INNOVATION IN MUSIC TOURISM

People have traveled for music for hundreds of years. However, only a couple of years ago did music tourism begin to establish itself as a defined category within the travel industry.

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Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” in 2023 demonstrated music’s potential to move thousands of people across international borders. Shortly after, Bad Bunny’s residency in Puerto Rico and the public concerts by Madonna, Lady Gaga, and Shakira in Rio de Janeiro showcased its power to rebrand destinations. In 2026, the United States passed the Music Tourism Act, which mandates its government to identify music tourism sites and promote visits from travelers to recording studios, museums, and independent venues, not just concerts.

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Throughout this entire time, Discos y Amigos, a music laboratory based in Mexico City, has operated music tourism experiences and worked on the ground to formalize this niche into a recognized discipline. The mission of Discos y Amigos is to create a regenerative music tourism model that helps local music scenes tell their own stories and, in doing so, generate predictable revenue that stays within the community receiving these waves of concertgoers.

This conversation focuses on new innovations in music tourism, bringing together several members of the Discos y Amigos network: from graduates of their Music Tourism Coordinator Certification who have developed their own music tourism projects and experiences, to partners who actively connect travelers with musical experiences in Mexico every day.