Marc Anthony’s “3.0” Becomes First-Ever Salsa Album to Earn RIAA’s Diamante Certification

Marc Anthony is shining bright like a diamond…

The 52-year-old Puerto Rican Grammy-winning singer/songwriter, the best-selling tropical salsa artist of all time, has earned a spot in the annals of music history with his 2013 album 3.0, which at the time was his first salsa album in a decade.

Marc Anthony

The album, which was considered a risky release at the time with tropical music beginning to fade in popularity due to the resurgence of reggaeton, has became the first salsa album ever to be certified “Diamante,” the RIAA’s highest certification for a Latin album, for shipments of over 600,000 copies in the U.S. alone.

Anthony announced the major accomplishment on his Instagram page, posting a slideshow of photos that feature him cozying up to the Diamond plaque and grinning from ear to ear.

“Wow 3.0 First Salsa album ever to reach Diamond Status,” Anthony wrote in his caption. “Thanks to my team and everyone that worked on the album y Gracias a mis fans por siempre apoyar mi música y hacer este uno de sus favoritos. God bless!”

This major milestone for the project is only its latest accomplishment.

In 2013, 3.0 became the top-selling release of the year, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The hit single from the album, “Vivir Mi Vida,” also spent 18 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs chart, becoming the first tropical single in a decade to top the chart and the longest-running No. 1 tropical song in the history of the chart.

“It’s a huge honor for us at Sony Music Latin to work with Marc,” Sony Music Latin Iberia Chairman and CEO Afo Verde said as he presented Marc Anthony his RIAA Diamante plaque in a virtual ceremony. “He continues to break records time and time again and creates new ones all on his own. His music is forever. He’s proven that his recordings, from birth and even five, 10, 20 years later, are everlasting and will be sung by everyone for a lifetime.”

Anthony also talked about the milestone, revealing the confidence boost the success of the project gave him all those years ago.

“The arrival of this new achievement in this particular time is truly gratifying and inspiring for me,” Marc said. “3.0 was an album that I considered risky at the time of its release. The Latin music industry was beginning to shift and the main attention was going to other genres. The album was embraced by everyone in such a powerful way. That response gave a boost of reassurance in my career and my instincts as a music creator.”

With this accomplishment under his belt, Anthony is now working on new music.

Leila Cobo to Release New Book Offering Inside Look into the Latin Music Industry

Leila Cobo is doing some decoding…

The Colombian journalist/writer, a vice president at Billboard, will release a new book next year with Penguin Random House titled Decoding Latino: The Real Story of Latin Music.

Leila Cobo

The book will offer an insider’s view into the Latin music industry, tracking the stories behind 15 of the biggest hits of the past 50 years featuring some of the biggest names in music, including Emilioand Gloria EstefanEnrique IglesiasJ Balvinand Luis Fonsi, among others. 

“Bringing to life these stories and these songs is an honor and a pleasure,” said Cobo, who is also a classically trained pianist. “We’ve had so much fun reliving the making of these landmark songs.”

Decoding Latino will also explore areas such as the birth of Salsa, which was bred on the streets of Spanish Harlem, as well as Puerto Rican reggaetonand the bilingual chart-toppers making history. 

It will be published in English and Spanish, and will also be available as an audio book. 

Cobo, who has previously written four books in addition to co-writing the 2017 memoir Una Vida with recording artist Ednita Nazario, is Billboard‘s chief Latin music expert, writer and editor who has secured some of the magazine’s most iconic cover stories highlighting names like pop star Jennifer Lopez, urban king Ozuna and the recent cover story featuring Spain’s flamenco-inspired hip-hip artist Rosalía, who this month was celebrated at Billboard’s 14th annual Women in Music event for her contributions to female empowerment.

Previously, Cobo published two novels with Grand Central Publishing/Hatchette Book Group, which were translated to German, Italian and have won multiple awards. The Second Time We Met, Cobo’s 2012 novel, won the Latino Book Award for best popular fiction and was chosen as one of the top summer reads by MSN and Latina

Cobo’s biography on the late Jenni Rivera (Penguin Random House) stayed on the U.S. top 10 list of most-sold books in Spanish for more than 25 consecutive weeks. The book on the Diva of Banda music was named a top-read by several publications, including People en Español.

Levy to Star Opposite Jada Pinkett-Smith in “Salsa”

Sure, he competed on Dancing with the Stars… But this time William Levy will be dancing with a star.

The 32-year-old Cuban American actor and telenovela star has signed on to co-star opposite Jada Pinkett-Smith in Salsa, which the actress will also produce.

William Levy

Levy, the star of the popular telenovela Triunfo del Amor, will portray Pinkett-Smith’s salsa teacher in the film that tells the story of a woman at a turning point in her life. Through the dance of salsa she begins to get her life back on track.

Pinkett-Smith and Miguel Melendez will produce for Overbrook Entertainment, with production set to begin in the first quarter of 2014.

Levy recently wrapped two Lionsgate films: Addicted and Tyler Perry’s Single Moms Club. He’s currently shooting the remake of La Tormenta–called La Tempestad–for Univision.