Rock in Rio evolves for the future

As one of the world’s most recognisable festival names, Rock in Rio established itself as iconic from day one. IQ presents the second and final part of our deep dive into the landmark Brazilian festival, where we uncover what the future holds for the expanding event.

Catch up on the landmark event’s 40-year history here.

Good Deeds
As a platform to extol the virtues of Rio de Janeiro, Rock in Rio has been tremendously successful in helping put the city – and much of Latin America – on tour routings, meaning that in 2024, it’s unthinkable for any global act to omit the continent from tour plans.

But the remit of Rock in Rio stretches way beyond entertainment and brands, as the Medinas and their colleagues run multiple endeavours off the back of their events to improve the lives of the poor and underrepresented while also addressing environmental causes.

“This thing about music bringing people together, connected to an effective social project, is real,” states Roberto. “It’s not just about saying that we want to protect the environment or enhance education. It’s not just an idea; it’s about making it happen.”

Indeed, Rock World’s social programmes have had a real impact and continue to do so.

To date, Rock in Rio has planted 4.5m trees in the Amazon, “and we will continue planting,” says Roberto. “Rock in Rio has opened schools in the ghettos; Rock in Rio has social topics in its agenda and addresses these items because the importance of Rock in Rio in Brazil is fundamental. We use [our platform] to teach young people the fundamental things we need to do to transform as a society.”

“When we sell the Rock in Rio brand, we are also promoting Brazil and the ability of Brazilians to organise themselves and hold events”

In terms of employment and the impact on the economy, Rock in Rio’s biennial appearance in the calendar impacts the city’s economy by R$2.8bn and creates 28,000 direct jobs. “It is a good monster because it doesn’t cause any harm to society but promotes tourism and cultural activities,” opines Roberto, adding, “When we sell the Rock in Rio brand, we are also promoting Brazil and the ability of Brazilians to organise themselves and hold events. We are the biggest music event in the world: I’m proud of that. But I continue to want to do better – I’m never satisfied: I want to give more.”

And giving an insight into his psyche, he adds, “Doing good leads to profit… I don’t want to do philanthropy – I can achieve results through business, because if you do good and are transparent for your brand, you will sell more and add quality to your product. If half the world is starving, by taking a person out of poverty and bringing them to the market, you are gaining a consumer. So doing good leads to profit. We have to speak the language of capital so that it invests in social projects. This was the path I took to make gigantic projects possible here in Brazil.”

As for its unique selling point, when it comes to brands clamouring to become sponsors, Roberto’s experience in marketing shines through. “We care for the artist in a different way than we care for the brands,” he notes. “We launch a year-long campaign – it’s not something you do in a snap of the finger. It’s a chance for the brand to make itself felt over a very long period of time.”

Growth Prospects
Having cemented its place into the hearts and minds of the international live music business, Rock in Rio inevitably attracted the attention of the corporate world, and five years ago, Live Nation completed a transaction that gave it a controlling stake in the Rock World organisation.

But rather than a simple acquisition, the conglomerate’s hierarchy recognised the skills of the Brazilian workforce, with CEO Michael Rapino noting, “Roberto and his team have grown Rock in Rio to become a truly global event and the preeminent festival in the emerging live events market in South America. We look forward to integrating their industry experience into the Live Nation business.”

“I want to focus more on these markets where there is lots of opportunity to grow”

That integration is now in full swing, with Rock World this year becoming production partner for Lollapalooza Brasil, in collaboration with C3 Presents. That 22-24 March event featured the likes of Blink-182, SZA, Paramore, Sam Smith, Arcade Fire, Limp Bizkit, and local rock legends, Titãs.

Taking on the yearly Lolla expands the Rock World portfolio to four megafestivals: Rock in Rio and Rock in Rio Lisboa, which take place in the even years, and The Town – held on the same site as Lolla in São Paolo in the odd years.

As for future expansion, Roberto tells IQ, “I think expansion in Latin America is possible, but it is not in my plans because I am now focused on Lollapalooza and The Town in São Paolo, and Rock in Rio, which makes us one of the biggest festival companies in Latin America. This year, with the three events all put together, we made R$1.1bn, while we sold 2m tickets over the past two years. So I want to focus more on these [existing] markets where there is lots of opportunity to grow.”

Roberta concurs. “We’re not planning international expansion at this point, but we decided to expand to the closest market to Rio – that is São Paulo. They are both big cities, but São Paulo is very different to Rio. It’s been a conversation for a number of years to take Rock in Rio to São Paulo, but what we realised is that Rock in Rio sees 50% of our revenues coming from sponsorship and 50% from ticket sales – it’s a very different model, and we understand it’s not similar in other territories. But we can definitely grow in our own markets and become bigger in Brazil, while the new site in Lisbon allows us to concentrate on making that bigger, too.”

“Nothing will replace live music. Nothing”

Hi-tech Future
But while growth for Rock World is being driven down a more organic path, when it comes to the development of Rock in Rio, Roberto Medina’s ambition knows no bounds.

Roberta tells IQ, “He’s dreaming about the City of Rock of the future. So he’s talking about major construction plans around the City of Rock – a hotel, a theme park – it’s another level. He’s even talking about having people arrive by flying car!”

She’s not joking.

“I’m really working on having a permanent City of Rock,” confirms Roberto. “At festival time, you will have everything that happens today. However, at other times of the year, there will be stages with holograms,” he teases.

And embracing how technology can make the experience for Rock in Rio guests even more special, Roberto says, “I am taking a close look at future technology, and I’m already discussing the use of flying cars for the VIP area. And that’s just a first move!”

He concludes, “Nothing will replace live music. Nothing. Because human beings are gregarious. For instance, I have an apartment in New York with great Internet speed and a coffee machine. But I go outside to Starbucks, sit down to experience worse Internet and worse coffee. And I spend money. What kind of business is that?

The thing is, human beings are gregarious, and no technology, no matter how engaging it is, will make people not want to be together – that’s what we do at our events.”

Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.

Read More Like This

Feature|25 Oct 2024

Rock in Rio Brazil reveals R$2.9bn economic impact

The local economy reaped the rewards of the festival's 40th anniversary edition last month, which attracted 730k fans

Feature|21 Feb 2025

Rock in Rio Lisboa unveils raft of improvements

After a mixed response to the festival's new home in 2024, organisers have detailed site changes for the next edition

Feature|21 Feb 2025

Lady Gaga to play free concert on Copacabana Beach

The 3 May show is being staged by promoter Bonus Track in partnership with Live Nation and will mark the launch of a new initiative

Feature|11 Feb 2025

Música no Coração boss on future of the company

Following the cancellation of Sudoeste festival, Luis Montez says the Portuguese firm starts 2025 with “liquidity and ambition”