Country Profile: Argentina

There’s nowhere quite like Argentina, where inflation continues to soar and more than half of the population are living in poverty under new right-wing president Javier Milei, but where large-scale entertainment has, in recent years, been a popular way to spend those shrinking pesos.

At any rate, it remains part of the key touring trinity of major cities, alongside São Paulo in Brazil and Santiago in Chile. Perhaps the country’s most prominent promoter is Live Nation’s DF Entertainment, which maintains a hotline to River Plate Stadium, with massive shows for Coldplay (ten nights in 2022), Taylor Swift (three nights in 2023), Paul McCartney (two nights in 2024), as well as the local edition of Lollapalooza and numerous relatively smaller concerts.

Last year, DF inked an exclusive multi-year agreement to promote concerts at the stadium, and Live Nation has been linked with a major plan to upgrade and expand Buenos Aires’ legendary Luna Park arena.

Move Concerts is Latin America’s largest independent promoter. Move Argentina MD Sebastian Carlomagno believes the economic situation in the country, while grievous, may yet prove to be an important course-correction.

“It is undeniable that Argentina needs a change”

“It is undeniable that Argentina needs a change,” he recently told IQ. Nonetheless, Argentina still has major promoting infrastructure and produces substantial amounts of talent. Dale Play Live is the promoting arm of Federico Lauria’s

Dale Play label that has cornered the market in Argentinian rap and trap. It is a major exporter of such artists into numerous markets, including the US.

Marcelo Figoli’s Fénix Entertainment Group is the architect, alongside Cárdenas Marketing Network, of the vast Luis Miguel tour that started with ten arena shows in Buenos Aires in 2023 and wraps in Mexico in November. Fénix’s Argentinian shows at press time include Morat, Emilia, Eric Prydz, Aventura, Travis, Roberto Carlos, and Knotfest and Creamfields festivals.

Another significant player is PopArt Music, which has promoted Roger Waters at River Plate and collaborated with Cirque du Soleil. This November, it brings French duo AIR to the Movistar Arena in Buenos Aires, and it is behind next April’s edition of leading Argentinian rock festival Quilmes Rock.

EB Producciones operates across the region and exclusively oversees the LatAm career of fast-rising Spanish singer Ana Mena. CEO Eduardo Basagaña says: “The economic situation in Argentina has been challenging, with a 40% drop in ticket sales. Despite the crisis, 2024 has been remarkable for us, selling out most of our events. Fabiana Cantilo’s sold-out Luna Park performance was also a highlight. Our success stems from prioritising quality over quantity, conducting deep research, and being strategic in handling concerts amidst tough competition.”

“The economic situation in Argentina has been challenging, with a 40% drop in ticket sales.”

Foggia Company, run by former Fénix man Marcelo Dionisio, is also a busy local promoter, whose shows this year include the The Vaccines and The Magic Numbers, Colombia’s Greeicy, and Freestyle Master Series rap tournament.

In Córdoba, José Palazzo and Marcelo Oliva’s En Vivo Producciones operates Cosquín Rock, the longest-running Argentine music festival, which focuses largely on local and regional rock talent with international headliners, including Slash and Steve Aoki. En Vivo takes Cosquín Rock to other Spanish-speaking markets and has promoted shows in Córdoba by Paul McCartney, Madonna, Metallica, and others.

Also in Córdoba, Grupo Q owns the Quality Arena, Quality Espacio, and Quality Teatro venues, as well as promoting shows across Argentina. COO Ignacio Taier says among the company’s 300 concerts in 2024 were Air Supply, Harry Potter in Concert, and stadium dates with Luis Miguel.

“Despite the crisis, Argentinians set apart a little bit of money to attend [events],” he says. “Because money is tight, they’re being more selective … and we have to be cautious about ticket prices.” He adds that working with a local promoter is key to success, but that once Argentinians have taken an artist to their hearts, they’re passionate fans.