Concert organisers in Ecuador hope to attract more international acts through a 10% tax reduction applied via the country’s new Tourism Law.

South American promoter CKConcerts believes the revised regulations will enable it to take advantage of a lower tax withholding of 15%, compared to the previous 25%, when paying foreign artists who perform in Ecuador.

CKConcerts manager Cristian Sosa, who has worked on recent shows in Ecuador by acts such as Laura Pausini, Il Divo, Julieta Venegas and Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, tells El Universo a 10% reduction in taxes “is super good and can encourage more and bigger shows”.

The firm is bringing Swedish metal band Amon Amarth to El Teferico in the capital Quito on 24 October, and Sosa notes that, at present, around $30,000 of his $150,000 budget for the show would be allocated for taxes, but that amount would be reduced to $20,000 under the new rules. Tickets cost $47 (€43) or $77 (€71) VIP.

Dfabis Producciones owner Fabián Vallejo agrees the potential tax reduction would be a “great attraction for event producers”

Despite the Tourism Law being drawn up in March, Sosa says he has thus far been unable to access the lower rate due to a lack of clarity with the authorities. However, he is now hopeful of a breakthrough after the rules were published in the Official Registry last week.

Dfabis Producciones owner Fabián Vallejo agrees the potential tax reduction would be a “great attraction for event producers”, but adds that clear rules must be in place as there are local regulations to consider in each city.

Ecuador witnessed its biggest rock gig in almost three decades last year when Roger Waters performed at the 40,000-cap Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa in Quito on 9 December 2023, presented by Move Concerts, DG Medios and Sight Concerts.

The event, which served as the finale of the Pink Floyd co-founder’s 2022/23 This Is Not a Drill Tour, was the South American nation’s biggest rock show since Bon Jovi played the venue in 1995.

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Roger Waters’ newly announced Ecuador show is set to be the biggest rock gig to hit the country in almost 30 years.

The Pink Floyd co-founder will play the 40,000-cap Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa in Quito on 9 December, presented by Move Concerts, DG Medios and Sight Concerts.

The event will be the South American nation’s biggest rock show since Bon Jovi played the venue in 1995 and is currently scheduled to serve as the finale of Waters’ 2022/23 This Is Not a Drill Tour.

Waters has also confirmed a string of “farewell” dates in Latin America as part of the tour, with concerts lined up in Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Costa Rica and Colombia.

“The farewell tour of represents a unique opportunity for Costa Rican fans to immerse themselves in an unforgettable show”

“The farewell tour of represents a unique opportunity for Costa Rican fans to immerse themselves in an unforgettable show,” says Move Concerts of the 2 December stop at Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica in San José. “It promises to be an incomparable audiovisual experience, with avant-garde visual effects, a repertoire full of hits and a message that transcends generational barriers.”

Waters’ ticket-selling pedigree in the region is long-established. He previously held the record for the number of stadium concerts in Argentina after playing nine shows at the 65,000-cap Estadio River Plate in Buenos Aires during his The Wall Live tour in March 2012, which stood for a decade until being broken by Coldplay last year.

Meanwhile, Waters, who attracted criticism for wearing a Nazi-inspired uniform at a concert in Berlin last week, is due to perform at Frankfurt Festhalle on Sunday (28 May). Frankfurt City Council and the state of Hesse had attempted to block the performance, citing allegations of “persistent anti-Israel behaviour” from Waters, who it claimed was “considered one of the most widely spread antisemites in the world”.

However, the Frankfurt administrative court has concluded that blocking the show would infringe upon Waters’ free speech rights.

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Thousands of South Americans attended illegal, non-socially distanced concerts and parties over the Easter weekend, with authorities making arrests across the continent as national governments continue to battle the coronavirus with varying degrees of success.

South America remains a hotspot for Covid-19 – with high mortality rates in Brazil, Peru, Chile and Paraguay of particular cause for concern – though the recent unlicensed live events suggest some people are beginning to chafe under ongoing restrictions on indoor gatherings.

In the town of Turuku, in Ecuador’s northern Imbabura province, local government officials, national police and the armed forces shut down an unlicensed music festival, Killary Fest, which would have been attended by an estimated 5,000 people.

Despite dismantling the stage and confiscating much of Killary Fest’s equipment, including speakers, authorities returned on the evening of Friday 2 April to “learn that, despite the warnings, the party was starting”, reports El Comercio. When they again moved to shut down the event, police and soldiers were pelted with sticks and stones by revellers.

The incident follows months of parties, concerts and other unlawful events in Ecuador, reports El Comercio.

In Punta Arenas, the southernmost city in Chile, a local election candidate is being held by police after organising a concert in a former hospital, attended by around 100 people.

Brazilian police continue to target illegal parties, which are being blamed for the surge in Covid-19 cases and deaths

In addition to not seeking permission for the event, Juan Pablo Martinez – who is standing in upcoming city council elections – failed to enforce mandatory social distancing and mask wearing at the clandestine concert, according to prosecutor Rina Blanco.

The show “endangered public health, given the number of people in close contact, and who he invited,” Blanco comments.

A music venue in Morón, near Buenos Aires in Argentina, has been shut down for 30 days after video emerged of cumbia singer Pablo Lescano playing to a non-socially distanced audience.

The event, which many have dubbed “el recital covid” (the Covid concert), was harshly criticised by the mayor of Morón, Lucas Ghi, who says organiser Vaprisana “worship[s] mischief, deception and the violation in rules” – comparing the club unfavourably to the honest businesspeople of the city, who “adhere to the norms and protocols required by the pandemic”.

Brazilian police also continue to target illegal parties, which are being blamed for the surge in Covid-19 cases and deaths in South America’s most populous country.

The most recent brought together around 100 people – half of whom were caught not wearing face masks – in the city of Sao Paolo last weekend. According to local press, the three organisers were arrested, while the venue was fined R$190,000 (€28,000).

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