Market Report: Uruguay
A small but buzzing market, Uruguay’s varied calendar centres largely around the capital of Montevideo, where major venues like the Antel Arena host international stars, while a network of smaller venues nurture local urban, techno, and avant-folk scenes.
Primary ticketing
The three main players have their territories distinctly marked. Passline concentrates on festivals and club events; Sportsticket covers sport and fairs; while Tickantel provides tickets for official events and government-owned venues.
Fifteen ticket agencies operate, largely start-ups or independent portals, since the ease of accessing SaaS software has made it easy for event organisers to launch their own platforms.
Tech advances are moving fast. “Passline has implemented several innovative tools, such as a pre-registration system to handle high demand and a mobile app that allows users to receive push notifications and store their tickets in a digital wallet,” says CEO Juan Lanza.
Distribution of sales
“The market has evolved significantly, going from the sale of paper tickets to almost exclusively digital sales,” says Lanza. 95% of sales occur online.
Tickets for major international artists may be unaffordable for the average Uruguayan
Secondary ticketing
Resale is illegal but still happens on social networks. However, the formal secondary market platform TickeX has gained the approval of event producers and looks to become the dominant Latin American resell portal.
International/domestic splits & genres
International acts dominate larger venues, while medium-level events are a mix of national and international.
Cultural analysis
Tickets for major international artists may be unaffordable for the average Uruguayan, but favourable exchange rates in Argentina encourage them to travel to Buenos Aires for bigger shows. Likewise, with tickets often cheaper in Uruguay than Chile or Brazil, inbound gig tourism is common.
Taxes & fees
Applicable taxes include AGADU (copyright) and a municipal tax that varies depending on the artist’s origin: 0% for local, 4% for regional, and 8% for international.
Events can be exempt from tax if they are declared of national interest by the government.
Country Profile: Uruguay
Located just north of Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires, Uruguay is a unique link in the South American touring circuit.
A small country compared to its expansive neighbours, Uruguay’s music scene revolves around the capital city of Montevideo, which boasts a handful of modern venues.
The blockbuster tour scene is dominated by Uruguay-based AM Producciones, which will bring Lenny Kravitz, Paul McCartney, Aventura, and Joaquín Sabina to the 60,000-capacity Estadio Centenario in Montevideo over the next year.
Piano Piano, another local promoter, is on almost every arena-level ticket in town, working alongside other promoters to bring prominent Latin stars to the 3.4m residents. It has a busy remainder of 2024, joining forces with many companies to bring acts to Antel Arena: a Marc Anthony show with Chévere Producciones, a Keane gig with Move Concerts, as well as a Young Miko performance.
“Our goal for this venue is to provide Uruguay with the best infrastructure to become a reference place in South America to host these major events”
Uruguay’s premiere arena, the ASM Global-operated Antel Arena (15,000), opened its doors in Montevideo in 2018. Over the past year, Slash and Louis Tomlinson have performed here, adding to an impressive rotation of stars since its opening.
“Our goal for this venue is to provide Uruguay with the best infrastructure to become a reference place in South America to host these major events,” said Javier Emicuri, former CEO of the government-owned telecommunications company Antel, at the time of the announcement.
The music market is hot, attracting numerous multinational players. EB Producciones, which operates in nearly a dozen countries, sold 3,000 tickets for a sold-out show from Chilean-Mexican singer Mon Laferte at the arena back in April.
CEO Eduardo Basagaña says their efforts in advertising and traditional promotion go the distance: “In today’s world, you cannot only do digital promotion – you need to be in the streets as well.”