The Bad Bunny Economy in Puerto Rico

Summary

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The Journal. — "The Bad Bunny Economy in Puerto Rico" (Sept 12, 2025)

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode explores the immense economic and cultural impact of Bad Bunny’s unprecedented 30-show residency in his native Puerto Rico. Hosts Ryan Knudsen and guests examine how his concerts rival—and even surpass—the effects of global tours by superstars like Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, but with a distinctly local and intentional twist that reverberates through the Puerto Rican economy, identity, and global cultural trends.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Superstar Tours & Local Economies

• High-profile music tours (Beyoncé, Taylor Swift) have recently brought significant economic boosts to cities across the US.
• Bad Bunny’s twist: Instead of touring global megacities, he commits to a long residency in his hometown, San Juan.
• Estimations put the influx of money from Bad Bunny’s residency at roughly $200 million (01:29), fueled by travel, hotels, and local spending.

“Bad Bunny could do this anywhere in the world...but he chose to do it here in his home.”
— Elias Light (01:49)

Bad Bunny’s Global Influence and Unconventional Career

• Bad Bunny has been Spotify’s most-streamed artist (2020–2022) and had the highest grossing tour in the world in 2022, outpacing Elton John and Ed Sheeran (02:46).
• He’s unapologetically Spanish-language only. Unlike predecessors who switched to English for crossover appeal (Shakira, Marc Anthony), Bad Bunny “never made those concessions.” (04:34)
• On a 2018 collaboration with Drake, Bad Bunny had Drake sing in Spanish—flipping the industry script.

“The old playbook is pretty much out the window.”
— Elias Light (05:29)

Fierce Puerto Rican Pride & Cultural Identity

• Bad Bunny is acutely loyal to Puerto Rico, even working with an independent Puerto Rican label instead of a major one.
• His album "Debería Heber Tomado Más Fotos" (I Should Have Taken More Photos) is described as a “love letter” to Puerto Rico; incorporates Puerto Rican styles and tackles cultural themes (06:18).
• His San Juan residency launches with 9 shows exclusively for island residents, sold in-person with proof of residency (07:36).

“He has called it his most Puerto Rican album ever. ...giving back to Puerto Rico.”
— Elias Light (06:18–07:17)

Economic Timing & Local Impact

• The residency is timed for Puerto Rico’s slow tourism season, serving as a sizable boost to the struggling economy post-Hurricane Maria and bankruptcy (08:09).
• The elaborate stage design features local motifs—a mountain, the flamboyant tree—spotlighting Puerto Rican landscapes and culture (07:52).

Decision to Skip the Mainland US

• Bad Bunny’s next tour will visit Latin America, Europe, and Asia—but not the US mainland.
• He cites pride in his hometown and also concerns about ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement) targeting his shows or his fans (09:23).

“It was...something that we were talking about and very concerned about. And it’s something other artists have been thinking about too.”
— Bad Bunny (via Ryan Knudsen, 09:23–10:06)

• Similar immigration-related anxieties have affected other Latin music events in the US, e.g., the Michelada Fest in Chicago (10:06).

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Fans as Conscious Tourists: Local Spending Mindset

Case Study: Georgina, a Fan from New York

• Georgina, who had never been to Puerto Rico, purchased $800 tickets and spent a total of $7,000 on the trip with her boyfriend (11:33).
• She made a concerted effort to spend at locally owned restaurants, bars, shops, and tipped generously to support the local economy (11:57).

"I really tried to make sure I was giving money to the local economy...just really trying to be good tourists."
— Georgina Rovirosa Trujillo (11:57)

• Many fans share this approach, inspired by Bad Bunny’s own encouragements in his music—resulting in a conscious, positive economic ripple.

Local Reactions

• Locals were universally supportive, whether or not they attended the shows.

“He’s built this, like, huge pie, and everyone is getting a piece of it.”
— Uber driver (via Georgina Rovirosa Trujillo, 13:05)

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Larger Cultural Shifts

Redefining the Global Music Industry

• Bad Bunny’s actions spotlight that music superstardom is no longer Anglocentric.
• The charts are now filled with songs from Latin America, Brazil, India, and more (14:00).

“It really demonstrates how, more than ever, it’s possible to succeed in music without catering to the kind of Anglo side of the industry.”
— Elias Light (14:08)

• Bad Bunny’s residency and global reach demonstrate a way for artists to succeed—and even change economies—without following the established American/English-language path.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Bad Bunny’s Cultural Impact:
  “He’s built this, like, huge pie, and everyone is getting a piece of it.”
  — Uber driver (13:05)

• On Puerto Rican Identity:
  “He wants to sort of give the world a better understanding of who he is and what Puerto Rico is like, since that’s so important to his background.”
  — Elias Light (06:18)

• On Disrupting the Industry:
  “You do not have to do things the way they were historically done.”
  — Elias Light (14:53)

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Timestamps of Key Segments

• The Economic Impact of Tours: 00:05–01:49
• Bad Bunny’s Rise & Career Hallmarks: 02:46–05:54
• Puerto Rican Loyalty & Themed Residency: 05:54–08:09
• Timing with Economic Need: 08:09–08:43
• Avoiding the US Mainland & ICE Concerns: 08:56–10:24
• Fans as Agents of Local Economic Boost: 10:37–13:05
• The Globalization of Music Stardom: 14:00–14:53

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Conclusion

Bad Bunny’s San Juan residency is more than just a concert series: it’s an intentional act of economic stimulus, a celebration and preservation of Puerto Rican culture, and a bold message about the new globalized shape of music and power. With thousands of devoted fans acting as purposeful tourists, the "Bad Bunny economy" showcases how one artist can reshape local economies and global industry norms simply by staying true to his roots and doing things his own way.

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Transcript

[Ryan Knudsen]

Big international music tours from stars like Beyonce and Taylor Swift haven't just been exciting for fans over the past few years. They've also been exciting for local economies. Wherever Taylor Swift goes, so do people's wallets.

[Georgina Rovirosa Trujillo]

Being called the Beyonce effect, a noticeable boom in business, the typical Swifty will.

[Ryan Knudsen]

Spend about $1,300 per per night.

[Georgina Rovirosa Trujillo]

The queen bee seems to be Houston's very own sugar mama.

[Ryan Knudsen]

Don't block this summer. The musician Bad Bunny has also been getting a lot of attention for the economic impact of his latest concert series. But unlike others, Bad Bunny is focusing on one place and it's not Las Vegas or New York. He's posted up in his hometown of San and hundreds of thousands of fans from all over the world have been flocking to the island to see him.

[Georgina Rovirosa Trujillo]

So I just got my tickets to see Bad Bunny. This video is for everybody looking for Bad Bunny tickets because we bought our.

[Elias Light]

I'm just excited. I'm excited counting down the days when I'm over there in Puerto Rico.

[Georgina Rovirosa Trujillo]

I'm going to see Bad Bunny in August. I'm going to see Bad Bunny in August.

[Ryan Knudsen]

Bad Bunny's Puerto Rican residency, which is ending this weekend, has done the same thing a Beyonce or Taylor Swift concert does when it pops into a city, except doing it 30 times in a row.

[Elias Light]

The estimates we got were around $200 million flowing in due to all the travel and hotels and souvenirs and food and drink and whatnot.

[Ryan Knudsen]

Our colleague Elias Light covers the music industry. He says that by spending so much time in Puerto Rico, Bad Bunny is flexing his superstar power in a new way.

[Elias Light]

Bad Bunny could do this anywhere in the world. He's such a big star, but he chose to do it here in his home. And I think it's something we don't see may sort of using your cultural influence to create that measurable capital impact in that way.

[Ryan Knudsen]

Welcome to the Journal, our show about money, business and power. I'm Ryan knudson. It's Friday, September 12th. Coming up on the show, the Bad Bunny. So for the uninitiated, how big of a star is Bad Bunny?

[Elias Light]

Yeah. So I think some people maybe still don't realize how big he is. So he was the most streamed artist on Spotify in 2020 and 2021. And in 2022, 2022, he also had the highest grossing tour in the world. He beat Elton John. He beat Ed Sheeran. Just incredibly popular. He is wildly famous.

[Ryan Knudsen]

So Bad Bunny is actually a really good Bunny.

[Elias Light]

He is an incredibly good Bunny and.

[Ryan Knudsen]

Tell me, what is your favorite Bad Bunny song?

[Elias Light]

My favorite Bad Bunny song is a song called Como Un Bebe with J. Balvin and Mr. Eazy.

[Ryan Knudsen]

And now can you please sing it for us?

[Elias Light]

Nobody wants that.

[Ryan Knudsen]

I do. What is the beat at least?

[Elias Light]

Oh, man, it's got an incredibly funky bass line that's like doom, doom, doom, doom, doom, doom, doom. Like that. It's like a great mix of Afrobeats and kind of like a reggaeton feel, which I feel like is pretty unique.

[Ryan Knudsen]

Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, grew up in Puerto Rico. He worked at a grocery store in San Juan while trying to make it as a musician. Then in 2016, a song he posted on SoundCloud Diles started getting attention. And you met him around then, right?

[Elias Light]

Boy, yeah. It was early in his career, and he was still playing like, maybe 3,000 cap venues, whereas now he can fill out, like an arena. And it's just kind of wild to think back on because he was mostly unknown in New York City at that point.

[Ryan Knudsen]

Since the beginning of his career, Bad Bunny has only sung in Spanish. And at first, some music critics didn't see him as a potential global star because of that.

[Elias Light]

Traditionally, the music industry playbook was if you were a Latin artist and you wanted to reach a really wide audience, you recorded in English. That's like Marc Anthony at the end of the 90s, Shakira in the early 2000s, they. They had big hits. They sang him in English. Bad Bunny never did that. He never sort of made those concessions.

[Ryan Knudsen]

In fact, Bad Bunny's gotten other artists to sing in Spanish too. Like when he collaborated on a song with Drake in 2018.

[Elias Light]

Instead of bad Bunny singing in English, Drake is singing in Spanish. You know, Drake is a significantly bigger artist than Bad Bunny at that time. Right? In 2018, Drake's Spanish sounded pretty good. Much better than mine, you know, which I think is pretty clear sign of how successful he has been by just maintaining his own approach.

[Ryan Knudsen]

And why is that surprising or why is that significant that he never did that?

[Elias Light]

I mean, it's just significant because it demonstrates how global the music industry is now. And, you know, the US Is still like the biggest music market. But there's kind of this cliche that's really true where a hit can come from anywhere now. And more and more, you're seeing massive stars, right? In K pop. You're seeing huge songs come out of India, and Bad Money is, again, one of the top artists in the world. The old playbook is pretty much out The Window.

[Ryan Knudsen]

The other notable thing about Bad Bunny's career is his loyalty to Puerto Rico. For instance, rather than sign with a major music label, Bad Bunny works with Remus Entertainment, an independent Puerto Rican one. Bad Bunny has often sung about Puerto Rico and his songs. And his latest album, De be chirar mas Photos, which translates to I should have taken more photos, has been called a love letter to the island.

[Elias Light]

He has called it his most Puerto Rican album ever. And he wants to sort of give the world a better understanding of who he is and what Puerto Rico is like, since that's so important to his background. So he kind of did that in two ways on the new album. One is musically, he incorporated a lot more sort of traditional Puerto Rican styles like salsa. And then thematically, you know, he has a song on there where he compares Puerto Rico to Hawaii and talks about how he doesn't want his island to sort of lose some of its identity. There's another song, it's kind of a love song, but it also doubles as a critique of, like, tourists who don't really engage fully with the. The culture of a country they visit.

[Ryan Knudsen]

And so when he announced that he was doing a 30 show residency in San Juan, Elias says it went along with the ideas he's been exploring in the album.

[Elias Light]

He's been wanting to do something like this for a long time. A show that was really focused on kind of giving back to Puerto Rico. So his manager, for example, said, it's basically putting our money where our mouth is. How can we go tour the rest of the world right away when we release our most Puerto Rican album ever?

[Ryan Knudsen]

The residency kicked off with nine shows that were reserved for island residents only. Tickets to those shows had to be bought in person on the island, and buyers had to show proof of residency. And even the set design for the concert had the island in mind.

[Elias Light]

The stage is built so, like, one part is a mountain that's supposed to resemble a Puerto Rican mountain. And they have a flamboyant tree which is like it flowers on the island every summer. So he's just really trying to foreground kind of the culture.

[Ryan Knudsen]

Puerto Rico's economy has struggled for years with high unemployment and population decline. And the government essentially went bankrupt in 2016. And the island is still recovering from the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria a few years ago. Bad Bunny hints at those struggles on his album, and he decided to hold his shows at a time of year when the island could especially benefit from an economic boost.

[Elias Light]

It's a slower season for Puerto Rico right now. For Tourism. So it certainly helps during a slow season just to have this deluge of visitors and extra spending.

[Ryan Knudsen]

After the Puerto Rico residency ends, Bad Bunny is planning to go on tour to places like Latin America, Asia and Europe. But one place he won't be performing is the mainland us.

[Elias Light]

So most artists would, once they release an album and start a tour, they would probably incorporate their New York, their la, their Miami, you know. But again, he's always kind of wanted to do things his own way and he has so much clout that people will come to see him. We spoke to someone who worked with him and he did say, like, if he had done this in somewhere like Las Vegas, he would make more.

[Ryan Knudsen]

Why Bad Bunny decided not to stop in the 50 states. That's. In a recent interview with ID Magazine, Bad Bunny said there were, quote, many reasons he decided not to perform in the us One of them was the pride he has in his hometown. But another reason was that he worried officers from the Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE might target his shows. In the interview, he said, it was, quote, something that we were talking about and very concerned about. And it's something other artists have been thinking about too.

[Elias Light]

There have been a few instances in the Latin music community. There was a festival in Chicago called Michelada Fest that ended up canceling partially because artists coming from Mexico were not being granted visas, but also because there was some fear about ICE activity there too.

[Ryan Knudsen]

ICE didn't respond to a request for comment. Bad Bunny's decision to have his residency in Puerto Rico hasn't slowed down his fans. Do you remember when announced that he was going to do this residency in Puerto Rico?

[Georgina Rovirosa Trujillo]

Yeah, I was just like, I mean, I told my boyfriend, I was like, listen, we're going. I'm going to get tickets and we'll just get the tickets and then figure it out.

[Ryan Knudsen]

That's Georgina Rovirosa Trujillo who lives in New York. She'd never been to Puerto Rico before, but she loves Bad Bunny. What's your favorite song of his?

[Georgina Rovirosa Trujillo]

I don't know. That's really hard. I honestly don't have one. There's. I really like Ojitos Lindos and you.

[Ryan Knudsen]

Can guess what I asked her next. How does it go?

[Georgina Rovirosa Trujillo]

Oh, I don't want to sing it.

[Ryan Knudsen]

I won't put you on the spot.

[Georgina Rovirosa Trujillo]

But Coneso Quitos Lindos. Yeah.

[Ryan Knudsen]

Ah, nice.

[Georgina Rovirosa Trujillo]

I really like that one.

[Ryan Knudsen]

Georgina says she and her boyfriend paid $800 each for the concert tickets and then they decided to turn the trip into a six day long vacation. In August. And how much. How much money do you think you spent while in Puerto Rico for the whole thing?

[Georgina Rovirosa Trujillo]

I was actually just talking to my boyfriend about this yesterday because I was like, how much do we spend between the two of us? I think, combined, it was like 7,000. Yeah.

[Ryan Knudsen]

Did you feel like you were. Because, like, you know, Bad Bunny was doing this in part because he wanted to give a boost to the economy of Puerto Rico, presumably by bringing all of his fans there. How did that affect the way you approached your trip there?

[Georgina Rovirosa Trujillo]

I did a lot of research, more than I normally would, because of the purpose of this residency and because of, you know, just what that Bunny kind of, like, wanted from us. So just made sure that every restaurant that I like, made a reservation or bar that I, like, bookmarked was locally owned. And same for, like, places where I shopped and stuff. Yeah, I just really, really, really tried to, like, make sure that I was giving money to, like, local economy. Like, one of the reasons we stayed at a lot on Airbnb is because it's harder for you to know if it's actually a place that's owned by a local or not. And I really was trying to, like, make sure that we were tipping well. Yeah, Just really trying to, like, be good tourists.

[Ryan Knudsen]

A lot of people attending Bad Bunny shows seem to have a similar mindset about spending locally and being a thoughtful tourist. Just like Bad Bunny sings about on.

[Georgina Rovirosa Trujillo]

The album, you are here for the Bad Bunny concert. Please pay attention, because I know you want some good, authentic Puerto Rican food.

[Elias Light]

They are a bunch of really dope local designers, shops, boutiques.

[Georgina Rovirosa Trujillo]

Check into a local hotel. As a tourist myself, let's all act right. Okay.

[Ryan Knudsen]

Do you feel like the effort to spend locally was appreciated?

[Georgina Rovirosa Trujillo]

People were just. First of all, every single Puerto Rican that we spoke to about us being there for the show hadn't been to the show or was planning or going or was, you know, very supportive. And even our Uber driver who drove us from our hotel, he was an older guy, and he was like, you know, I don't really, like. I don't really get Bad Bunny's music, but I'm really happy he's doing this. And what the guy is doing is really, really smart. He's basically like. He's built this, like, huge pie, and everyone is getting a piece of it.

[Ryan Knudsen]

Bad Bunny's decision to hold a residency in Puerto Rico and skip the mainland US ent on his tour is a reminder that the US Isn't really the center of the cultural universe in the same way it's been in the past.

[Elias Light]

Bad Bunny's whole ascent has sort of proved that the music culture at least is more global than ever.

[Ryan Knudsen]

That's our colleague Elias Light.

[Elias Light]

Again, it's not as Anglocentric as it was. If you look at, like your YouTube charts, you have a ton of songs from Latin America. You have bailiff funk from Brazil, you have songs from Bollywood and India. You have K. It's not just, you know, American and UK pop stars at the top of the charts. It really demonstrates how, more than ever, it's possible to succeed in music without catering to the kind of Anglo side of the industry. It does sort of set an interesting example, like, you do not have to do things the way they were historically done.

[Ryan Knudsen]

Before we go, we wanted to tell you about a new series dropping in our feed on Monday. It's called Camp Swamp Road. It's reported and hosted by our colleague Valerie Borlein. And let me tell you, it is really, really good. She's here with us now to talk about it. Hey, Valerie.

[Valerie Borlein]

Hey, Ryan. How are you?

[Ryan Knudsen]

Great. We're so excited to have you host a series for the Journal. So you've been working on this story for over a year. What's it about?

[Valerie Borlein]

You know, this is a story about a shooting that happened in South Carolina in 2023. It's a stand your ground case. And most of these cases fly under the radar. It's usually case closed, self defense. But this story was different. And it's because the sister of the man who was killed wouldn't let it go. She had found out after the fact that the men who killed her brother and claimed self defense had chased him for nine miles before they shot him.

[Ryan Knudsen]

Okay, so this story involves an armed man on a highway who was shot and killed by people who didn't know him while. Why did you want to tell this story?

[Valerie Borlein]

You know, I grew up just over the state line from where this happened. I grew up in southeastern North Carolina, and this happened just north of Myrtle Beach. I mean, I went shopping for my prom dress in that area. And, you know, this was a case that was just a kind of a short couple paragraphs in the local paper, a mention on the evening news, and then. And then it went away. So I called the sister and she's. She's a fascinating person. And she uncovered hours of secretly recorded phone calls which blew this case wide open and also revealed how police were putting their thumb on the scale. Really? And it just showed that it was so much murkier. These cases are complex and There was so much going on underneath the surface. Almost like a secret world where things weren't what they seemed.

[Ryan Knudsen]

So I've heard a sneak preview of it and sounds amazing. We're going to hear a clip now from episode one. This is a moment on Camp Swamp Road just minutes after the shooting.

[Valerie Borlein]

Officer Higgs now walks towards the black truck. It's about 25 yards further down Camp Swamp Road.

[Officer Higgs]

Checking on the other vehicle. Black Chevy, NC plate Romeo Charlie 153 8.

[Valerie Borlein]

Inside the truck, a white man is slumped over the center console. Higgs reaches in and prods the man's back.

[Officer Higgs]

Sir?

[Valerie Borlein]

The driver doesn't move.

[Officer Higgs]

Templars 1 is definitely 10 7.

[Valerie Borlein]

107 is police code for out of service. Officer Higgs is telling his colleagues that the man in the black truck is dead. Higgs walks over to Boyd. He's pacing back and forth.

[Officer Higgs]

Good. Calm down. Listen, listen. I understand. It's self. I understand. I just want you to sit down. Calm down. I'm sorry. Take a breather. There's nothing to be sorry about. Just sit down. Take a breather. Sir.

[Ryan Knudsen]

All right.

[Valerie Borlein]

It's now been about 20 minutes since the shooting and Weldon Boyd is very clear. He and Bradley Williams shot in self defense.

[Ryan Knudsen]

How can we hear Camp Swamp Road?

[Valerie Borlein]

Well, the first episode comes out this Monday, September 15th and then New episodes will come out on Sundays after that and you can find it here in your Journal feed or wherever you listen to podcasts.

[Ryan Knudsen]

Great. Well, thanks so much, Val. I can't wait to listen to the rest.

[Valerie Borlein]

Thanks for having me. And thanks for letting me post a podcast.

[Ryan Knudsen]

Oh yeah, anytime. That's all for today. Friday, September 12th. The Journal is a co production of Spotify and the Wall Street Journal. The show is made by Kathryn Brewer, Pia Gadkari, Carlos Garcia, Rachel Humphries, Sophie Codner, Matt Kwong, Colin McNulty, Jessica Mendoza, Annie Minoff, Laura Morris, Enrique Perez de la Rosa, Sarah Platt, Allen Rodriguez Espinosa, Heather Rogers, Pierce Singhy, Jeevika Verma, Lisa Wang, Catherine Whalen, Tatiana Zamis and me, Ryan Knudsen. Our engineers are Griffin Tanner, Nathan Singapak and Peter Leonard. Our theme music is by so Wiley. Additional music this week from Kathryn Anderson, Peter Leonard, Bobby Lord, Emma Munger, Nathan Singapak, so Wiley Audio Network and Epidemic Sound Fact checking this week by Kate Gallagher. Thanks for listening, See you Monday.