Global Promoters Report: Portugal
The Global Promoters Report, a first-of-its-kind resource that highlights the world’s leading promoters and the 40 top markets they operate in, is now available to subscribers of IQ.
In an excerpt from the guide, IQ delves into a key stop-off on all major European tours and the Latin foothold on the doorstep of Europe: Portugal.
Come to Portugal, they say, and get the world. A key stop-off on all major European tours by the biggest international stars, it’s also the Latin foothold on the doorstep of Europe, opening this sunny corner of the continent to acts and outdoor events from Africa and South America.
It’s in Lisbon that Brazil’s mammoth Rock in Rio extravaganza found its second home, bringing the likes of Muse, Post Malone, Duran Duran, and Black Eyed Peas to the 80,000-capacity Bela Vista Parque in June. And it’s here that major promoters including Everything Is New, Ritmos E Blues, Better World, PEV Entertainment, and Música No Coração have seen a steady return to pre-pandemic numbers, thanks to a pancultural scene mingling rock, pop, and rap with afro and Latin music.
“People were eager to get out,” says Paulo Dias, general manager of UAU, who were proud of their ability to revive the stalled 2020 STOMP shows in Portugal to full houses in 2022, precisely two years after the production was mothballed when the pandemic struck. “We still had parts of the set at the theatre, kept there since 2020! At the moment, the main problem is that there are too many shows available for a market which is not so big. And with the financial crisis on the horizon, I’m afraid we won’t have enough public buying tickets for everything on offer.”
“At the moment, the main problem is that there are too many shows available for a market which is not so big”
Yet more and more people are coming to Portugal. Tourism has boomed during 2022, and immigration has helped boost the entertainment industry. “There are very new opportunities and challenges in Portugal with the amount of foreigners moving here,” says Música No Coração MD Luis Montez. “Portugal is a very safe and economic country, with beautiful weather. It’s the best for outdoor events.”
And one of the most flexible and professional, too, as Música No Coração (MNC) proved by relocating the annual Super Bock Super Rock festival from Meco beach to Lisbon’s Parque das Nações for 2022, a feat the team achieved in just 48 hours after fire regulations were put in place around the original forested site. A$AP Rocky, Foals, and C. Tangana headlined the festival, one of MNC’s proudest moments of the year alongside Now United’s four arena gigs and the MEO Sudoeste festival in Odemira, featuring Major Lazer, Rex Orange County, and Steve Aoki.
“There are amazing conditions,” says Montez of the state of the market. “Prices in Portugal are still very good, and our professionals are highly qualified. [Although] with the rise of the cost of living, we ́ve noticed that people are buying tickets closer to the show date, and due to that we are thinking about introducing payment by instalments for our music festivals.”
“Prices in Portugal are still very good, and our professionals are highly qualified”
Montez points to beachside festivals such as Rolling Loud, held at Portimão on the Algarve, as examples of events that utilise the country’s strengths to the utmost advantage, and to November’s alternative music bonanza Super Bock em Stock in Lisbon as evidence that Portugal can host some of the finest off-season, city-based showcase festivals in the world. He does highlight one particular summer drawback, however. “Touring productions need to pay special attention to the flights,” he says. “Our airports are completely full during summer.”
Beyond solid audience connection and promotion on the myriad of online platforms, Montez says festivals such as Super Bock em Stock are key to breaking through on the Portuguese grassroots scene. “To have the opportunity to play live is the best promotion for an artist,” he says. “The grassroots scene is mixing a lot of traditional sounds with electronic music. Afro, funk, and electronic indie genres are surging a lot. EDM is declining a bit because there ́s nothing very new and awesome coming up.”
Despite some pandemic talent stagnation, Montez predicts a solid future for Portugal’s globally welcoming live industry. “With the improvement of the economic situation, the market will grow,” he says, “and the charger will be the great growth of music from Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, and Brazil.”
The Global Promoters Report is published in print, digitally, and all content is also available as a year-round resource on the IQ site. The Global Promoters Report includes key summaries of the major promoters working across 40+ markets, unique interviews and editorial on key trends and developments across the global live music business.
To access all content from the current Global Promoters Report, please click here.
Rolling Loud cancels New York festival for 2023
US hip-hop franchise Rolling Loud has cancelled its New York event for 2023, citing “logistical factors beyond our control”.
The Miami-hailing festival first hosted a New York City edition in 2019. After cancelling the 2020 edition due to Covid, further Rolling Loud New York events were held in 2021 and 2022.
In the past week, at least two other 2023 festivals have been cancelled including Sweden’s Summerburst and Bulgaria’s Hills of Rock.
In a statement, Rolling Loud organisers paid homage to previous editions and reassured fans the festival would return sometime in the future.
“We saw the beginning of the King Vamp era, Travis power through his full set through the pain, Parti and Uzi reuniting on stage, Nicki, 50 Cent, and A$AP Rocky putting on iconic headlining performances in their hometown, [and] Juice WRLD’s final festival performance,” reads the statement.
“We’ll be back in New York when the time is right”
“Sadly, due to logistical factors beyond our control, Rolling Loud will not return to New York in 2023. But don’t worry, this isn’t goodbye, more like see you later. We’ll be back in New York when the time is right. In the meantime, we invite all of our New York fans to meet us in Miami 21-23 July for our biggest, best festival of the year.”
Last year’s New York edition took place at Citi Field in Queens between 23-25 September with headliners Nicki Minaj, A$AP Rocky and Future.
In 2023, Rolling Loud will return to Miami, Los Angeles and Portugal, and make its debut in Germany, the Netherlands and Thailand.
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Rolling Loud Thailand details inaugural festival
Rolling Loud Thailand has revealed more details on the inaugural festival, including the lineup, location and ticket prices.
Cardi B, Chris Brown and Travis Scott will headline Rolling Loud’s very first Asia instalment in Pattaya, on Thailand’s eastern Gulf coast.
They’ll be joined by Lil Uzi Vert, Rick Ross, Offset, DaBaby, Soulja Boy, Rae Sremmurd and more for the 13–15 April event.
Tickets are now available with weekend passes priced at THB 13,000 (€365) for general admission and THB 25,000 (€700) for VIP.
This year, Rolling Loud will also hold inaugural editions in Germany and the Netherlands
The festival’s foray into Thailand will mark its first official event in Asia after a failed attempt at venturing into Hong Kong in 2019. The Hong Kong edition was scheduled to take place in October 2019 but was cancelled due to the city’s ongoing riots and protests at the time.
Rolling Loud Hong Kong would have been headlined by Migos and Wiz Khalifa with additional performances from the likes of Playboi Carti, Smokepurpp, Ski Mask The Slump God and more.
Since launching in 2015, Rolling Loud has grown from a one-day event in Miami into the world’s largest hip-hop festival franchise, with events in the US, Canada, Europe and now Asia.
This year, the brand will also hold inaugural editions in Germany and the Netherlands. Plus, the brand will return to Los Angeles next year for the first time since 2019.
Live Nation says that “Under the leadership of its founders, Matt Zingler and Tariq Cherif, Rolling Loud has grown to become the most powerful hip-hop festival in music history.”
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Live Nation to launch Rolling Loud in Germany
Live Nation and Austrian promoter Leutgeb Entertainment Group are teaming up to bring hip-hop festival Rolling Loud to Germany next year.
The news comes shortly after Live Nation’s Mojo Concerts announced that its Dutch festival Woo Hah! would become Rolling Loud Rotterdam next year.
The Germany spin-off is to take place from 7–9 July 2023 at the Munich Exhibition Center, where Leutgeb has organised multiple concerts this year. The line-up for the Munich edition is yet to be announced.
Since launching in 2015, Rolling Loud has grown from a one-day event in Miami into the world’s largest hip-hop festival franchise, with a presence in the US, Canada, the Netherlands and Portugal.
This summer, the brand made its European debut in Portugal, which was headlined by J Cole, A$AP Rocky and Future. The Live Nation-backed inauguration, which was delayed due to the pandemic, was held on Praia Da Rocha Beach, Portimão, in the Algarve.
“Rolling Loud has grown to become the most powerful hip-hop festival in music history”
Rolling Loud also launched a Canadian edition in September at Ontario Place, Toronto, with headliners Dave, Future and Wizkid.
Later that month, the New York edition took place at Queens Citi Field, headed by Nicki Minaj, A$AP Rocky and Future.
The festival returned to its hometown of Miami for its biggest event to date, featuring Kid Cudi, Kendrick Lamar and Future.
Rolling Loud will not only plant its flag in Germany and the Netherlands in 2023, it will also make its first foray into Asia with a Thailand chapter. Plus, the brand will return to Los Angeles next year for the first time since 2019.
“Under the leadership of its founders, Matt Zingler and Tariq Cherif, Rolling Loud has grown to become the most powerful hip-hop festival in music history,” says Live Nation.
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Mojo’s Woo Hah! festival adopts new name, location
Mojo’s Woo Hah! festival will return next year under a different name and in a new location.
The Dutch hip-hop event has been renamed Rolling Loud Rotterdam, and will take place in and around Rotterdam Ahoy between 30 June and 1 July 2023 with headliners Kendrick Lamar and Travis Scott.
Woo Hah! festival was founded in 2014 by 013 and Live Nation’s Mojo, with the aim of bringing more major hip-hop acts to the Brabant region. In 2018, the event moved to its most recent site in Beekse Bergen.
For the 2022 edition, Woo Hah! joined forces with the world’s largest hip-hop festival franchise Rolling Loud, which also has a presence in the US, Canada, Portugal and soon to be Thailand.
Rolling Loud Rotterdam 2023 will reportedly host around 28 artist performances for 40,000 visitors each day.
Rotterdam Ahoy’s ability to host more attendees than the Beekse Bergen site was a big part of the draw according to Camiel Le Rutte, project manager festivals Mojo.
“First of all, there was a production problem on the Beekse Bergen site: lack of space. All festival visitors must be able to see the headliners on the main stage at the same time. That does not work with big names such as Kendrick Lamar, who sold out the Ziggo Dome twice in October. In addition, their show must meet high requirements in terms of sound, LED light, video walls and set pieces.”
Another important factor was that many of the Woo Hah! visitors came from Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Utrecht. “We see a longer future in Rotterdam. And thanks to the North Sea Jazz Festival, we are very familiar with Ahoy’s production possibilities.”
Jolanda Jansen, director of Rotterdam Ahoy, says: “In recent years, Ahoy has already proven itself as a perfect location for major events and we can’t wait to add Rolling Loud to this list. The international and culturally diverse character of this American festival fits perfectly with a city like Rotterdam.”
Rolling Loud founders Matt Zingler and Tariq Cherif add: “Our first experience with the Dutch festival audience was one to remember. We love the energy you bring when you finally get to see your favourite artists live. We are ready to show the Netherlands the next step of everything Rolling Loud has to offer at the new location at Rotterdam Ahoy.”
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Rolling Loud California to christen Hollywood Park
Rolling Loud, the world’s biggest hip-hop festival franchise, has announced details for the return of its West Coast edition.
The California event is set for 3–5 March 2023 and will be the first-ever music festival to take place at the revamped 300-acre Hollywood Park, on the ground adjacent to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
Rolling Loud – which first began as a one-day event in Miami in 2015 and has since expanded globally – established its California presence in 2017 with Rolling Loud Bay Area and Rolling Loud Southern California, which was held in San Bernardino.
The SoCal instalment then moved to Los Angeles in 2018 and 2019 before returning to San Bernardino in 2021 but organisers said the location was “too far and didn’t work for us”.
“Rolling Loud is deeply honoured to be the first-ever music festival to take place at the incredible Hollywood Park,” Rolling Loud co-founders and co-CEOs Matt Zingler and Tariq Cherif said in a statement.
“We’re pumped to return to LA and make our debut in Inglewood, such an important neighbourhood in rap history. Rolling Loud California 2023 will be an event worthy of its historic location, celebrating the undeniable influence of the West Coast on hip-hop and featuring some of the hottest rappers in the game. Stay tuned for our biggest and best California festival yet!”
“We’re pumped to return to LA and make our debut in Inglewood, such an important neighbourhood in rap history”
Jason Gannon, managing director, SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park, adds: “As the world’s largest hip-hop festival, Rolling Loud will bring fans from around the globe to our Inglewood community. Hollywood Park’s 300-acres lends itself to hosting a variety of large-scale events. With Rolling Loud as our first music festival, we will further showcase Hollywood Park as a global stage and multifaceted entertainment destination.”
Since launching in 2015, Rolling Loud has expanded from its flagship Miami festival to launch in cities including Los Angeles, New York and Sydney.
Earlier this summer, Rolling Loud made its European debut in Portugal. Headlined by J Cole, A$AP Rocky and Future, the Live Nation-backed event was held on Praia Da Rocha Beach, Portimão, in the Algarve. The Portuguese spin-off was originally set for the summer of 2020 before being called off due to the pandemic.
In addition, Rolling Loud is expanding to Canada for the first time with headliners Dave, Future and Wizkid at Ontario Place, Toronto from 9-11 September. Its New York edition, meanwhile, is lined up for Queens Citi Field from 23–25 September, headed by Nicki Minaj, A$AP Rocky and Future.
Alongside its sister events, the brand also joined forces with the Netherlands’ Woo Hah! hip-hop festival to launch Woo Hah! x Rolling Loud at Beekse Bergen in Hilvarenbeek. Held from 1–3 July, acts included J Cole, Future, Dave and Roddy Ricch.
Most recently, the franchise announced that it would plant its flag in Thailand next year, though no further details have been announced.
The flagship event in Miami took place in July with acts including Kendrick Lamar, Future and Playboy Carti.
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Rolling Loud heading to Thailand in 2023
Rolling Loud, the world’s biggest hip-hop festival franchise, will plant its flag in Thailand next year.
The expansion was announced via Rolling Loud’s Twitter account on Tuesday (26 July), with a caption reading: “Rolling Loud Thailand. See you 2023”. Details on the festival’s lineup, location, dates and tickets are yet to be announced.
The festival’s foray into Thailand will mark its first official event in Asia after a failed attempt at venturing into Hong Kong in 2019. The Hong Kong edition was scheduled to take place in October 2019 but was cancelled due to the city’s ongoing riots and protests at the time.
Rolling Loud Hong Kong would have been headlined by Migos and Wiz Khalifa with additional performances from the likes of Playboi Carti, Smokepurpp, Ski Mask The Slump God and more.
The festival’s foray into Thailand will mark its first official event in Asia
Founded in 2015, Rolling Loud has previously expanded from its flagship Miami festival to launch in cities including Los Angeles, New York and Sydney.
Earlier this month, Rolling Loud made its European debut in Portugal. Headlined by J Cole, A$AP Rocky and Future, the Live Nation-backed event was held on Praia Da Rocha Beach, Portimão, in the Algarve. The Portuguese spin-off was originally set for the summer of 2020 before being called off due to the pandemic.
In addition, Rolling Loud is expanding to Canada for the first time with headliners Dave, Future and Wizkid at Ontario Place, Toronto from 9-11 September. Its New York edition, meanwhile, is lined up for Queens Citi Field from 23–25 September, headed by Nicki Minaj, A$AP Rocky and Future.
Alongside its sister events, the brand also joined forces with the Netherlands’ Woo Hah! hip-hop festival to launch Woo Hah! x Rolling Loud at Beekse Bergen in Hilvarenbeek. Held from 1–3 July, acts included J Cole, Future, Dave and Roddy Ricch.
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Kanye West cancels Rolling Loud Miami headline set
Kanye West has cancelled his Rolling Loud Miami headline set just days before it was due to have taken place.
The rapper, aka Ye, was scheduled to top the bill on the hip-hop festival’s opening night this Friday (22 July). He will be replaced by Kid Cudi, Future and Kendrick Lamar will also headline the 22-24 July event at Hard Rock Stadium.
West also pulled out of headlining Coachella 2022 at two weeks’ notice earlier this year.
“We were looking forward to Ye headlining Rolling Loud Miami 2022,” says a statement by Rolling Loud co-founders Tariq Cherif and Matt Zingler. “We spent months working with him and his team on the performance. Unfortunately, Ye has decided that he will no longer be performing.
“This is the first time a headliner has ever pulled off our show and though we don’t take it lightly, we wish him the best. We look forward to welcoming Kid Cudi as a headliner in Miami and we can’t wait to see what he has in store.”
Last week it was revealed West is being sued by LA-based production company Phantom Labs, which is allegedly owed $7.1 million by the 45-year-old for unpaid work between June 2021 and March 2022.
Rolling Loud made its European debut in Portugal earlier this month
The world’s biggest hip-hop festival, Rolling Loud made its European debut in Portugal earlier this month. Headlined by J Cole, A$AP Rocky and Future, the Live Nation-backed event was held on Praia Da Rocha Beach, Portimão, in the Algarve. The Portuguese spin-off was originally set for the summer of 2020 before being called off due to the pandemic.
Founded in 2015 , Rolling Loud has previously expanded from its flagship Miami festival to launch in the Bay Area, Los Angeles and New York, as well as Sydney, Australia. A proposed Hong Kong spin-off was cancelled in 2019.
The brand also joined forces with the Netherlands’ Woo Hah! hip-hop festival to launch Woo Hah! x Rolling Loud at Beekse Bergen in Hilvarenbeek. Held from 1-3 July, acts included J Cole, Future, Dave and Roddy Ricch.
In addition, Rolling Loud is expanding to Canada for the first time with headliners Dave, Future and Wizkid at Ontario Place, Toronto from 9-11 September. Its New York edition, meanwhile, is lined up for Queens Citi Field from 23-25 September, headed by Nicki Minaj, A$AP Rocky and Future.
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Travis Scott sued over Rolling Loud ‘stampede’
Travis Scott is being sued following an alleged stampede during his performance at the Rolling Loud festival in Miami.
According to documents obtained by Rolling Stone, an amended complaint was filed by Marchelle Love – who first sued various parties involved in the event in 2020 – who says she suffered permanent “severe injuries” as a result of the May 2019 incident.
The report notes that Scott, who was one of the headliners of the festival at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, was told by police to curtail his show “due to the crowd becoming dangerous and uncontrollable”. But despite complying, it is claimed he “continued to verbally and physically incite the crowd to engage in a mosh pit and other hazardous activities”, causing “multiple stampedes”.
“Despite the fact that Travis Scott was aware of and could clearly see concertgoers being injured, suffocating, losing consciousness, fighting and being trampled, he continued his performance while authorities were forced to attempt to render aid to these injured concertgoers,” reads the complaint.
The lawsuit, which also names Sequel Tour Solutions, LLC and SLS Consulting, LLC as defendants, accuses Scott of negligence and is seeking a jury trial and damages.
“This is another blatant, cynical attempt to attack Travis”
Scott is already being sued alongside Live Nation and others in relation last November’s Astroworld tragedy, in which 10 people died. Almost 5,000 people have claimed they were injured during Scott’s headline set at the 50,000-cap festival in Houston, Texas. He denies all allegations against him.
A representative for the rapper dismissed the Rolling Loud complaint as “another blatant, cynical attempt to attack Travis, in this instance for a three-year-old incident that is deliberately misrepresented”.
“As even the complaint makes clear, this incident was related to a false report of a shooting mid-show, completely unrelated to Travis’s performance. The video shows police were informing Travis that the show was stopped for that reason – because of the false report – and he fully cooperated”.
“This cheap opportunism is based on a blatant lie that’s easy to detect”, the rep added. “And it is particularly telling that this plaintiff’s lawyer didn’t even assert a claim against Travis when he originally filed the complaint on behalf of his client more than two years ago or in four prior versions of that complaint”.
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Woo Hah! Festival joins forces with Rolling Loud
The Netherlands’ Woo Hah! hip-hop festival has joined forces with US festival organiser Rolling Loud.
According to Entertainment Business, Woo Hah! x Rolling Loud is set to take place from 1-3 July 2022 at Beekse Bergen in Hilvarenbeek. Line-up details will be announced soon.
Launched in 2014, Woo Hah! has attracted major international acts such as J. Cole, A$AP Rocky, Stormzy and Tyler, The Creator.
We are always looking for how we can push the whole thing to a new level
“Over the past eight years, Woo Hah! has grown from a small festival to one of the largest players of its kind on the European market,” says festival director Ruud Lemmen. “We are super-proud of what we have built and are always looking for how we can push the whole thing to a new level.
“For the 20220 edition, we are starting a collaboration with Rolling Loud. This brand, in turn, is a leader in the American market with festivals in Miami, New York and Los Angeles. Together, we will ensure an unforgettable festival summer for hip-hop lovers across Europe this summer.”
Woo Hah! Festival was founded by 013 and Mojo with the aim of bringing more major hip-hop acts to the Brabant region. In 2018, the event moved to its current site in Beekse Bergen.
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