Daniel Marrero of Miami agency Creative On Demand says that unless a spot requires a particularly Latino slant, the musical brief is open.

"If it is something that is extremely culturally skewed we tend to go with houses that might give us that insight," he explains. "Sometimes, a Hispanic music house can give us insight into Cuban music, since you want to do things as authentically as possible. But we don't go really ethnic unless the spot calls for it. Most of all, we try to give our spots good sound design."

Other creatives agree. Aldo Quevedo, executive creative director with Dallas' Dieste & Partners concurs that Latin music is hardly integral to making good Spanish-language spots.

"Lately we have been using companies from Mexico for totally non-Mexican rhythms. We normally don't try to make every commercial with a typical Latino take," says Quevedo. "When we have to do that, we look for companies that are not necessarily Latino."

Two recent Bud Light spots out of Dieste used opera and atmospheric sound design, a spot for Southwest Airlines used a retro Danz--n track and a gritty, anti-child abuse PSA was grounded by a dark trance track. This evolution in spot music has kept pace with the growth of the US Hispanic ad market, says Rene Barge of Miami's Music à la Carte. Barge primarily produces music for Hispanic and Latin American markets.

"The market is open to whatever the spot requires rather than the cliché that if it is Spanish it needs congas or bongo drums," says Barge, who began composing for the Spanish market in 1976. Since then he's seen the US scene coalesce from regional markets with roots in different Latin countries. These days, says Barge, ambient, pop, jazz, techno or rock will often work just as well, if not better than traditional music.

"One of the last demos we did required that old Wes Montgomery-style jazz guitar. We suggested it and the agency said OK," says Barge. "We've seen more general market companies entering the Hispanic market. It's more lucrative and the fees have grown to US$10,000-$15,000; before, the money wasn't there."

A number of music houses, such as Los Angeles' Groove Addicts and Chicago's Steve Ford Music have opened specific Spanish divisions, while others, like New York's Hell's Kitchen or Dallas-based Juniper simply incorporate Hispanic works into their overall workflow.

Steve Ford Music recently opened Periquito with composer Alejandro Valencia as resident expert in Latin music. Valencia has roots in Afro-Cuban, Brazilian and jazz and more contemporary musical styles such as hip-hop and Nuyorican Soul and says the melting pot has had a definite impact on the listening tastes of the Spanish-American populace. Recent jobs he's completed for Lapiz, Chicago clients like Coca-Cola or Kellogg's have ranged from dance tracks with subtle salsa undertones to full-on, Herbie Hancock-style fusion.

"Everything is getting more mixed every day. Something that is popular now, what with the whole explosion of Jennifer Lopez, is a hip-hop Latin thing," says Valencia. "But our job is to deliver whatever sounds fresh and gives a new sound with personality."

Hell's Kitchen has worked in the Hispanic market for nearly three years, says Don Siudmak, president/creative director.

"With the amount of work involved it's often not worth it because of the money. But it's becoming closer to general market budgets if you have the right clients," says Siudmak. "Usually it doesn't sound too rice and beans. Creatives in the Latin market are coming out of a whole different mentality. Many are from South America and they don't know what Hispanic is, they just know what sounds good."

John Hunter, partner/senior composer with Juniper Music agrees the shift stems from cultural differences in both agencies and the public.

"When a white company hires a Hispanic agency to do ads they are more apt to say, 'I don't know this market, do what you do,'" says Hunter. "The client is often more trusting of the agency and gives them more leeway as to what they can do creatively and musically."

Web files>

Creative On Demand: www.creativeondemand.com

Dieste & Partners: www.dieste.com

Music a la Carte: www.musicalacarte.com

Periquito: www.stevefordmusic.com

Hell's Kitchen: www.hellskitchenmusic.com

Juniper Music: www.junipermusic.com