Rock in Rio evolves for the future
As one of the world’s most recognisable festival names, Rock in Rio established itself as iconic from day one. IQ presents the second and final part of our deep dive into the landmark Brazilian festival, where we uncover what the future holds for the expanding event.
Catch up on the landmark event’s 40-year history here.
Good Deeds
As a platform to extol the virtues of Rio de Janeiro, Rock in Rio has been tremendously successful in helping put the city – and much of Latin America – on tour routings, meaning that in 2024, it’s unthinkable for any global act to omit the continent from tour plans.
But the remit of Rock in Rio stretches way beyond entertainment and brands, as the Medinas and their colleagues run multiple endeavours off the back of their events to improve the lives of the poor and underrepresented while also addressing environmental causes.
“This thing about music bringing people together, connected to an effective social project, is real,” states Roberto. “It’s not just about saying that we want to protect the environment or enhance education. It’s not just an idea; it’s about making it happen.”
Indeed, Rock World’s social programmes have had a real impact and continue to do so.
To date, Rock in Rio has planted 4.5m trees in the Amazon, “and we will continue planting,” says Roberto. “Rock in Rio has opened schools in the ghettos; Rock in Rio has social topics in its agenda and addresses these items because the importance of Rock in Rio in Brazil is fundamental. We use [our platform] to teach young people the fundamental things we need to do to transform as a society.”
“When we sell the Rock in Rio brand, we are also promoting Brazil and the ability of Brazilians to organise themselves and hold events”
In terms of employment and the impact on the economy, Rock in Rio’s biennial appearance in the calendar impacts the city’s economy by R$2.8bn and creates 28,000 direct jobs. “It is a good monster because it doesn’t cause any harm to society but promotes tourism and cultural activities,” opines Roberto, adding, “When we sell the Rock in Rio brand, we are also promoting Brazil and the ability of Brazilians to organise themselves and hold events. We are the biggest music event in the world: I’m proud of that. But I continue to want to do better – I’m never satisfied: I want to give more.”
And giving an insight into his psyche, he adds, “Doing good leads to profit… I don’t want to do philanthropy – I can achieve results through business, because if you do good and are transparent for your brand, you will sell more and add quality to your product. If half the world is starving, by taking a person out of poverty and bringing them to the market, you are gaining a consumer. So doing good leads to profit. We have to speak the language of capital so that it invests in social projects. This was the path I took to make gigantic projects possible here in Brazil.”
As for its unique selling point, when it comes to brands clamouring to become sponsors, Roberto’s experience in marketing shines through. “We care for the artist in a different way than we care for the brands,” he notes. “We launch a year-long campaign – it’s not something you do in a snap of the finger. It’s a chance for the brand to make itself felt over a very long period of time.”
Growth Prospects
Having cemented its place into the hearts and minds of the international live music business, Rock in Rio inevitably attracted the attention of the corporate world, and five years ago, Live Nation completed a transaction that gave it a controlling stake in the Rock World organisation.
But rather than a simple acquisition, the conglomerate’s hierarchy recognised the skills of the Brazilian workforce, with CEO Michael Rapino noting, “Roberto and his team have grown Rock in Rio to become a truly global event and the preeminent festival in the emerging live events market in South America. We look forward to integrating their industry experience into the Live Nation business.”
“I want to focus more on these markets where there is lots of opportunity to grow”
That integration is now in full swing, with Rock World this year becoming production partner for Lollapalooza Brasil, in collaboration with C3 Presents. That 22-24 March event featured the likes of Blink-182, SZA, Paramore, Sam Smith, Arcade Fire, Limp Bizkit, and local rock legends, Titãs.
Taking on the yearly Lolla expands the Rock World portfolio to four megafestivals: Rock in Rio and Rock in Rio Lisboa, which take place in the even years, and The Town – held on the same site as Lolla in São Paolo in the odd years.
As for future expansion, Roberto tells IQ, “I think expansion in Latin America is possible, but it is not in my plans because I am now focused on Lollapalooza and The Town in São Paolo, and Rock in Rio, which makes us one of the biggest festival companies in Latin America. This year, with the three events all put together, we made R$1.1bn, while we sold 2m tickets over the past two years. So I want to focus more on these [existing] markets where there is lots of opportunity to grow.”
Roberta concurs. “We’re not planning international expansion at this point, but we decided to expand to the closest market to Rio – that is São Paulo. They are both big cities, but São Paulo is very different to Rio. It’s been a conversation for a number of years to take Rock in Rio to São Paulo, but what we realised is that Rock in Rio sees 50% of our revenues coming from sponsorship and 50% from ticket sales – it’s a very different model, and we understand it’s not similar in other territories. But we can definitely grow in our own markets and become bigger in Brazil, while the new site in Lisbon allows us to concentrate on making that bigger, too.”
“Nothing will replace live music. Nothing”
Hi-tech Future
But while growth for Rock World is being driven down a more organic path, when it comes to the development of Rock in Rio, Roberto Medina’s ambition knows no bounds.
Roberta tells IQ, “He’s dreaming about the City of Rock of the future. So he’s talking about major construction plans around the City of Rock – a hotel, a theme park – it’s another level. He’s even talking about having people arrive by flying car!”
She’s not joking.
“I’m really working on having a permanent City of Rock,” confirms Roberto. “At festival time, you will have everything that happens today. However, at other times of the year, there will be stages with holograms,” he teases.
And embracing how technology can make the experience for Rock in Rio guests even more special, Roberto says, “I am taking a close look at future technology, and I’m already discussing the use of flying cars for the VIP area. And that’s just a first move!”
He concludes, “Nothing will replace live music. Nothing. Because human beings are gregarious. For instance, I have an apartment in New York with great Internet speed and a coffee machine. But I go outside to Starbucks, sit down to experience worse Internet and worse coffee. And I spend money. What kind of business is that?
The thing is, human beings are gregarious, and no technology, no matter how engaging it is, will make people not want to be together – that’s what we do at our events.”
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Rock in Rio CEO plans LatAm’s largest ents complex
Rock in Rio founder Roberto Medina has unveiled a “visionary project” to create the largest entertainment complex in Latin America.
In partnership with financial group Genial Investimentos, the Imagine scheme will transform Rio de Janeiro’s Olympic Park, home to Brazil’s iconic Rock in Rio festival since 2017 and site of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, into a leisure, sports and entertainment centre.
The complex will house at least 10 distinct areas, including the main 100,000-cap space – the largest events park in Brazil – plus Latin America’s biggest amphitheatre (cap. 40,000), capable of attracting top international acts.
“Forty years ago, we created an innovative project that came back to stay in 2011. Now, we are going even further,” says Rock World president Medina. “In addition to Rock in Rio maintaining its permanent structures, we are valuing the legacy and making the space ready for various entertainment events. We will use all of our expertise to build, together with the various levels of municipal, state and federal government, a policy that places tourism as the main vocation of this city and the country.
“What would take years to build will be done in a period of three to four years. We already have the structure of the Olympic Park practically ready to bring Imagine to life. We have to embrace entertainment as the key to boosting the city’s economy, creating jobs, bringing companies from various sectors and even more development to Rio de Janeiro.”
Other attractions will include the Rock in Rio Factory, which will take people behind the scenes of the festival, a museum in honour of the Rio 2016 Olympics and various parks, as well as a creative hub, theme park, gamer arena, skate park, ice rink, gastronomic hub and resort. It will be the stage for celebrations such as Carnival, Easter, Oktoberfest, Halloween, Christmas and New Year, as well as music, dance and sports events.
“This is a transformational project for Rio de Janeiro”
The project also includes a mobility scheme integrating all types of transportation in the city and is expected to generate an economic impact of R$9.2 billion (€1.5bn) for the Rio economy, along with more than 140,000 jobs
“This is a transformational project for Rio de Janeiro,” says Genial Investimentos CEO Rodolfo Riechert. “Genial Investimentos has been a long-time investor in Rio de Janeiro, and together with our partner Roberto Medina, we will help transform Imagine into reality.”
Rock in Rio returns to the Olympic Park over two weekends this month for its 40th anniversary edition from 13-15 & 19-22 September. Headliners will include Travis Scott, Ed Sheeran, Imagine Dragons, Katy Perry, Shawn Mendes and Avenged Sevenfold.
A special feature celebrating 40 years of the biennial festival will appear in the forthcoming issue of IQ.
Medina debuted spin-off music festival The Town last year at the Interlagos race track in São Paulo, attracting 500,000 fans over five days for acts such as Post Malone, Foo Fighters, Maroon 5 and Bruno Mars.
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Rio police investigate T4F after Swift fan death
Police in Brazil are investigating promoter Time for Fun (T4F) following the death of a Taylor Swift fan who fell ill in sweltering conditions at one of the singer’s Rio shows.
Ana Clara Benevides, 23, lost consciousness during Swift’s performance at Estádio Nilton Santos last Friday (17 November), which took place in the midst of Brazil’s record-breaking heatwave. She was rushed to hospital, where she died after suffering a reported cardiac arrest.
A spokesperson for the Civil Police Department of Rio de Janeiro says it is probing a possible “crime of endangering the life and health” of concert-goers, although the inquiry is not connected to Benevides’ death.
“Event organisers will be called to testify, and other steps are underway to investigate the facts,” reads the police’s statement, as per the Daily Mail.
Fans were reportedly prohibited from bringing their own water bottles into the venue, despite temperatures in Rio reaching 39.1°C on the day of the show, leading to criticism of the promoter, which said the ban was “a requirement made by public bodies”.
“We apologise to the people who didn’t have the best experience possible”
T4F implemented a special action plan for Swift’s remaining two Rio stadium gigs on 19-20 November, which passed off without major incident, offering free water at access points in and around the stadium and enhancing its medical provisions.
In a video posted on social media, the company’s CEO Serafim Abreu offered an apology to attendees “who didn’t have the best experience possible”.
“We know the enormous responsibility we have when organising an event of this size, which is why we spare no effort and resources to always follow the best global practices in the sector, to guarantee comfort and safety for everyone,” said Abreu, as per Brazilian publication Estadao.
“Still, we faced days of extreme heat in Rio de Janeiro, with extremely high and unprecedented thermal sensations. Yes, we recognise that we could have taken some alternative actions, in addition to all the others we have done, such as creating shaded areas in external areas, changing the times of previously scheduled shows and placing more emphasis on allowing entry with disposable water cups.
“We also understand that the entire sector needs to rethink its actions in light of this reality. We apologise to the people who didn’t have the best experience possible.”
“We understand the deep pain of this irreparable loss, we respect the family’s privacy and once again reinforce our willingness to collaborate”
Referencing Benevides’ death, he continued: “Unfortunately, for the first time in more than 40 years of operation, we have had a fatality at an event organised by Time For Fun. We are very saddened by the loss of young Ana Clara, despite the prompt care and all the efforts made by the medical teams at the event and at the hospital.
“To Ana Clara’s family, I want to express our most sincere feelings. I now publicly state our willingness to provide assistance in any way necessary, as we have already said directly to family members and to the lawyer who represents them, by telephone and in writing, since the incident.
“We understand the deep pain of this irreparable loss, we respect the family’s privacy and once again reinforce our willingness to collaborate.”
Swift will wrap up Eras‘ Brazilian leg this weekend with three T4F-presented concerts in São Paulo’s Allianz Parque from 24-26 November.
“For the shows at Allianz Parque, we follow the new position of the authorities,” added Abreu. “Flexible water bottles are allowed to enter, in addition to the disposable water cups that have always been released.”
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T4F implements action plan after Swift fan’s death
South American promoter Time for Fun (T4F) has implemented a spate of changes for Taylor Swift’s final Eras concerts in Rio de Janeiro following the death of a 23-year-old fan who fell ill while attending the singer’s show.
According to local media, Ana Clara Benevides Machado fainted during Swift’s performance at Estádio Nilton Santos on Friday in the midst of Brazil’s record-breaking heatwave. She was rushed to hospital, where she died after suffering a reported cardiac arrest.
“It’s with great sadness that we inform you about the death of Ana Clara Benevides Machado aged 23,” said T4F on social media. “Ana Clara felt unwell and was assisted by a team of emergency workers and paramedics, being taken to a medical centre at Nilton Santos Olympic Stadium so the first aid protocol could be applied.
“Given the situation, the medical team opted to transfer her to Salgado Filho Hospital. After nearly an hour of emergency assistance, she regrettably died. We send our most sincere condolences to the family and friends of Ana Clara Benevides.”
Temperatures reached 39.1 C in Rio on Friday, while Fortune reports that apparent temperature – a combination of temperature and humidity — hit 59 C that morning, the highest index ever recorded in the city.
T4F has been criticised by concert-goers and politicians in the wake of the tragedy as fans were banned from bringing their own water bottles into the venue. However, the promoter insisted yesterday that it had no say in the matter due to “a requirement made by public bodies”, and confirmed it was enforcing a special action plan for Swift’s remaining gigs on 19-20 November.
“The prohibition of bottles of water entering stadiums is a requirement made by public bodies”
“Given the forecast of an increase in the heat wave in the city of Rio de Janeiro, we inform you that we are reinforcing the special action plan carried out for the first day of the show, especially the provision of free water in the queues and at all accesses and entrances to the stadium and inside,” the firm told ticket-holders.
“New free water distribution points will be available to the public during the event. Entry to the stadium with sealed glasses of water and sealed processed food will also be permitted, with no limitation on items per person. We also emphasise that the prohibition of bottles of water entering stadiums is a requirement made by public bodies and that we do not sell drinks and food, this being a responsibility of the stadium administration.”
T4F said “about 200” extra employees would be added to the 1,230 staff already working on the dates for the last two shows, in addition to an enhanced emergency service presence.
“The medical care structure was reinforced, totalling eight available medical stations, eight ambulances and eight mobile ICUs,” it concluded.
Swift postponed her scheduled Saturday concert (20 November) to tonight as a result of the “extreme temperatures” and returned to the stage last night for her second of three nights at the 70,000-cap stadium. She will wrap up Eras‘ Brazilian leg this weekend with three concerts in São Paulo’s Allianz Parque from 24-26 November.
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Rock in Rio generates 2bn reals in economic impact
Organisers of Brazil’s Rock in Rio say the 2022 festival generated 2 billion reals (€387.4 million) in economic impact for its host city after welcoming 700,000 fans across seven days.
The 100,000-cap event was held at the Cidade do Rock (City of Rock) from 2-4 and 8-11 September, headlined by Iron Maiden, Post Malone, Justin Bieber, Guns N’ Roses, Green Day, Coldplay and Dua Lipa.
The festival attracted 420,000 people from outside Rio, plus 10,000 international visitors from 31 countries, and created 28,000 direct jobs. In the first week, hotel occupancy hit 81.84% in Rio de Janeiro, with the average number of occupied rooms in the second week peaking at 94.51% for 8-11 September.
“After three years, we could feel again the emotion of seeing the City of Rock full of fans who invade the lawns with contagious joy and with the sole purpose of being happy,” says Rock in Rio founder and president Roberto Medina.
For the first time, the event operated a shuttle service for ticket-holders, the Rock Express, which transported more than 336,000 people over the seven days of the festival, in round trips from Jardim Oceânico station and Alvorada terminal.
Due to the pandemic, it was the first Brazilian edition of Rock in Rio since 2019. With the brand’s Lisbon edition taking place in Portugal in June, this year marks the first time the Brazil and Portugal editions have been held in the same year.
“Rock in Rio 2022 was, without a doubt, a mark of a new beginning”
Organisers recently revealed they are considering launching further international editions in the United States, Chile and Dubai. Alongside Rock in Rio Lisboa, festivals have also previously been launched under the banner in Madrid, Spain and Las Vegas, US
“It is a moment of collective celebration after times of so much uncertainty and hopelessness,” adds Medina. “Rock in Rio 2022 was, without a doubt, a mark of a new beginning.”
Attention will now turn to Medina’s new 105,000-cap event The Town, which is scheduled to debut at the Interlagos race track in São Paulo, Brazil on 2-3, 7 and 9-10 September 2023.
The promoter met with São Paulo Mayor Ricardo Nunes last week for a symbolic “passage of the baton” at The Town Dome at Rock in Rio’s City of Rock.
“When I see people excited, I see that this is the real Brazil,” says Medina. “And music plays an extraordinary role in this – music unites. This is by far the biggest music project, together with Rock in Rio, and I am proud to see this dream come true once again.”
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Brazilian singer arrested after unlicensed show
A popular Brazilian singer has been arrested after playing an unlicensed, non-socially distanced concert in a school last week.
Samba star Marcelo Pires Vieira, known as Belo (‘Beautiful’), was apprehended by Brazil’s Civil Police yesterday (17 February) following the 12 February show, described by news agency EFE as a “massive concert” at a state school in Parque Uniao, a favela in the north of the city.
According to police, the show took place both without authorisation and without any preventative measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19, including mask wearing.
All Carnival events, parties and concerts are banned this year to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in Rio de Janeiro.
The show “could only have taken place with the authorisation of the head of the gang which controls drug trafficking”
In addition to the obvious breaches of coronavirus restrictions, officers suspect the concert, held on the first night of the Rio Carnival, was organised and financed by drug traffickers operating out of the favela (slum) where it took place.
Footage from the concert, filmed by both attendees and news helicopters, was broadcast on Brazilian television, showing a large crowd at the school.
Gustavo de Mello de Castro, head of the Civil Police’s drug commissariat, ordered the arrest of four people, including Belo. According to a police statement, the show “could only have taken place with the authorisation of the head of the gang which controls drug trafficking in the region,” Luiz Moura Bargosa, who is also subject to an arrest warrant.
A statement from Belo’s publicist says the singer was hired by a production company which had promised to fulfil all health and safety protocols and secure permission to hold the event.
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Rocking Rio
In Brazil, when they go to work on a tricky problem, they call it peeling descascar o abacaxi: peeling the pineapple.
But Brazil in 2016 offers a lot of the kind of pineapples that aren’t easily peeled. The former president was impeached in September amid a wide-ranging corruption enquiry; the economy is suffering a recession worse than the Great Depression; and the real–US dollar exchange rate has halved since 2012. Then there are ecological concerns, the Zika virus, and an epic struggle with economic inequality. If Brazil was only recently thought to have moved into a new era of ease and prosperity, 2016 – a fairly terrible year in just about any language – has provided a sharp correction.
For the live business, however, one negative appears to have created a positive: a reduction in international traffic, leading to a boom in domestic action.
“Brazil is going through a tough phase”
Brazil is still the number-one live market in South America and a must-visit for international stars going that way. But the weakness of the real means they’re not going that way as often as they were, even if the megastar shows – the Stones, Paul McCartney, Black Sabbath – keep on coming and keep on selling.
“Brazil is going through a tough phase,” says Phil Rodriguez of Miami-based, South America-wide Move Concerts. “Between the corruption scandals, the economy going through the worst recession since the 1930s and companies laying off workers, a certain paralysis has come into play.
“Companies are holding onto budgets until a better, more defined picture of the future comes into view. That primarily affects sponsorships, and it creates a scenario where the topline shows still do well but many mid-level shows are hurt.”
Read the rest of this feature in issue 69 of IQ Magazine.
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Montreux Jazz heads to Rio next year
Montreux Jazz Festival will expand to a third country next year with the launch of its first Brazilian edition.
Montreux Jazz Festival Rio, provisionally scheduled for March 2017, follows Montreux Jazz Festival Japan in Tokyo – the second edition of which wrapped up last week – as the second international spin-off of the long-running Swiss jazz, rock and pop festival.
Speaking to IQ, festival director Mathieu Jaton says many details – such as the festival’s exact dates, location in Rio de Janeiro and, of course, the artists – are still to be confirmed, but does reveal it will take place across three stages, run over three days and be promoted by longtime Montreux Jazz collaborator Marco Mazzola.
“Japan and Brazil are two countries with which we have had a very strong relationship for many years”
Rio-based Mazzola programmes the Swiss festival’s famous Brazilian night, and Jaton explains the decision to launch a festival in Brazil was motivated by Montreux Jazz’s pre-existing relationship with the Brazilian music scene. “Japan and Brazil are two countries with which we have had a very strong relationship for many years,” he says. “Claude [Nobs, festival founder, from whom Jaton took over following his death in 2013] booked many Brazilian musicians, beginning in the early ’70s – and the Brazilian night at the festival is a real tradition…”
Neil Young, PJ Harvey, Muse and – of course – Deep Purple, who immortalised the 1971 fire at Montreux Casino in their 1972 song ‘Smoke on the Water’, were among the headliners at the 50th Montreux Jazz Festival in June and July.
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Rock in Rio’s Lazarini joins LN in South America
Rafael Lazarini, formerly head of business development at Rock in Rio promoter Rock World, has joined Live Nation in the same capacity with responsibility for South America.
Lazarini will be based in Rio de Janeiro and report to John Hopman’s, Live Nation’s executive vice-president of business development, working to build the company’s “profile and scope in this emerging region”, says Live Nation.
“It’s a great honour to join Live Nation and help build the business in these important markets”
“It’s a great honour to join Live Nation and help build the business in these important markets,” he comments. “South Americans have proven to be avid consumers of live entertainment and the market there has been expanding faster than the global average. Ongoing improvements in infrastructure, technology and standards of living have set the stage for rapid growth in media and entertainment and Live Nation’s core event business.”
Prior to working at Rock World, Lazarini served as chief marketing officer and head of business development and Head of Business Development at IMX Sports and Entertainment, where he led a series of acquisitions and developments, including negotiations with IMG, Cirque du Soleil and AEG.
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British acts take centre stage at Rio Olympics
London artists represented the UK’s creative industries at the Olympics in Rio on Sunday, with performances from grime acts Nadia Rose (pictured), Elf kid and Logan Sama, and electronic duo Chase & Status.
Taking place on Sunday, 14 August, a London Soundtrack showcase saw the artists play live to celebrate the city’s culture, organised by the Major of London, Sadiq Khan, and curated by British Underground.
Says Khan: “I hope Elf Kid, Nadia and Logan will inspire others to make the best of what our great city has to offer and encourage the world to invest in London’s thriving cultural and creative industries.
“British Underground have been doing an excellent job exporting British music to important international showcases across the world for the last 15 years and this event in Rio demonstrates very clearly that London is open for business.”
The gig took place at British House – the official residence of Britain during the Rio Olympics.
“British Underground have been doing an excellent job exporting British music to important international showcases across the world for the last 15 years and this event in Rio demonstrates very clearly that London is open for business,” Khan says.
Elsewhere, 23 songs published by Universal Music Publishing Group have featured, or are set to feature, during the opening and closing ceremonies.
On Monday, the famed Jobim/Moraes standard The Girl From Ipanema (Garota De Ipanema) was streamed more than 40,000 times after the song soundtracked model Gisele Bundchen’s opening catwalk on Friday, when UMPG Brazil artist and songwriter Anitta also performed.
Norwegian musician Kygo will play his early 2016 single Carry Me with guest vocalist Julia Michaels during the closing ceremony on 21 August.
The show will start at 8pm BRT at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, and is part of the new Olympic Channel launch, which will be available worldwide via a mobile app and online.
“As one of the hottest music acts in the world, Kygo’s music speaks to new generations of Olympic fans,” says Mark Parkman, General Manager of the Olympic Channel.
“His performance is sure to electrify viewers around the world on Sunday night as we prepare to launch the Olympic Channel.
“Kygo and his music will be an important element of the Olympic Channel where fans will be able to continue their excitement of Rio and the Olympic Games all year long.”