Q&A: Patron's D-J Hageman On Why Music Is So Important To The Tequila

Forbes

11-07-2025

NASHVILLE, TN - AUGUST 21: Singer/Songwriter Martina McBride's Auctions Martina McBride's Limited ... More Edition Gran Patron Platinum Tequila sold for $2,500.00 at The 3rd Annual Hymns Hams And Jams Benefiting The Shalom Foundation at The Loveless Barn on August 21, 2012 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo byfor Shalom Foundation)
For a top-tier spirit there is no better endorsement than an A-list musician. Look at what Frank Sinatra did for Jack Daniel's, helping to elevate the whiskey brand to among the coolest brands in the world.
Patron Tequila has racked up a lot of cool points within the music world, like getting shouted out by Taylor Swift in the song, 'You Need To Calm Down.' That is only one, albeit the biggest one of over 400 times Patron has been mentioned in lyrics, by artists ranging from Miranda Lambert to Lil Jon.
Grammy-winning producer/artist Hit-Boy is such a fan he visited The Hacienda, where they make Patron, in Mexico. 'It was really great to go down to Mexico and see the growing process with Patron farmers,' he says. 'The hospitality at The Hacienda was amazing and the Patron team really great to work with.'
I spoke with D-J Hageman, Vice President of Marketing at Patron, about the company's relationship with all things music, including festivals, artists and more.
Steve Baltin: Talk about the importance of music and the credibility that comes with art. No one was cooler than Frank Sinatra and that made Jack Daniels the coolest drink in the world.
D-J Hageman: Yeah, for Patron music has always been a big part of our DNA. Ever since we were founded in the late '80s we've grown up with, especially in hip-hop culture at the time, and we were mentioned organically in a lot of song lyrics. We're also the brand of choice, if you will, in the recording studios, backstage, in the green rooms of a lot of these artists. We were on a lot of their riders and things as well. So, we really became known as the artist brand, if you will. For us, it's always been a really natural integration. In the last few years, we've tried to hone in on that territory a bit more and really focus in on music as a focus area for us from a cultural point of view, not just through the talent partnerships that we cultivate and do, but also through some of the festival experiences that we create with Live Nation as an example. So, we really see music being a big part of our consumers' lives. And obviously we see Patron as being a big part of artists' lives. So, we want to bring those two worlds together in everything that we do.
Baltin: What is it about music in particular that lends itself so well to the relationship with alcohol? Obviously, music is such an experiential thing. But then again, as I said, it doesn't have the same relationship with sports teams.
Hageman: No, I think you're spot on. I think it is the experiential part of it. But also music generally creates a vibe and energy and excitement and is a catalyst for good times, if you will. And that's really what Patron is. We see ourselves as being a starter of these good times, of being a companion to our drinkers in those moments that they're enjoying music as well. So, whether it's them enjoying music at a club and they're dancing to it with their friends and they're having some Patron tequila or they're at a live music festival and they're enjoying the amazing artists on stage and they're able to have their favorite Patron cocktails Patron is part of that energy and part of that excitement we really spark those moments just like music does as well. I think that's exactly where that intersection between music and Patron is. You're right, you wouldn't have that as much in a sports game or in a film or anything like that. So, music is that natural intersection for us to be at.
Baltin: The festival experience has become such a destination. People spend thousands, they plan for it for a year. How has Patron become involved in that?
Hageman: I think it's been a growing consumer trend that's been around for years around consumers looking for experiences, especially when it comes to luxury experiences. Obviously, there was a bit of a pause, if you will, during COVID, when people weren't able to do that. Post COVID, people were seeking out experiences and those moments of connections even more together. So, we've really focused on that with Live Nation and partnered with them now for a long-term partnership. We've got a number of their biggest name brand festivals that we're working with them on, such as Austin City Limits, Lollapalooza, Dreamville. And like you said, these are festivals where people are saving for their whole year. They're planning out their weekends with their friends, their outfits and everything. It becomes their event and it's probably one of the most memorable things that they might do all year. So, for Patron to be part of those moments that really matter for the consumers, where they get to experience their favorite artists, where they get to spend time with their friends and enjoy their music and have a fantastic cocktail, is really important for us. And we've seen that by partnering with Live Nation, we're able to reach a huge amount of consumers, create fantastic experiences with our new kind of experiential build, the hacienda that we've developed, and serve a lot of cocktails. At our most recent Dreamville experience, we served over 27 ,000 tequila cocktails over the two days. Patron tequila was the number one chosen spirits brand at the festival grounds as well. So, you can see that there is a real demand for tequila and for great cocktails at these festivals as well.
Baltin: What is The Hacienda?
Hageman: The Hacienda is a brand-new experiential design that we developed in partnership with Live Nation. It's really based on our Hacienda, which is where all of our tequila is made in the highlands of Jalisco in Mexico. It's called the Hacienda Patron, which is really what we wanted to capture when we brought that to the festivals. It's not just the stunning architecture and design of this place, but actually also the hospitality and the warmth that you feel and how you feel like you're instantly invited into the living room of the brand, if you will. There's an amazing 360-degree bar right in the middle of it. There's a lot of lounge seating around the bar. There's a DJ area in the back as well, where the DJ can be spinning, where we did some vinyl spinning DJs last time at Dreamville as well. We want a place where you can have a group of three people sitting down or you can have 10 people standing up around the table. It's that kind of high, low tempo and vibe that we're trying to capture there. It's not just about the amazing tequila cocktails that you can drink, but it's also about having people hang out in there and enjoy each other's company in our home, in our Hacienda.
Baltin: One thing music fans can sniff out is inauthenticity. How did you get ingrained into the hip-hop culture authentically?Hageman: We are a brand that is all about authenticity, integrity, doing things the right way. So, for us, that's also about how we make our tequila. We don't take any shortcuts, we do it the right way. And we want to find and partner with artists who also embodies that who are really true to themselves who are probably in this for the long run, who aren't just one-hit wonders. We want to make sure that we're partnering with these kinds of people, and that we are an authentic part of their lives. One of the first things that we ask an artist when we're starting to kind of feel out a potential partnership is, 'Hey, do you like Patron? Tell us the last time you've had it and when have you celebrated things?' And if they say they prefer something else, then that's not the right type of partnership for us to pursue. Oftentimes, these partnerships happen quite organically because the artist says, 'Oh, it's my birthday and I really want Patron tequila to be there.' That's what happened with Missy Elliott when we started working with her. She asked us to be part of her birthday. Obviously, she'd mentioned us in songs in the past, etc. We knew she'd been a fan. Then she asked us to host her birthday party. We said this is the right type of partnership. So, when we then launched our prestige variant, El Alto, she made perfect sense for us to continue that partnership with. So, she actually came to Las Vegas, was a big part of our launch moment there, where we celebrated 20 years of Under Construction, et cetera, as well as the first time that she was on stage in three years. So, she really was able to celebrate her moment as milestones with our moment as milestones. Then we continued that partnership when she got inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame about a year later, she came back to us and said, 'I want to celebrate with Patron El Alto again that night.' So, we sponsored her evening party for all of her family and friends. It really is a very natural thing and something that we like to nurture over time. We've done the same thing with Becky G. That really started off as initially a PR and gifting partnership, et cetera. That's evolved then into social media content, et cetera. And now we've been working with her for over two years. We were the most recent sponsor of her first national tour and we're going to continue to work with her in the future and look at really exciting opportunities that we can continue to do with her as well. So, that's a partnership that we've been cultivating for two or three years already, and we see a longevity to it in the future as well.
Baltin: As a music fan who's the dream artist for you to collaborate with?
Hageman: I think a Lady Gaga or something like that would be fantastic. Somebody who truly embodies her own personal creativity, authenticity, integrity, all that kind of stuff. I think she's a phenomenal artist and I love how she keeps evolving herself as well. I'm a big fan.
Baltin: Was there one artist that defined the relationship between Patron and music early on?
Hageman: One of my things that really cemented it for me in my head about Patron being an artist brand was we were working with the producer Hit-Boy and we were working in a music studio with him, and I think he asked for some Patron. So, we quickly went to the receptionist, and we were like, "We made a mistake. Can you please bring in some Patron?" She's like, "Oh, of course you got Patron. All the artists always have Patron in their recording studios." That's when that moment clicked for us as well, of like, "Okay, this is the brand that they are actually in their own private moments when they're in recording, et cetera. This is the brand that they're having."