x

The latest industry news to your inbox.


I'd like to hear about marketing opportunities

    

I accept IQ Magazine's Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

Primavera Sound confirms Latin America return

Primavera Sound is to return to Latin America in 2024 after attracting close to 350,000 people across its events in the region last year.

Second editions of the festival in Buenos Aires, Argentina and São Paulo, Brazil drew 120,000 and 115,000 people respectively, according to organisers. Headline acts at the November/December events included The Cure, Blur, Pet Shop Boys, Beck and The Killers.

In addition, 35,000 people attended Primavera Sound concerts in Santiago, Chile, over 12,000 fans experienced the first Paraguay event to mark Asunción Spring Day, and more than 30,000 people went to the inaugural Road to Primavera concerts in Lima, Peru.

The Cure, who played their first shows in South America in a decade, also sold out standalone Primavera concerts in Montevideo, Uruguay and Bogota, Colombia.

Primavera Sound has reaffirmed its commitment to the territory by confirming the dates for this year’s editions

Primavera Sound has reaffirmed its commitment to the territory by confirming the dates for this year’s editions. Primavera Day Montevideo will premiere on 21 November, followed by the third editions of Primavera Sound Buenos Aires (23-24 November) and São Paulo (30 November-1 December), with Primavera Day Asunción set for 29 November.

Plus, Bogotá, Lima and Santiago will again host Road to Primavera concerts, with specific dates to be announced soon.

Meanwhile, the flagship Primavera Sound Barcelona, where the brand launched in 2001, will take place from 29 May to 2 June, headlined by Lana Del Rey, Pulp and SZA. Other acts will include The National, PJ Harvey, Vampire Weekend, Phoenix, Disclosure, FKA Twigs, Justice and Mitski.

It has also run sister events in Los Angeles and Chile in recent years, but has opted against running another Madrid instalment in 2024 following a “complicated” debut edition.

 


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.

Latin star sells out 10 Buenos Aires arena shows

Argentine singer-songwriter Emilia has sold out 10 dates at the Movistar Arena in Buenos Aires in less than 10 hours.

In the process, the 27-year-old, who recently released her second studio album .mp3, broke a record previously held by Mexican artist Luis Miguel, who sold out nine shows at the arena in one day, with another night later added.

Produced by Fenix Entertainment Group, the dates will take place at the 15,000-cap South American venue on 6-7, 19-20, 21 & 23 April and 3, 29-31 May 2024. Tickets cost from 10,000 pesos (€26).

“Having sold out shows in my career is truly special,” Emilia, who is represented by WK Entertainment, tells Billboard. “To me it basically means my fans are connecting with my music. I am so thankful.

“It’s all about creating an unforgettable experience for my fans”

“I want every detail of the performances to be just right. It’s all about creating an unforgettable experience for my fans.”

The .mp3 Tour will also visit Anfiteatro in Rosario (12 April), Quality Arena, Cordoba (27 April) and Estadio Delmi, Salta (10 May) in Argentina, Antel Arena in Montevideo, Uruguay (4 May) and Paraguay’s SND Arena (25 May).

Other upcoming concerts at Movistar Arena include Tom Jones, David Guetta, Slash ft. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators, Nicki Nicole and Laura Pausini.

The venue became the third South American venue to take Movistar’s name in 2019, following similar naming rights deals between the telecommunications giant and arenas in Santiago, Chile and Bogotá, Colombia.

 


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.

Move Concerts’ Rodriguez talks LatAm challenges

Move Concerts CEO Phil Rodriguez has broken down the ups and downs of the South American touring scene as the company prepares to co-promote next month’s Primavera Sound Buenos Aires.

The LatAm region’s biggest independent promoter is partnering with Primavera alongside PopArt Music and Dale Play Live on the festival, which returns to Parque Sarmiento in the Argentine capital from 25-26 November, headlined by The Cure, Pet Shop Boys, Blur and Beck.

“Argentina at the moment is very challenging,” Rodriguez tells IQ. “This is the first year we are involved with this event, and it will be the second edition in Argentina. Our objective are not only to grow the numbers but as important to deliver on the experience for the punters and consolidate the brand in the market.”

Rodriguez describes the situation in certain countries in the region as “politically delicate”.

“The elections in Argentina [later this month] will be historic in terms of what direction that country will go,” he says. “Right now, the country is essentially broke.”

In general, Rodriguez reports that Move has recorded “more hits than misses”in 2023. Recent successes include a 13,000-cap sellout with Ghost at Buenos Aires’ Movistar Arena on 24 September, and the debut of its Legends in Concert series a week later, when it presented Rod Stewart and Brazilian singer-songwriter Ivete Sangaloat at Allianz Parque, São Paulo, Brazil. The latter show grossed more than US$3 million.

“We sold out – 31,000 tickets sold,” says Rodriguez. “It was a reserved seating configuration at the Allianz Stadium. Rod Stewart and Ivete Sangalo sang two songs together at the end of the show and the chemistry between them was fantastic. It was definitely a case of 1+1=3 and we will definitely repeat this concept.”

“We’re seeing local talent/Latin artists doing stadium tours. This was extremely rare before”

The firm also sold 16,000 tickets for a Bad Bunny “listening party” this week at Puerto Rico’s José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum. Back in March, it teamed with Bunny’s manager Noah Assad to stage Karol G’s history-making Puerto Rican shows, which saw the Colombian star become the first artist ever to sell out three nights at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, drawing more than 100,000 fans across the trio of shows.

“She’s incredibly hard-working and focused and has unquestionably taken her career to the next level – stadium level, superstar level,” reflects Rodriguez, who points out the market is especially strong for domestic artists.

“In many cases it is as strong or stronger than most international/Anglo artists,” he adds. “We’re seeing local talent/Latin artists doing stadium tours. This was extremely rare before.”

He continues: “In general, well, we cannot complain, but the audience is being more selective. The ‘after Covid boom’ is tapering off. I feel the increase in the cost of living has impacted the fans to as certain degree. For the [top] acts and top-tier festivals, business is strong. In the case of the smaller acts or festivals, there are more challenges.

“Costs certainly have impacted everybody – artist, promoters and fans. Everything is more expensive. There has also been more difficulty in venue avails as local artists are now selling more than in the past increasing holds on venues. Also, the demand for stadium dates availability is butting heads with football schedules more than ever.”

Move Concerts is headquartered in Miami, Florida, and has offices in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru and Puerto Rico. Since 2019, the company has operated a joint venture with US entertainment and sports company Loud and Live, whose CEO Nelson Albareda was recently named Billboard Latin Power Player Executive of the Year.

 

PHOTO: GHOST with Fabiano de Queiroz, VP touring MOVE Concerts (Credit: Gabriel Sotelo)

 


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.

Primavera Sound expands footprint in Latin America

Primavera has announced its debut in Peru, with a series of concerts in Lima set for this November ahead of its 2023 Latin American festival run.

The four dates, which will be held under the Road to Primavera Sound banner, will start with The Cure at the National Stadium on 22 November, with support from The Twilight Sad and Just Mustard.

Multiespacio Costa 21 will then host Bad Gyal on 1 December, followed by the Pet Shop Boys – who bring their Dreamworld greatest hits show to the venue on 7 December – and Bad Religion on 8 December.

The shows will act as a precursor for Primavera Sound’s second editions in Buenos Aires, Argentina (25-26 November) and São Paulo, Brazil (2-3 December), as well as the festival’s premiere in Luque, Paraguay (7 December) and Bogotá, Colombia (9-10 December).

The Cure will headline all four editions in their first shows in South America in a decade. The Paraguay edition will be a one-day affair to mark Asunción Spring Day.

Organisers confirmed last month that Primavera Sound Madrid will not take place in 2024

Other acts set to appear on some or all dates include Beck, Blur, Carly Rae Jepsen, The Killers, The Hives, Grimes, Black Midi, Slowdive, Róisín Murphy and Muna.

Organisers confirmed last month that Primavera Sound Madrid will not take place in 2024. The festival debuted in the Spanish capital in June, featuring acts such as Kendrick Lamar, Depeche Mode, Four Tet, Fred Again.., Skrillex, Rosalia, Calvin Harris, Maneskin and St Vincent. However, its first day proper was cancelled for “safety reasons” amid “persistent severe weather”, which impacted pre-production at the 96,000-cap Ciudad de Rock (City of Rock) in Arganda del Rey. There were also complaints from fans about long queues on the other two days of the event.

Explaining their decision not to proceed with a Madrid sequel, organisers cite “external difficulties… in the final stretch of pre-production”, which led to “one of the most complicated” editions of Primavera Sound ever.

In Europe, Primavera Sound’s flagship Barcelona edition will return from 30 May-2 June next year, with its Porto leg to follow from 7-9 June. The festival launched in Barcelona in 2001 and has also run sister events in Los Angeles and Chile in recent years.

Primavera Sound recently gained an internationally recognised stamp of approval demonstrating its commitment to LGBTQ people. The Queer Destinations committed distinction, which is present in 12 countries, helps businesses create safe and more inclusive touristic spaces for the community.

 


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.

Record demand for Taylor Swift’s Argentina debut

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is continuing to smash records after millions of people attempted to buy tickets for the singer’s first concerts in Argentina.

Promoter DF Entertainment says Swift’s 9-11 November dates at Buenos Aires’ 65,000-cap River Plate Stadium sold out in a matter of hours following “unprecedented” demand during this week’s onsale.

More than three million people were in the virtual queue to buy tickets at one point according to DF boss Diego Finkelstein, who tells IQ the “epic” accomplishment speaks for itself.

A third show was added after the first two nights sold out. Prices ranged from 18,000 (€69) to 86,000 (€328) Argentine pesos.

Founded by Finkelstein in 2015, DF inked an exclusive multi-year deal to promote concerts at the famed stadium, aka the ‘Monumental’, earlier this year. The company previously sold out a record 10 nights at the venue with Coldplay last year.

Swift’s November shows form part of her first round of international dates for the Eras Tour

DF has upcoming concerts with artists such as The Weeknd, Roger Waters, Red Hot Chili Peppers and 5 Seconds of Summer. Live Nation acquired a majority stake in the firm in 2018.

Swift’s November shows form part of her first round of international dates for the Eras Tour. The 33-year-old will also play three dates in Mexico’s Foro Sol stadium before visiting Argentina and Brazil, with a closing show on 26 November in São Paulo at Allianz Parque (cap. 43,713).

The Latin American dates will be supported by pop singer Sabrina Carpenter and produced by Taylor Swift Touring.

Eras is tipped to eclipse the superstar’s 2018 Reputation Stadium Tour, which became the US’ highest-grossing tour in history, selling over two million tickets for 38 shows for a total of $266.1 million. Swift has just over 20 dates remaining of the North American leg, which saw “historically unprecedented demand” when it went on sale last year.

 


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.

Taylor Swift adds Mexico, S.America dates to Eras Tour

Taylor Swift has announced the first round of international dates for her Eras Tour.

The 33-year-old will play three dates in Mexico’s Foro Sol stadium starting 24 August before visiting Argentina and Brazil, with a closing show on 26 November in São Paulo, Brazil, at Allianz Parque (cap. 43,713). The Latin American dates will be supported by pop singer Sabrina Carpenter and produced by Taylor Swift Touring.

“Really thrilled to tell you this!! Mexico, Argentina and Brazil: We are bringing the Eras Tour to you this year! Sweet angel princess [Sabrina Carpenter] will be joining us on all of the shows,” Swift tweeted, adding, “Lots more international dates to come soon, promise!”

The Latin American dates will be supported by pop singer Sabrina Carpenter and produced by Taylor Swift Touring

Verified Fan Registration is now open for shows in Mexico with registration open until 23:59 local time, 7 June. Tickets will go on sale starting 13 June at 14:00 local time, with access prioritized for residents of Mexico. General on-sale for Argentina will begin 6 June 10:00 local time.

Ticket presales for Brazil also begin on 6 June at 10:00 with an exclusive presale for those who had purchased tickets for Swift’s cancelled Brazil dates in 2020. General on sale for Brazil begins 12 June at 10:00 local time.

Swift has 24 dates remaining of her North American stadium tour, which sparked “historically unprecedented demand”.

In the US, Eras is tipped to eclipse Swift’s 2018 Reputation Stadium Tour, which became the country’s highest-grossing tour in history, selling over two million tickets for 38 shows for a total of $266.1 million. Promoted by AEG’s Messina Touring Group and AEG Presents, the 53-date trek was the second highest-grossing worldwide tour of 2018 behind Ed Sheeran’s record-breaking Divide run, grossing $345.1m from 2,888.892 ticket sales, as per Pollstar‘s year-end rankings.

Eras Tour International Dates
August 24 Mexico City, Mexico Foro Sol
August 25 Mexico City, Mexico Foro Sol
August 26 Mexico City, Mexico Foro Sol
November 9 Buenos Aires, Argentina Estadio River Plate
November 10 Buenos Aires, Argentina Estadio River Plate
November 18 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Estádio Nilton Santos
November 25 São Paulo, Brazil Allianz Parque
November 26 São Paulo, Brazil Allianz Parque

 


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.

Argentina’s DF strikes exclusive stadium deal

Argentina’s DF Entertainment has inked an exclusive multi-year agreement to promote concerts at the famed Estadio River Plate in Buenos Aires.

DF, which was founded in August 2015 by veteran concert promoter Diego Finkelstein, previously sold out an unprecedented 10 nights at the 65,000-cap stadium with Coldplay last year.

“We are very excited and happy about this news,” Finkelstein tells IQ. “River is known as the biggest and most emblematic stadium in Latin America and is a must-play for the biggest artists in the world.

“In 2022, DF Entertainment promoted the 10 sold-out Coldplay shows at River, which set a new record in the market, plus two sold-out Harry Styles shows and one sold-out Guns N’ Roses show. Very soon, we will announce the amazing acts who will be performing at River Plate Stadium in 2023 and the following years.”

DF also has upcoming shows in Argentina with the likes of The Weeknd, Imagine Dragons and Ludovico Einaudi

The national record previously belonged to Roger Waters, who played nine The Wall concerts at the “Monumental” venue in March 2012.

Buenos Aires-based DF also has upcoming shows in Argentina with the likes of The Weeknd, Imagine Dragons and Ludovico Einaudi. Live Nation acquired a majority stake in the firm in 2018.

A special live broadcast of Coldplay’s 28 October 2022 Buenos Aires concert was screened in cinemas in more than 80 countries – a record-breaking number of countries for a live cinema event – topping the box office charts in Argentina, Mexico, Chile amd Netherlands

 


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.

‘Incredible response’ to Primavera South America

Primavera Sound director Alfonso Lanza has given IQ the lowdown on the “incredible response” to the festival’s South American debut.

The Spanish institution debuted in São Paulo, Brazil (5-6 November), Buenos Aires, Argentina and Santiago, Chile (both 12-13 November) to commemorate the event’s 20th birthday. Headliners included Arctic Monkeys, Travis Scott, Lorde and Bjork.

Lanza tells IQ that more than 300,000 people – an average of 50,000 a day – came together across the three editions.

“The numbers matter less to us than the incredible atmosphere we have been able to enjoy,” Lanza tells IQ. “We have had an incredible response that has even exceeded our expectations, and it has been very exciting to be able to experience it live.

“We are very happy to have celebrated our 20th anniversary with so many people from all over the world. There is a Primavera Sound community all over the planet. It was very different in each country, but it was definitely the most passionate audiences I have ever seen.”

“We wanted to take our festival model to other parts of the world, because we have moulded it for 20 years and we trust in it”

Lanza is also full of praise for co-promoters Live Nation Brazil, DF Entertainment in Argentina and Rock Santiago in Chile.

“They have had the challenge of taking the Primavera spirit to very different places and promoting the events locally and they all delivered,” says Lanza. “We wanted to take our festival model to other parts of the world, because we have moulded it for 20 years and we trust in it, and they have helped us to achieve it. The real integration into the cultural scene of each city has been easier this way.

“Each country has its own reality and we have managed to adapt to it while maintaining our essence. In addition, the back to back between Argentina and Chile in the same weekend has been a big challenge in terms of production: it has been necessary to be attentive to every detail to ensure that everything was ready and on time.”

Primavera also held its maiden US edition in Los Angeles earlier this year, welcoming 50,000 attendees from 50 countries to the State Historic Park in September, and organisers were convinced the timing was right to expand the brand to the region.

“For some time now we have felt that Primavera Sound is becoming more and more important in this part of the world,” says Lanza. “We noticed it in networks and also among the people that came from LatAm to our festival in Barcelona, so we didn’t hesitate when we had the opportunity to land in the three countries.

“We have tried to bring the spirit of Primavera Sound here, but we also took away things we learned from the experience. For example, the bolder we are with the proposal, the better response we get because the uniqueness of Primavera is well understood. We also have to keep paying attention to the local scene and the Primavera in the City programme because the public values it.”

“Considering the outcome and the incredible response from the audience, we would love to continue if circumstances allow”

Primavera Sound closed the biggest edition in its 20-year history in June, welcoming nearly half a million people to the Spanish city of Barcelona after a two-year hiatus.

Next year, the flagship Primavera Sound Barcelona will take place from 1-3 June, while Primavera Sound Madrid will be held from 8-10 June. Primavera Sound Porto is set for 7-10 June. And while the South American expansion was part of Primavera’s anniversary celebrations, Lanza is open to a return.

“Now it’s time to evaluate and draw lessons, but obviously, considering the outcome and the incredible response from the audience, we would love to continue if circumstances allow us to put together a solid project again,” he says.

Primavera Sound has also just announced the extension of its exclusive mobile-only ticketing partnership with Dice.

The multi-year partnership, which began in 2019, will see Dice continue to provide tickets for all Primavera Sound events in Europe, including Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona and Madrid, as well as its Portugal edition in Porto.

 


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.

Coldplay make touring history in Argentina

Coldplay have made history in Argentina by completing an unprecedented 10-night sellout run at the 65,000-cap Estadio River Plate in Buenos Aires.

The national record previously belonged to Roger Waters, who played nine shows at the legendary “Monumental” venue in March 2012 during his The Wall Live tour.

The British band’s Music Of The Spheres tour resumed in the Argentine capital on 25 October after a string of Brazilian tour dates were postponed until early 2023 when frontman Chris Martin contracted a serious lung infection.

“We have 10 sold-out dates at River Plate Stadium – that’s 650,000 tickets in one city – but I am not surprised because Coldplay have a huge connection with people in Argentina,” said local promoter Diego Finkelstein of Buenos Aires-based DF Entertainment in IQ‘s recent tour report.

“On the last tour, I had lunch with [Coldplay manager] Dave Holmes and told him that we could sell out 10 stadiums in Buenos Aires, but he was reluctant to commit to that many at the time. So when we went on sale, we went with four shows at River Plate and that was supposed to be the end of the tour leg, but the speed they sold out at was incredible, so I pushed for more.”

“It was incredible, but if we wanted, the demand was still there to sell even more dates”

The residency wrapped up with the 10th and final show on 8 November. Finkelstein explained that the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar’s unusual November start date proved a blessing in disguise, bringing a halt to domestic football and freeing up River Plate Stadium.

“We invested $2m [€1.96m] in pitch protection to persuade the stadium to give us more dates,” he said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get so many dates at River Plate, so we begged the band to extend the tour. On 24 May, we put shows five, six, and seven on sale and they blew out in one day. The following week we sold out shows eight and nine.

“The 10th show went on sale on 7 June and sold out in two hours. It was incredible, but if we wanted, the demand was still there to sell even more dates.”

A special live broadcast of the group’s 28 October Buenos Aires concert was screened in cinemas in more than 80 countries – a record-breaking number of countries for a live cinema event – topping the box office charts in Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Netherlands, and breaking the top 10 worldwide across the weekend covering 28-30 October, according to Comscore.

“The band’s triumphant return to the stage in Buenos Aires, with the welcomed addition of Jin from BTS as a special guest, clearly resonated on a worldwide scale”

Directed by BAFTA-winning and Grammy-nominated director Paul Dugdale, the presentation saw the band team up once more with Trafalgar Releasing, which also served as executive producer alongside CJ 4DPlex.

“We are elated with the success of the broadcast, following our release of A Head Full of Dreams in 2018,” says Trafalgar Releasing CEO Marc Allenby. “The band’s triumphant return to the stage in Buenos Aires, with the welcomed addition of Jin from BTS as a special guest, clearly resonated on a worldwide scale and once again proved the power of cinema to bring fans together. We look forward to continuing our partnership with the Coldplay team in 2023.”

The live event was supported by DHL, which has partnered with the band to reduce carbon emissions from their world tour.

“It’s such a groundbreaking tour in such a challenging market,” Coldplay agent Josh Javor of X-ray Touring told IQ earlier this year. “A lot of other things in the world are just not selling at the moment, but it’s completely bucked the trend.”

Ticket sales for the Music Of The Spheres tour have exceeded 5.4 million since UK and European stadium dates went on sale for 2023.

 


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.

The New Bosses 2022: Agustina Cabo, Move Concerts

The 15th edition of IQ Magazine‘s New Bosses was published in IQ 114 this month, revealing 20 of the most promising 30-and-unders in the international live music business.

To get to know this year’s cohort a little better, IQ conducted interviews with each one of 2022’s New Bosses, discovering their greatest inspirations and pinpointing the reasons for their success.

Kicking off the series of interviews is Agustina Cabo, personal and tour manager of Tiago PZK under Move Concerts in Argentina.

Born in 1992, Agustina Cabo, a marketing graduate and professional event organiser, has been in the entertainment industry for over ten years. She started her career as a commercial assistant at the agency Generación de Ideas, then for more than seven years she was the marketing coordinator at Ozono Producciones for shows such as Fuerza Bruta, Violetta, SOY LUNA, Aladdin and Peter Pan. For the last year and a half, she has been the personal and tour manager of Tiago PZK with Move Concerts and under the supervision of Phil Rodriguez.


IQ: You say you are a professional event organiser – can you talk about some of the events that you started out working on, and how that helped you get a foot in the door with your first job?
AC
: My career as a professional event organiser opened the door to the idea of studying something else that complements the organising of an event. I was very interested in how to sell events and so I decided to study marketing and oriented it to shows.

The first shows I worked with [when I began in marketing] were with the agency GDI; Ivette Sangalo, Joss Stone, Radio Disney Vivo, among others. They [taught] me that you should not take anything for granted; that you have to lose the fear of asking questions and making a fool of yourself and that above all, you have to have confidence in yourself and be more fair. What do I mean? To not judge yourself so much because life is hard enough [without] punishing us if we don’t know how to do something. Thanks to my first job, I understood the power of all these things.

“A while ago, somebody wrote to me via Instagram to offer to send me fried chicken!”

At Ozono, it sounds like you had a fun job in the family entertainment side of the business, which must have involved trying to sell shows to people of all ages. What’s the biggest lesson you took from working in that sector that helps you with your new job?
I learned the power of using the digital tools we have at our disposal to understand how different audiences consume, what they are looking for, what to offer them, and how to do it.

The biggest lesson that applies today is that you have to be sensitive to the consumer, and I think that’s what makes them come back to choose to see a show, which is not only buying the ticket but the whole experience. It’s how they are treated when they arrive at the venue, from the moment they are in their seats, how the show goes on, how it ends, and how that person leaves the venue in an orderly way. It’s essential to know that if that person has any inconvenience, the solution is always to listen and give an answer, no matter how small, even if it is not the final answer. I think it is essential to let the other person know that you are concerned and that in this way they take a pleasant memory of the show [home with them] in spite of everything.

Being the manager of such a rising star as Tiago PZK must be a rollercoaster ride. Can you tell us about any of the crazy deals that you’ve turned down on behalf of your artist? (without naming any names or brands, obviously…)
A while ago, somebody wrote to me via Instagram to offer to send me fried chicken! Although we like it, we prefer baked chicken. It was very nice and funny because I really thought he was offering it to me! Hahaha! But yes, day by day we receive proposals of different kinds, from brands looking to generate a commercial agreement to developers who want to send their products as a gift, many times without expecting anything in return. But, of course, in my position I try to review what things to accept and then I discuss them internally with my team. Tiago in that way is very independent and if he likes something, he accepts it, and thanks you. It’s very natural.

“I must confess I owe almost 100% of my professional success to my first boss at Ozono Producciones, Jimena Montaña”

Tiago PZK’s tour involves arenas in Latin America, right down to clubs in London – how difficult is it to manage the expectations of an artist as you try to break into new markets?
In my case, I feel that the difficulty lies in taking a minute in the whirlwind to be able to empathetically transmit to the artist that [in order] to play in arenas, it is often necessary to first play in clubs and that playing in front of 10,000 people or 500 is just as important.

Tiago is a young artist, so [because of the pandemic] he had never before had the chance to perform live. Like all young people, he [puts a lot of pressure on himself.] Many times we talk about the importance of giving the same relevance to all types of show regardless of the numbers, and he understands this [and] gives the best show possible date after date.

Do you have a mentor or someone you rely on to turn to for advice?
Throughout my career, I have met many people who have been indispensable to my success so far. My first boss at Ozono Producciones, Jimena Montaña, to whom I must confess I owe almost 100% of my professional success, has been an inspiration to me, along with Monica Bega, who also shared a couple of years with me at Ozono.

Also my brothers, who are part of the industry, have been mentors, and I trust blindly in their opinions. I ask for their opinions [when facing the] challenges that my role poses daily.

“I got into this industry because I saw [my brothers] working in it”

Is anyone else in your family involved in music – or do they all think you are crazy for your choice of career?
Yes! Two of my four brothers are producers! In fact, I got into this industry because I saw them working in it. My twin brother, Ezequiel, was an indispensable actor in the push to make the decision to dedicate myself to this. And Leandro was the one who started this “legacy” that we are building today and who has also inspired us a lot.

At home, my father loved music, so it is no coincidence that we all chose to take this path, art in its various forms was always encouraged, and I think that was largely what made us who we are today.

We’ve all just been through an unprecedented couple of years but you actually switched roles during the pandemic. Tell us a bit about your Covid experience – what you were up to and how your ended up at Move Concerts?
At the end of 2019, while working at Ozono, I was advising a musician friend about the order of his career (records, singles release schedule, communication management, press, etc) and I felt that it was something that I liked and that generated me a lot of curiosity.

During 2020, the industry was totally slowed down and as the months went by I began to feel that I needed a change. While I continued advising my friend, I was adding different advisories from other emerging artists, just for fun. During September of 2020, my father, José, passed away from Covid and that was the trigger to take the courage to resign from Ozono [and leave] marketing.

“Tiago’s passion and his genuine way of being caught my attention”

[They contacted me] from Move Concerts, as I had provided marketing services for them in 2014. It was a matter of weeks before we sat down to talk with Enrique Battilana who told me about Tiago and trusted me to be part of the team. Flow de barrio had just come out and Tiago’s passion and his genuine way of being caught my attention. I agreed to join the project. The magic happened and since then we have released a movie, an album, and we have put on more than 16 live performances as part of #PortalesTour.

What has been your biggest career highlight to date?
A month ago, Phil Rodriguez presented me with the opportunity to go on tour with Tiago in the role of tour manager and although I consider myself organised, [the thought of] going on tour with 17 men was a challenge for me. I decided to accept the proposal and commit to doing my best whilst making it clear that it was a totally new position for me. Phil trusted me.

We have already played 15 dates and it has been the best decision of my life. I really enjoy every show, every new trip, every new experience, getting to know places and people, and cultures and audiences that totally different. I think my biggest achievement has been not letting myself be carried away by the uncertainty and being brave enough to dare to do something totally new for me, to get out of my comfort zone.

“[Taking on the role of tour manager for Tiago] has been the best decision of my life”

As a new boss, what one thing would you change to make the live entertainment industry a better place?
I would propose that all companies give the opportunity to new talents, to inexperienced but hungry people, young people who perhaps have not yet had an opportunity. I would trust in the power that the freshness and innocence of these young people has to contribute to this industry and I would be patient with them. I would give them tools and encourage them not to be afraid of the difficulties that this medium presents us with. And at the same time, I would like to see more women in technical production roles and areas that perhaps are not so common, I think it would enrich [the industry] a lot.

Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
I can hardly say where I see myself tomorrow! If you asked me five years ago where I saw myself, I can guarantee it wasn’t here! But life is full of surprises, and I think this industry is a constant journey; you never know where it will take you but it always ends up being fun if you put love into what you do.

I hope to keep growing hand in hand with entertainment; always keep the power of surprise, that nothing becomes a habit but that every day I learn something new; and to continue developing this passion I have for management and promoting the careers of other artists besides Tiago who have a great future and I hope to be part of it.

 


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.