Country Profile: Brazil

The years after Covid signalled a boom period for the Brazilian live business as an unprecedented wagon train of local, regional, and international tours snaked across this huge nation, from São Paulo to Rio to Curitiba to Porto Alegre. They’re still coming, but promoters report a certain softness to the market in 2024.

“Brazil is doing well as a whole, but the impact of inflation has trimmed a bit of the excitement of a year ago,” said Phil Rodriguez, CEO of pan-continental independent Move Concerts, in IQ’s recent LatAm report. “That said, it’s a monster market due to its size, which makes it more resilient than the other smaller markets,” he noted, in a year that sees Move shows in Brazil for Eric Clapton, Ne-Yo, Iron Maiden, and Keane.

Part of Brazil’s issue is the broader lull in touring numbers as big names get their breath back from 2023 and 2024, plus there’s a weakening of consumer demand due to high inflation.

A knot of veteran promoters accounts for much of the international traffic, along with some new market entrants. Live Nation, T4F, Move Concerts, Mercury Concerts under Jose Muniz, Luiz Oscar Niemeyer’s Bonus Track Entretenimento, and Music On Events, run by André Matalon and William Crunfli, all boast well-known brands and decades of experience.

“Being 40 years in this business, I can say that Brazil is a stable market, with normal fluctuations from time to time, but with a lot of opportunities for artists and promoters”

Former T4F executive Niemeyer, CEO and president of Bonus Track since 2021, has promoted some of the biggest concerts in Brazilian history, and added to his tally in May with a show by Madonna on Copacabana Beach that drew 1.6m spectators. He also promoted seven stadium dates with Roger Waters and 11 with Paul McCartney.

“Being 40 years in this business, I can say that Brazil is a stable market, with normal fluctuations from time to time, but with a lot of opportunities for artists and promoters,” says Niemeyer.

A significant recent entrant is sometime Bonus Track partner 30e, which positions itself as “the new generation of live entertainment.” In addition to several festival brands, including MITA, Ultra Brasil, and Knotfest Brasil, 30e ran Mariah Carey’s largest solo show to date, selling 50,000 tickets at Allianz Parque in São Paulo, while the 2025 schedule includes The Offspring, Simply Red, and Twenty-One Pilots.

“The business landscape for international artists in Brazil is currently very positive. However, it’s important to develop a solid strategy for a successful visit to the country,” says CEO Pepeu Correa. “In this context, 30e has distinguished itself, with a team of over 100 professionals dedicated to crafting a marketing plan that aligns with the artist’s career and message. The focus is on enhancing the audience’s experience during performances, which is crucial for success.”

Live Nation has been in the market in its own right since 2017 under Alexandre Faria. LN LatAm president Bruce Moran remembers the market when international tours were rare and usually brief – which these days they most certainly aren’t.

“The business landscape for international artists in Brazil is currently very positive. However, it’s important to develop a solid strategy for a successful visit to the country”

“Business for international talent continues to be great,” he says. “Bruno Mars has sold more than 800,000 tickets to date; The Weeknd sold out Estádio MorumBIS in São Paulo; and in September, Travis Scott sold out his stadium show in São Paulo. We see the embrace of hip-hop as never before.”

Local giant Time For Fun (T4F) promoted Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour – three nights at Rio’s Estádio Nilton Santos and three at São Paulo’s Allianz Parque in November 2023.

Brazil-based regional promoter Mercury Concerts reports a solid market, having executed a 14-show tour with Megadeth – “by far the best tour ever for the band in Mexico and South America, with over 140,000 tickets sold,” according to Muniz.

Music On Events launched in 2021, and shows this year have included Luis Miguel at Allianz Parque and the South American tour of Roberto Carlos.

With 42 years in the business, Pedro Bianco’s Dançar Marketing has been behind shows by Andrea Bocelli, George Benson, Joss Stone, Diana Krall, Norah Jones, and more. “This is perhaps one of the best times Brazil has ever had with the performances of international artists,” says Bianco. “However, there is a lack of mid-sized venues. Either we hold shows in stadiums or in theatres/small venues. We lack indoor venues with 10,000-15,000 seats.” Nevertheless, business is good, he says, including for the company’s Best Of Blues And Rock fest.

Among Brazil’s substantial local promoters, meanwhile, is MCA Concerts, which worked on 30e/Bonus Track’s Paul McCartney and Roger Waters shows in 2023.