ALMA launches second site for 2024 edition
The ALMA festival concert series will take place in two major Spanish cities for the first time in 2024.
Between 2013 and 2022, the outdoor concert series took place in the Jardins Pedralbes of Barcelona under the name Festival Jardins Pedralbes, before it moved location to Poble Espanyol in 2013 and was renamed.
Next year’s event adds Parque Enrique Tierno Galván in Madrid as a second city from 30 May to 17 June, with artists including Deep Purple, Jamie Cullum, Valeria Castro and Vetusta Morla confirmed.
“ALMA has become one of the great musical events in the Catalan capital”
The Barcelona line up, scheduled from 25 June to 17 July, has announced performances from Queens of the Stone Age, Take That, Jamie Cullum, James Blunt, Hozier and Glen Hansard.
Organisers say: “The festival brings together renowned national and international artists to offer a unique musical experience in a spectacular setting. With a careful and eclectic programme, ALMA has become one of the great musical events in the Catalan capital.”
The festival series is promoted by Barcelona-based Concert Studio, which also books artists including Ruth Lorenzo, Bad Boy, Ana Belen, Paco Ibáñez and Carla Bruni.
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Mad Cool expands to four days for 2024
Spanish festival Mad Cool is expanding to four days for the 2024 instalment, organisers have announced.
Next year’s edition will take place between 10 and 13 July 2024 at Iberdrola Music, a new arts area located in Madrid city centre.
It will mark Mad Cool’s second event at the Villaverde District site after the festival successfully relocated earlier this year.
With 185,000 square metres and the capacity to host more than 100,000 people, Iberdrola Music has been touted as the largest sustainable space in Europe dedicated to leisure and culture.
It will mark Mad Cool’s second event at the site in the capital’s Villaverde District
Mad Cool 2023 saw acts including The Black Keys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lizzo and Mumford and Sons christen the new site.
While last year’s offering was a three-day affair, the 2022 edition took place across five days in celebration of Mad Cool’s fifth anniversary.
Both the 2020 and 2021 editions of Mad Cool were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Wizink Center’s music marathon to mark 1,000 shows
Madrid’s Wizink Center is to celebrate its 1,000th show with a 1,000-minute macro-concert featuring rising talent from across Spain.
A total of 317 emerging acts – 75% of them from Madrid – have signed up for the chance to perform on stage at the 17,456-cap venue for The 1,000 of the Wizink Center – a 16 hour, six minute music marathon on 24-25 October.
The successful 100 entrants will be revealed on 16 October, with 100 performances by the chosen bands to take place uninterruptedly, interspersed with musical performances by already established groups.
The event will serve as a celebration of the 1,000 concerts held at the WiZink Center since the venue was reopened in 2005, Its 1,000th concert, headlined by Spanish singer Raphael, will take place on December 16.
Upcoming shows at the venue include Greta Van Fleet, Jason Derulo, The 1975, IDLES, Depeche Mode and Niall Horan
Pop group Miss Caffeina will be in charge of opening this musical marathon on 24 October at 7pm, with Spanish band Marlon to close it on 25 October 25.
Upcoming shows at the venue include Greta Van Fleet, Jason Derulo, The 1975, IDLES, Depeche Mode and Niall Horan.
In the spring, Wizink Center opened new 1,000-cap concert lounge La Sala inside the complex. which is located at the same level as the main floor of the arena.
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The New Bosses 2023: Dani Lopez, Live Nation
The 16th edition of IQ Magazine’s New Bosses was published in IQ 121 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 2023’s New Bosses, discovering their greatest inspirations and pinpointing the reasons for their success.
Catch up on the previous interview with Chloe Pean, promoter at AEG Presents in the UK. The series continues with Dani Lopez, promoter at Live Nation.
Madrid-born, Dani Lopez started working in Live Nation Spain after finishing an MA in live entertainment business at Universidad Europea de Madrid. Starting off as a promoter assistant in 2018, Dani was quickly upped to promoter in 2019 and joined the MC Festival booking team in 2021 after finishing his MBA.
Dani’s expertise spans various musical genres, from K-pop to Latin music. He has worked closely with notable Spanish artists such as Rels B, Beret, and Hombres G, striking arena deals with them.
You studied live entertainment business at university – was this one of the Live Nation courses? And if so, how did it help prepare you for starting work in the business?
Yes, it was the first version of the Live Nation MA. I think the most important part of the program is the 360º approach. They show how the music business works from different angles, which helped me understand the business and gave me an overall vision of how this industry works. As a promoter, understanding the job and responsibilities of all the roles involved in a tour is crucial. When you are 20 years old and have almost no background in the music industry, programmes like the LN MA give you an extraordinary advantage to pursue your music business career.
Is anyone else in your family involved in the entertainment business? If not, why did you choose this career path, and how did you find out about jobs like promoters and agents?
No, my parents came from entirely different industries. Music has always been around my entire life. I studied for many years in the conservatory, then played in bands with my friends and touring a few years as a sound engineer in my early 20s. But, the main reason for pursuing a promoting career was not being able to see the bands I loved when I was a teenager in my city. It all started with the romantic dream of booking all the bands I listened to and wanted to see in my hometown.
“Live shows are the best way to determine if you believe in an artist or not”
How do you discover new talent? Are there any venues/radio stations/streaming sites or other platforms you use to find new acts?
I spend a lot of time listening to new acts and scrolling around playlists. Streaming radio has also been an incredible tool for discovering new talent. But live shows are the best way to determine if you believe in an artist or not. I get input from seeing the support bands on our tours and attending conferences and festivals like The Great Escape.
And what about meeting new contacts in the business – are there any conferences, festivals or other events that you have attended that have been useful for networking?
As a young promoter, conferences were crucial to making connections and meeting in person all the agents you mail non-stop during the year. IFF, ILMC and The Great Escape are a must for me.
Are there any particular events or tours you are looking forward to this year or next?
Gracie Abrams. She is my most streamed artist of the year—something special about that album.
Do you have a mentor or people you can trust to bounce ideas off?
Nacho Cordoba. He is one of the best promoters in the business, and working with a boss who trusts you, listens to and respects you the way he does is something I am grateful for.
What’s your favourite venue to see new artists in?
It depends on the music genre. But, overall, I would pick Razzmatazz in Barcelona. They have three rooms, and you can see shows from 200 to 2,100 capacity.
And what about your favourite venue for established acts?
Club level, it would be La Riviera. It’s a very special venue for me. I have countless memories from my childhood of seeing shows there, and now I am lucky enough to promote shows there constantly. Arena level, Wizink Center, one of the best arenas in Europe.
“Burnouts and breakdowns from the workload and stress have become more frequent…we need to set up boundaries”
As a new boss, what one thing would you change to make the live entertainment industry a better place?
Work-life balance. This is a high-demand ecosystem with intense schedules and burnouts and breakdowns from the workload and stress have become more frequent. We need to set up boundaries and take care of each other. We are hyperconnected, and we should do better in prioritizing. Most of the time, problems are not that urgent or important. Also, the live entertainment industry must be an inclusive, representative, and equitable space for all its participants, and we all should work together to accomplish that.
What would you like to see yourself doing in five years time?
I feel comfortable with changes and challenges and hope to develop new projects and create new business models around entertainment. I think it is an exciting time to be in this business. Also, I am fascinated by how local culture reflects on our business and how that makes every market so unique and different. It would be great to be able to understand as many markets as possible and work alongside different promoters in the world.
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Primavera Sound will not return to Madrid in 2024
Primavera Sound Madrid will not take place in 2024, it has been confirmed.
The festival debuted in the Spanish capital last month, 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.
“Although the evaluation of the festival was more than satisfactory on a musical level, the expectations we had were not fulfilled and the experience of the festival-goers due to several logistical aspects was not the desired one,” says Primavera Sound Madrid director Almudena Heredero.
“Inside the Ciudad del Rock, we experienced a festival full of great musical moments, but we are not oblivious to the annoyances. And that leads us to understand that, now, the conditions are not right for Madrid to have a Primavera Sound as it deserves in 2024.”
Promoters add that the city “does not have a site able to host an event of this magnitude and format” in 2024. Primavera Sound director Alfonso Lanza elaborates on the issues with the venue, which previously hosted all three editions of the Rock in Rio Festival Madrid, in an interview with El Pais.
“It has been a first edition from which we have learned many lessons and we don’t want to ignore them for the future”
“The venue has an obvious access problem and it has also been shown that it cannot hold up against persistent rain,” he says. “Of the 40 days of pre-production, it rained 35 and that caused all the bus and car spaces to be flooded and the mobility plan was not what we originally planned.”
The 2023 instalment marked the first time the festival had been held in two different Spanish cities across two weekends. The first weekend was staged at its usual location of Parc Del Fòrum, Barcelona from 1-3 June.
The team has announced that Primavera Sound will return to Barcelona (30 May-2 June) and Porto (7-9 June) in 2024, and Lanza insists the door remains open for the festival to return to Madrid in the future.
“We will continue to study the possibility of holding a Primavera Sound in Madrid because we are maintaining a continuous and constructive dialogue with the institutions of the city,” says Lanza. “The determination to continue this relationship by all the parties involved exists, and the relationship with the city, which has existed for a long time, has only grown closer over the last few months.
“The thing is that, right now, there are no guarantees that it will be possible to organise a festival in 2024 that meets the quality standards that Primavera Sound is used to offering. It has been a first edition from which we have learned many lessons and we don’t want to ignore them for the future.”
Primavera Sound launched in Barcelona in 2001 and has expanded internationally in recent years with sister events in Los Angeles, Chile, Argentina and Brazil.
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Mad Cool celebrates stellar move to new site
The relocation of Mad Cool festival to an area just south of Madrid’s city centre has been given the thumbs up by fans and event organisers alike, with upwards of 202,000 passes counted through the gates last weekend – 65,000 on day one; 67.000 on day two; and a sold-out 70,000 on the Saturday.
Working closely with Madrid City Council and other local authorities, Mad Cool’s management team secured the use of a site in the capital’s Villaverde District where long-term plans have been unveiled to transform the neighbourhood into a cultural hub, with the aim of creating new jobs and increasing tourism to that southern part of the city. And with easily accessible public transport connections, the festival has also taken a giant step toward its sustainability targets.
This year’s festival included more than 100 acts making their way to Madrid over the 6-8 July weekend. The bill for the event included huge international names such as The Black Keys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lizzo, Mumford and Sons, Queens of the Stone Age, Ava Max, Sam Smith, The 1975, Nova Twins, Robbie Williams, Lil Nas X, Franz Ferdinand, Paolo Nutini, Rina Sawayama, Jamie XX, Primal Scream, and Machine Gun Kelly, among others, as well as a healthy mix of local stars and emerging talent.
More than 200,000 fans came to the festival over the three days, with the vast majority using public transport to travel here
With numerous international attendees, from as far afield as Australia and New Zealand, Mad Cool has also gained a reputation as a summer hub for industry professionals to meet and catch up.
Mad Cool director Javier Arnáiz comments, “Our goal has always been to create an event and space capable of hosting major music stars, where the venue and its services would be one of the festival’s headliners, and where the audience – all the audience – would feel at home. I think that in the new location in Villaverde, Madrid we have achieved that goal, and it was a bonus to see so many colleagues and friends from other countries enjoying the festival, shoulder to shoulder with the fans.”
Festival booker Cindy Castillo adds, “The move to Mad Cool’s new site was very successful. More than 200,000 fans came to the festival over the three days, with the vast majority using public transport to travel here, thanks to the location’s proximity to central Madrid. We were blessed by good weather and a strong line-up, thanks to all the booking team, and that was reflected by the enthusiasm of the fans, whose feedback about the new home for the festival has been really encouraging.”
The organisers have confirmed that Mad Cool Festival 2024 will be on the weekend of 11-13 July.
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Primavera Thursday called off on safety grounds
Primavera Sound Madrid’s first day proper has been cancelled for “safety reasons” due to adverse weather.
The Spanish festival held its opening party, headlined by Pet Shop Boys, last night (7 June) and was set to welcome acts including Blur, Halsey, New Order, Darkside, Central Cee, Loyle Carner, Le Tigre, Anderson Paak & Knxwledge, Sparks and Turnstile to the 96,000-cap Ciudad de Rock (City of Rock) in Arganda del Rey, Madrid today.
Promoters say the “persistent severe weather” of recent weeks has affected the pre-production of the festival, with heavy storms also forecast for this afternoon. And following discussions with the authorities and the recommendations of the relevant technical reports, the decision was made to call off the event.
“The Primavera Sound Madrid event on Thursday 8th June in the Ciudad del Rock of Arganda del Rey is cancelled for safety reasons, as well as the activity in the Cívitas Metropolitano scheduled for this Thursday,” says a statement. “The programme of the Auditorio Primavera (The Music Station) for the day will be maintained.
“Primavera Sound Madrid continues and will open its doors in the Ciudad del Rock in Arganda del Rey on Friday 9th and Saturday 10th June. The opening day this evening in the Cívitas Metropolitano is also continuing although, due to the rain, the opening of the doors has been delayed and finally La Paloma has not been able to perform; the rest of the concerts are still on schedule.”
Acts such as Kendrick Lamar, Depeche Mode, Rosalia and Calvin Harris are lined up for Friday and Saturday
Day tickets for Thursday 8 June will automatically be valid for Friday or Saturday. If tickets are not used on either of the two remaining days, they will be refunded automatically as soon as possible.
Kendrick Lamar, Depeche Mode, Baby Keem, Four Tet, Fred Again.., Skrillex and The Moldy Peaches are among acts lined up for tomorrow, with the likes of Rosalia, Calvin Harris, Bad Gyal, Caroline Polachek, Maneskin and St Vincent scheduled for Saturday.
Weekend tickets are priced €325.00 general admission and €545.00 VIP.
The 2023 instalment of Primavera Sound is taking place in two different Spanish cities across two weekends for the first time. The first weekend was staged at its usual location of Parc Del Fòrum, Barcelona from 1–3 June.
Following the cancellation of their set, Blur have announced they will play a free set tonight for Primavera ticket holders at 2,500-cap concert hall La Riviera in Madrid.
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Madrid’s WiZink Center to open new concert space
Madrid’s WiZink Center is to open new 1,000-cap concert lounge La Sala inside the complex next month.
The space will be located at the same level as the main floor of the 17,456-cap venue and has been made possible via a significant investment effort to soundproof it from other events held at the larger arena, as well as independent access offered by Goya Street.
Targeted at emerging artists, it can also be used for audio and video recordings, soundchecks and artist rehearsals, having been equipped – in a Spanish first – by Clair Brothers, supplier of loudspeaker products for tours by the Rolling Stones, U2, Maluma and Paul McCartney, among others. It also offers a 21 sq m LED screen at the back of the stage in addition to cutting-edge lighting.
La Sala del WiZink Center will launch on 19 May with a headline performance by Ice Nine Kills
La Sala del WiZink Center (The Room of the WiZink Center) will launch on 19 May with performances by Ice Nine Kills, Skynd, Lansdowne and Defying Decay, promoted by Doctor Music.
The Wizink Center’s main 2023 calendar, meanwhile, includes arena shows by Hans Zimmer (16 May), Maroon 5 (15 June), Feid (2 July), Romeo Santos (6-9 July), Arctic Monkeys (10-11 July), Rod Stewart (12 July), Andrea Bocelli (20-21 September), Blink-182 (3 October), Louis Tomlinson (5 October) and Greta Van Fleet (4 December).
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Primavera Sound to be livestreamed on Amazon
Amazon Music will exclusively livestream select performances from the Barcelona and Madrid editions of Primavera Sound 2023.
Fans from around the world will be able to enjoy a variety of performances, as well as interviews and behind-the-scenes content, live from Parc del Forum (Barcelona) from 1-3 June, and from Ciudad del Rock (Arganda del Rey – Madrid) from 8–10 June.
Blur, Halsey, New Order, Kendrick Lamar, Depeche Mode, Rosalía and Calvin Harris are set to headline the two 2023 editions.
This is the first weekend-long festival streaming event from Amazon Music in Europe, which also recently broadcast Dreamville festival from Raleigh, North Carolina, and will stream Stagecoach Festival live from Indio, California this weekend (28-30 April).
The free-to-watch livestream experience will be available on the Amazon Music channel on Twitch across both festivals starting from 7:30 pm CET each day.
This is the first weekend-long festival streaming event from Amazon Music in Europe
For the first weekend, live from Barcelona, viewers will have the opportunity to pick from two different channels covering a wide selection of artists from the festival, allowing those watching at home to tune in to a variety of performances across the weekend.
Commentary will be available in English, with Spanish subtitles, across both Twitch channels. All content broadcast from Primavera Sound will be free to watch across Twitch and Prime Video.
For the second weekend, live from Madrid, music fans will have the chance to tune in to more behind-the-scenes content, interviews and select performances on the Amazon Music channel on Twitch. The live show will be broadcast in Spanish, with English subtitles provided.
For those attending the festival in person, Amazon Music will also give music fans the chance to create their own Primavera Sound content. A specially-created experiential space will allow festivalgoers the opportunity to create bespoke content for their social media channels, and give them the chance to win prizes ranging from exclusive merchandise to instant VIP ticket upgrades.
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Mad Cool Sunset scrapped over RATM cancellation
Mad Cool Sunset has been called off after organisers were unable to find a “suitable” replacement for Rage Against The Machine, who recently cancelled all forthcoming dates in the UK and Europe.
Organised by the same team behind the Live Nation-backed Mad Cool festival in Spain, the one-day sister event was set to debut in Madrid on 10 September with acts including Biffy Clyro, Glass Animals, Stereophonics and Run The Jewels.
Rage Against The Machine were to be the main headliner of the inaugural event but the band recently cancelled their upcoming UK and European tour dates and festival appearances after frontman Zack de la Rocha injuring his leg on stage.
On 11 August the band shared that due to “medical guidance” de la Rocha had been advised not to proceed with performing. The tour cancellation also impacted their plans to headline Reading & Leeds last weekend, where they were replaced by The 1975.
Rage Against the Machine’s performance at Mad Cool Sunset would’ve been their first in Spain after over a decade, and one of two exclusive concerts the band were due to play in the country.
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“We understand that the cancellation of Mad Cool’s Sunset main headliner has meant disappointment and a change of plans for many of the attendees, since being part of RATM’s return, was in many cases, the reason why many of you purchased tickets,” reads a post on the festival’s Instagram page.
Ticketholders have the option to either get a refund or to trade their Sunset ticket for a three-day pass to Andalucia Big Festival in Málaga – Mad Cool’s other new sister festival.
The new 30,000-capacity festival is also scheduled for September, with acts including Muse, Jamiroquai, Years & Years, Biffy Clyro, Nova Twins, Michael Kiwanuka, Paolo Nutini, Stereophonics and Run the Jewels.
Flagship festival Mad Cool took place in Madrid between 6 and 10 July, with more than 160 acts including headliners Metallica, Florence and the Machine and Stormzy.
Director Javier Arnáiz recently spoke to IQ about how the team behind the marquee event has continued to improve its customer experience.
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