Fonovisa Records
FONO is an American Spanish language record label founded in 1984 by Guillermo Santiso as a subsidiary of Televisa. Its former name before being acquired by Televisa in 1984 was Profono Internacional, which was founded in 1978. Fonovisa mainly produces Mexican style music.
Fonovisa Records

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- Name
- FONO
- Founded
- Fonovisa Records was established or created in 1986.
- Headquarters
- Fonovisa Records has its headquarters at Woodland Hills.
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FONO is an American Spanish language record label founded in 1984 by Guillermo Santiso as a subsidiary of Televisa. Its former name before being acquired by Televisa in 1984 was Profono Internacional, which was founded in 1978. Fonovisa mainly produces Mexican style music.
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In this article
Overview
Overview
It is well known for its signing with artists such as Los Tigres Del Norte, Los Bukis, Los Temerarios, Enrique Iglesias, Lucero and Thalía. In late 2002, Fonovisa was acquired from Televisa by the Univision Music Group. Fonovisa was owned by the Univision Music Group until May 2008 when it was bought by Universal Music Group. It is now part of Universal Music Latin Entertainment. Fonovisa headquarters are now in the Capitol Records Building, in Hollywood, California.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — FONO • Parent — Universal Music Group (2008–present) Univision Music Group (2002–2008) Televisa (1984-2002) • Founder — Guillermo Santiso • President — Alfredo Delgadillo • Distributor — Universal Music Group • Genre — Latin pop, Regional Mexican, Tropical • Country — U.S. • Location — Hollywood, California • Url — https: www.fono.global/en
History
History
The company was originally founded in the 1970s under the name Profono Internacional, later rebranding as Laser in the early 1980s. In 1984, it adopted its current name, with prominent artists including Grupo Mojado, Los Tigres del Norte, Duelo, and Banda Toro. The latter rose to prominence with the 1994 release of "La noche que Chicago murió," a song that has since garnered over 300 million streams. Banda Toro also became a leading exponent of the quebradita genre with other notable hits such as "La ruca no era ruca," "Los Ríos de Babilonia," "El hijo desobediente," and "Anoche me enamoré." During the same period, the label achieved significant commercial success with acts such as Los Humildes, Los Bukis, Los Caminantes, Rigo Tovar, and Los Yonic's. Some artists were signed to other labels while being in the Fonovisa roster for distribution purposes. In the 1980s, Fonovisa acquired Discos y Cintas Melody, S.A., formerly known as Discos y Cartuchos de México, S.A. (DCM), establishing the "Melody" imprint. This sublabel focused on pop and rock artists, with acts such as Timbiriche, Flans, Lucero, and Thalía. Other artists under Melody included Enrique Iglesias (from 1995 to 1998), Sparx, and Lorenzo Antonio. By late 1997 and early 1998, Fonovisa dissolved its Musivisa and Melody sublabels, incorporating their artists into the main Fonovisa label. In late 2002, Fonovisa was acquired from Televisa by Univision Music Group, joining Univision Records and Disa Records under the same umbrella. In 2008, Universal Music Group purchased Univision Music Group, leading to the closure of Univision Records. Fonovisa is currently headquartered in Hollywood, California. In May 2025, Fonovisa merged with Disa to rebrand as FONO. Their slogan is "Música, No Borders"
Lawsuits
Lawsuits
On January 25, 1996, Fonovisa was allowed to proceed with its copyright infringement lawsuit against Cherry Auction (which is known for operating the Cherry Avenue Auction in Fresno, CA) for allowing vendors to sell unlicensed records. Fonovisa itself, however, became the subject of controversy in 1999 when the record label admitted to paying radio stations millions of dollars in payola to play songs from Fonovisa artists. Santiso was also charged with tax evasion during the process. In the same year, Interscope Records filed a lawsuit against Fonovisa over its unauthorized inclusion of Enrique Iglesias's song "Bailamos" in a greatest hits compilation. At the time, Iglesias had already ended his contract with Fonovisa and was preparing to release his first English-language album under Interscope. By the time the lawsuit was filed, the compilation had sold over one million copies. Interscope later withdrew the suit, which had threatened to shutter Fonovisa. A revised version of the compilation, excluding "Bailamos", was released shortly thereafter.
25th Anniversary
25th Anniversary
In 2009, Fonovisa celebrated their 25th anniversary as a record label by releasing special editions of previously released albums by artists on their rosters, multi-volume compilations, a La Historia De Los Éxitos collection based on the genre. For the special edition albums, the cover was modified so that it showed the original cover in the middle with a black border surrounding it. In a corner of the original album cover, a 25th anniversary version of the label's logo would be placed, and in the top middle of the border, there would be text saying "Edición Especial - 25 Aniversario". The year-long anniversary schedule was supported by TV and internet campaigns. Some artists that got albums reissued with the 25th anniversary CDs were • Banda El Recodo (Por Ti, Tengo Una Ilusión & No Me Sé Rajar) • Los Bukis (Quiéreme, Si Me Recuerdas, Me Volvi A Acordar de Ti, Inalcanzable, Mi Fantasia, Y Para Siempre...) • Los Temerarios (Mi Vida Eres Tú, Tu Última Canción, Te Quiero, Cómo Te Recuerdo, Veintisiete, En La Madrugada Se Fue, Una Lágrima No Basta) • Grupo Mojado (Sueño y Realidad)
Artists
Artists
• Alejandro Fernández • Avenida 6 • After Party • Alfredo Olivas • Banda El Recodo • Cristina • Crecer Germán • Conjunto Azabache • El De La H • El Potro de Sinaloa • El Tigrillo Palma • Grupo Exterminador • Graciela Beltrán • German Montero • Hechizeros Band • Ivan • Liberación • Jesús Chaparro • Juan Gabriel • Juan Rivera • Jazmín López • Joan Sebastian • Lorenzo Antonio • Los Tigres del Norte • Los Canelos de Durango • Sparx • Vikilo
Former artists
Former artists
• Alacranes Musical • Alicia Villarreal • Alfredo Olivas • Ana Bárbara • Anahí • Banda Pequeños Musical • Bronco • Chavela Y Su Grupo Express • Cristian Castro • Crooked Stilo • Aroma • Los Rehenes • Mandingo • Samuray • Los Angeles De Charly • Los Angeles Azules • Los Yonic's • El Bebeto • Chiquis • Conjunto Primavera • Elsa García • Enrique Iglesias • La Mafia • Los Bondadosos • Los Mier • La Sombra • Marco Antonio Solís • Los Bukis • Enrique Iglesias • Los Temerarios • Los Tucanes de Tijuana • Industria Del Amor • Los Baron de Apodaca • Larry Hernandez • Patrulla 81 • Pedro Fernández • Roberto Tapia • Saul El Jaguar • Julión Álvarez y Su Norteño Banda • Grupo Bryndis • Los Acosta • Cuisillos • Los Palominos • Lucero • Menudo • Noelia • Thalía • Timbiriche • Tropa F • Los Acuario De Mexico • Jenni Rivera • El Trono de México
Labels partnered with Fonovisa
Labels partnered with Fonovisa
• Del Rancho Music, LLC • Desierto Bravo • RMS Music Group, Inc • Ferca Network • El Recodo Enterprises, LLC • Andaluz Music • Suceción de José Manuel Figueroa Figueroa (Joan Sebastian's estate) • Camiolvi Inc.
Labels previously partnered with Fonovisa
Labels previously partnered with Fonovisa
• AFG SIgma Records (Los Temerarios' label, now named Virtus Inc) • Good I Music, LLC (Intocable's label, formerly named Intocable, LLC) • Luna Music Corporation • Azteca Records, LLC • Musinorte Entertainment Corp. (Los Huracanes Del Norte's record label, partnered with Disa) • DMY Digital • Platino Records • Tucanes Inc.
Institutional history
Dated record
Institutional history
Explore 1986
The full dated record · 3 entries
1986
Fonovisa Records established.
1986
Fonovisa Records is recorded from 1986.
1986
Fonovisa Records was established or created in 1986.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Fonovisa Records is situated in Mexico.
Country
Fonovisa Records is associated with Mexico.
Country
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Fonovisa Records”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q427326: Fonovisa Records
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reference work
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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