some bands earning $100,000 per show there’s a lot on the line.
Those fees are the results of the strong draw that regional Mexican acts have proved to be for U.S. audiences. Michael M. Felix, an immigration attorney based in Los Angeles, says that performances are growing in popularity at venues owned by Native American casino operators. “If you bring a high-power act like Pepe Aguilar, casinos can charge $100 or more for each ticket and many of these concert-goers will in turn spend money at the casinos,” Felix says.
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Felix, whose clients include Aguilar, Espinoza Paz, 3BallMTY, Calibre 50 and iconic ranchera singer Vicente Fernandez, joined his father Jesse Felix’s visa business in 2001, shortly after finishing law school. Jesse, who is not an attorney, left a bartending job in the ’70s and began traveling as a tour manager. The elder Felix eventually began handling visa procedures for Mexican artists touring the States.
Michael stresses that artists planning to travel to the United States need to leave adequate time to negotiate the visa process. In most cases that’s two to six weeks, but more complicated circumstances — if, say, a band member has ever encountered trouble with the law in the States — can take much longer.
Usually, Michael says, the bands that he works with are well-known internationally, which helps establish that they’re traveling for work. Letters from supporting sources like unions and venues are part of the visa process.
Band manager Jesus Tirado, who works with several groups including Calibre 50, says getting visas can be tricky if an artist is not prepared.
While there is plenty of work in Mexico, Tirado says, many Mexican bands often travel to the United States when the weather isn’t good south of the border, usually in June, July and August.
Because regional Mexican is the most popular genre of Latin music in the States, Michael Felix has noticed an uptick in the number of sponsorships from major companies that want to be associated with these artists.
“Companies like Target and Walmart are seeing the potential of the spending power of Hispanics,” he says. “A lot of the music business now is about touring, and Mexican-Americans spread out throughout the U.S. from L.A. to North Carolina, and New York makes for a huge market.”
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