Live Nation agrees exclusive Brazil stadium deal
Live Nation has reportedly agreed an exclusive deal with São Paulo FC to run concerts at the Brazilian football club’s Morumbi Stadium.
According to The Stadium Business via Folha de S.Paulo, the agreement, which is yet to be officially confirmed, is for five years and will see the club receive R$60 million (€11.2m), plus additional commercial income.
The football giants are also said to be close to sealing a naming rights deal for the 75,000-cap venue, which has previously hosted acts such as Madonna, U2, Beyoncé, the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Bruno Mars, Coldplay and Lady Gaga.
São Paulo is also home to two other Campeonato Brasileiro Série A stadiums – Palmeiras’ Allianz Parque and Corinthians’ Neo Química Arena, but does not currently house an indoor arena.
Live Nation is partnering with Oak View Group (OVG) and GL events on the development of a brand new 20,000-capacity arena in the city, which has a population of 12.4 million. The Arena São Paulo project was announced in 2021, but its launch date remains under wraps.
“São Paulo doesn’t have an indoor arena at all, which is hard to believe”
The state-of-the-art building will host live events such as concerts, sports games, family entertainment and more. It will be located within São Paulo’s premier entertainment destination, the Anhembi District.
“São Paulo doesn’t have an indoor arena at all, which is hard to believe,” Wesley Cullen, OVG’s VP of international venue development told ILMC’s Globetrotters Guide last year. “It’s the fourth-largest city in the world and the largest in this hemisphere; the wealthiest city in Latin America. It is illogical not to have an arena – but it doesn’t even have an old one. So, it is really nice to have the opportunity to fill a void in the market and offer something new to fans and performers.”
Cullen has promised the arena will be music-forward, with no sports team initially in residence, and with sustainability at the top of the agenda.
“This will be the greatest arena in Latin America, with a design worthy of the city and location,” she said.
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Economic impact revealed for The Town debut
The debut edition of Brazil’s The Town festival generated R$1.9 billion (€356.9 million) in economic impact for the host city of São Paulo, exceeding expectations, organisers have reported.
The brainchild of Rock in Rio founder Roberto Medina, the 105,000-cap festival launched at the Interlagos race track over five days from 2-10 September, headlined by Post Malone, Foo Fighters, Maroon 5 and two nights with Bruno Mars
The event broke records by selling 350,000 tickets in less than three hours and went on to welcome more than 500,000 fans in all.
According to calculations carried out by Brazilian higher education institution and think tank Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV), which looked at the direct and indirect effects of the festival, the economic impact bettered the previously released estimate of R$1.7bn.
“The estimated numbers for The Town were already huge and now, with confirmation from FGV, we see that we have delivered even more,” says Roberto Medina, president of Rock World, the company responsible for The Town and Rock in Rio. “Moving the city’s economy in this way is fundamental. More money coming in also means more investment in each sector. This contributes to the transformation of realities. With each edition we see an increase in these numbers and if it was like this in the first edition, imagine the next ones.”
“A large number of people from outside the city of São Paulo came to watch the shows”
To calculate The Town’s economic impact, FGV worked with a methodology that includes an analysis of the direct expenses of the event’s organisation and the festival’s audience, in addition to the brands. The expenses came to around R$213m, while 23,400 jobs were created by the event.
FGV Projetos executive manager Luiz Gustavo Medeiros Barbosa says The Town has proven itself to be a “mega event”.
“It has an economic impact of around 1.9 billion reals,” he says. “This value is very considerable and the factors that lead to ensuring an impact of this magnitude are: the large expenses related to holding the event. In other words, it is an event that, due to its characteristics, its structure and its form of organisation, has a high amount of expenses for its organisation and operation.”
The festival partnered with transportation company the CCR Group, which guaranteed that the trains that provide access to the Interlagos Circuit would run 24 hours a day on festival days.
“A large number of people from outside the city of São Paulo came to watch the shows,” adds Barbosa. “With this, the economy circulates, new money enters the city, coming from other states, from other cities, which means we have a large volume. Unlike people who already live in São Paulo, these mega-events bring fans who stay in hotels, rented houses, need to go to restaurants, getting around by taxi, Uber, or public transport, increasing the economic impact.
“Finally, the city of São Paulo is able to absorb a large part of the expenses for holding the event, that is, making the economic multiplier even greater. These are the fundamental points and why these major events bring such a significant economic movement and impact on the cities’ economy.”
Last year’s 100,000-cap Rock in Rio generated 2 billion reals in economic impact for its host city after welcoming 700,000 fans across seven days.
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Brazil’s The Town sells out 500k tickets for debut
The last remaining tickets have been snapped up for the inaugural edition of Brazil’s The Town festival in São Paulo, which will welcome more than 500,000 fans over five days.
The brainchild of Rock in Rio founder Roberto Medina, the 105,000-cap festival launched last weekend at the Interlagos race track, headlined by Post Malone and Bruno Mars from 2-3 September. Other performers included Demi Lovato, Iggy Azalea and Bebe Rexha.
The event broke records by selling 350,000 tickets in less than three hours, selling out three days of the festival. And organisers have now revealed that the last date with tickets still available – tomorrow’s (7 September) show topped by Maroon 5, has now sold out, making the event’s debut a complete sellout.
“We are living history before our eyes,” says Medina, president and creator of Rock World, the company behind The Town and Rock in Rio. “Almost 40 years after the debut of Rock in Rio, in 1985, I feel again the emotion of witnessing the birth of a new festival, with all the quality, structure and scope that São Paulo deserves.
“Now, the party is complete with 500,000 people confirmed for this first edition of The Town”
“What we saw on the first weekend in Cidade da Música will be forever etched in our memory, it was a very special moment. Now, the party is complete with 500,000 people confirmed for this first edition of The Town, experiencing unforgettable days in this magical place.”
The Town wraps up this weekend with bills starring Maroon 5, The Chainsmokers, Joss Stone and Ludmilla (7 September); Foo Fighters, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Garbage and Pitty (9 September) and a second headlined by Mars, also featuring H.E.R., Kim Petras and Iza (10 September). Full-price day tickets cost 815 reals (€152).
The festival has partnered with transportation company the CCR Group, which guarantees that the trains that provide access to the Interlagos Circuit will run 24 hours a day on festival days.
From 2024, Rock World will also take over the running of Lollapalooza Brazil in partnership with C3 Presents. Both are majority owned by Live Nation.
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‘Taylor Swift Act’ tabled to fight touts in Brazil
The extraordinary worldwide demand for Taylor Swift tickets has led to calls for stiffer punishments for touting in Brazil.
Some fans were allegedly threatened with violence by touts last week while waiting in line to buy tickets in São Paulo for the Brazilian dates of the singer’s Eras Tour.
Police removed 30 suspected scalpers from the queue and made at least 10 arrests. Nevertheless, Brazilian media reports tickets are being offered for sale in-person and online at up to 10x face value.
Congresswoman Simone Marquetto’s “Taylor Swift Act” would increase the maximum sentence for ticket touting from two to four years in prison, and fines of up to 100x the original price of the tickets, which in Swift’s case range from 190 to 1,050 reals (€36 to €201).
“Fans claim that dealers purchased a large number of tickets, making it impossible for other consumers,” says Marquetto, as per The Brazilian Report. “These ticket touts’ activity deprives the less fortunate, preventing them from attending the desired show and constitutes a true crime against the public economy.”
Swift will play three nights in Rio de Janeiro at Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos from 17-19 November and a further three shows at São Paulo’s Allianz Parque from 24-26 November, promoted by Tickets for Fun. A sixth date was added after the five initial concerts sold out in 40 minutes, as more than two million people attempted to buy tickets online.
“Event promoters must take responsibility for the sale of their tickets and act to curb the actions of scalpers”
Billboard reports that Marquetto’s bill also opens up the possibility of fining promoters and sponsors that allow touting to occur.
“This crime is sometimes carried out with the consent of the promoter and even in conjunction with scalpers,” adds Marquetto’s bill. “Event promoters must take responsibility for the sale of their tickets and act to curb the actions of scalpers.”
Millions of people also recently attempted to buy tickets for the singer’s first concerts in Argentina. Swift also revealed the dates for the 2024 European leg of the Eras Tour last week. In addition, she has added three more shows at Singapore’s National Stadium from 7-9 March, bringing her total number of gigs in the country to six – matching Coldplay’s record-setting haul in the country.
The fallout from last year’s original tour presale in the United States prompted a Senate antitrust hearing and opened the floodgates for calls for ticketing reform. Last month, two Massachusetts lawmakers proposed new ticketing rules dubbed the “Taylor Swift Bill”, and New Jersey representatives Bill Pascrell and Frank Pallone introduced their updated BOSS and SWIFT Act.
Last week meanwhile, it was announced by US president Joe Biden that Live Nation and others have pledged to adopt all-in ticket pricing, which will enable fans to see the full cost of their transactions upfront.
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Summer Breeze hails successful Brazil debut
Germany’s longstanding heavy metal festival Summer Breeze was exported to South America for the first time, last weekend.
The Brazil debut, also promoted by Silverdust, took place at Memorial da América Latina in São Paulo on 28 and 29 April and drew 10,000 fans each day.
Blind Guardian, Parkway Drive, Kreator, Lamb Of God, Accept, Lord Of The Lost, Testament, Stone Temple Pilots, Skid Row, Sepultura, Stratovarius and Avanstasia were among the acts on the bill.
“An incredible week lies behind us,” says festival founder Achim Ostertag. “It was extremely exciting to see where the differences but also the similarities lie in the process of such a production.
“We are very happy with the first edition and are already looking forward to the next round in São Paulo in 2024”
“Our Brazilian colleagues on-site have done a great job! And then to experience the enthusiasm of the fans for this somewhat different, European concept of a festival was great. We are very happy with the first edition and are already looking forward to the next round in São Paulo in 2024!”
The German edition of Summer Breeze has taken place since 1997, for the first nine years in Abtsgmünd and thereafter in Dinkelsbühl (Bavaria).
Powerwolf, Megadeath, In Flames and Trivium will headline the 2023 edition of the flagship, slated for 16–19 August.
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420k tickets sold for The Town festival debut
Live Nation and Rock World have sold 420,000 tickets for the inaugural edition of Brazil’s The Town Music and Art Festival.
Organised by Rock in Rio founder Roberto Medina, the 100,000-cap festival takes place on September 2,3,7, 9, and 10 at the Interlagos race track in São Paulo, headlined by Bruno Mars (two nights), Foo Fighters, Post Malone and Maroon 5.
The event broke records by selling 350,000 tickets in less than three hours, selling out three days of the festival.
“The overwhelming success of The Town’s ticket sales is a testament to the growing demand for unique live experiences in Brazil and Latin America and proves that Sao Paulo is indeed one of the top global music destinations, and Paulistas are some of the most passionate fans,” says Rafael Lazarini, Live Nation’s SVP and head of business development.
Other acts set to perform at the festival, which will feature six stages at Cidade da Música, include Queens of the Stone Age, Garbage, Demi Lovato, Wet Leg, The Chainsmokers, Liam Payne, Iggy Azalea, Bebe Rexha, HER and Kim Petras.
“We are thrilled by the record-breaking excitement, as it highlights the city’s vibrant culture, diverse music scene”
“The festival promises to be a memorable experience for fans, and we are thrilled by the record-breaking excitement, as it highlights the city’s vibrant culture, diverse music scene, and Live Nation’s commitment to bringing unique and unforgettable live experiences to fans across the region,” adds Lazarini.
The festival’s official ticketing partner Ticketmaster launched in Brazil just under six months ago. Its operations began at the end of 2022 supporting smaller niche events, to better understand and customise the platform for the Brazilian market.
Live Nation’s expansion strategy in the market also includes the development of a 20,000 seat arena at São Paulo’s Anhembi District, in partnership with OVG and GL Events.
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Rock in Rio spin-off The Town sells out three days
Brazil’s new 105,000-cap festival The Town has sold out three days of its inaugural edition, with more than four months still to go until it debuts in São Paulo.
Organised by Rock in Rio founder Roberto Medina, the event will launch at the Interlagos race track later this year and is expected to attract around half a million people across five days.
Dates headlined by Bruno Mars (3&10 September) and Foo Fighters (9 September) have already sold out in this week’s general sale, with tickets still available for nights topped by Post Malone (2 September) and Maroon 5 (7 September). Full-price day tickets cost 815 reals (€147) and were snapped up in 72 minutes for Mars’ two shows .
“The success of the pre-sale reflects the public’s desire to live life live, for São Paulo to host an event of this magnitude and as people from São Paulo have said ‘a Rock in Rio to call your own,'” says Luis Justo, CEO of Rock World, the company behind The Town.
Other artists set to perform at the festival, which will feature six stages at the Cidade da Música venue, include Queens of the Stone Age, Garbage, Demi Lovato, Wet Leg, The Chainsmokers, Liam Payne, Iggy Azalea, Bebe Rexha, HER and Kim Petras.
The festival has also confirmed a partnership with transportation company the CCR Group, which guarantees that the trains that provide access to the Interlagos Circuit will run 24 hours a day on festival days.
“We announce this unprecedented partnership that will allow fans to arrive and leave the festival with greater peace of mind”
“The public’s experience goes far beyond what they experience in [Rock in Rio site] Cidade do Rock and, now, in Cidade da Música,” says Roberta Medina, EVP of The Town and Rock in Rio. “We care about this experience all the time and this includes, among many other details to be taken care of, when, on the day of the festival, the fan leaves the house towards the venue.
“We already addressed this concern from the beginning, when we scheduled The Town to take place on the weekend or holiday, in order to less impact the city’s traffic.
“We announce this unprecedented partnership that will allow fans to arrive and leave the festival with greater peace of mind, knowing that they will be able to rely on public transport by train for 24 hours.”
The flagship 100,000-cap Rock in Rio Brazil, meanwhile, was most recently held at the Cidade do Rock (City of Rock) from 2-4 and 8-11 September 2022, headlined by Iron Maiden, Post Malone, Justin Bieber, Guns N’ Roses, Green Day, Coldplay and Dua Lipa.
From 2024, Rock World will also take over the running of Lollapalooza Brazil in partnership with C3 Presents. Both are majority owned by Live Nation.
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Live Nation takes control of Lollapalooza Brazil
Lollapalooza Brazil will no longer be produced and promoted by South America’s leading live entertainment company T4F (Time For Fun).
T4F’s ten-year partnership with Lollapalooza Brazil came to an end after last weekend’s 2023 instalment in São Paulo, headlined by Billie Eilish, Blink 182, Tame Impala, Rosalía and Lil Nas X.
From 2024, the festival will be managed by C3 Presents (promoter of the Lollapalooza franchise) and Rock City (the company behind Rock in Rio) – both of which are majority owned by Live Nation.
According to a statement from T4F, Live Nation enlisted Rock City in a bid to centralise the operation of all its festivals in Brazil.
In addition to Rock in Rio, Rock City is also organising a new 105,000-capacity festival called The Town, set to take place in the same location as Lollapalooza Brazil this September.
“Our partnership with Lollapalooza Brazil has revolutionised the festival market in our country”
Commenting on the end of the partnership, T4F founder and CEO Fernando Alterio, says: “Our partnership with Lollapalooza Brazil has revolutionised the festival market in our country. We are very proud of the path we have travelled together and for having transformed LollaBR into a brand loved by Brazilians.
“It was a pleasure to lead this brand and contribute to its success and growth. I thank Perry Farrell, creator of the festival, Charlie Walker and Charles Attal, managers of C3 Presents, with whom we have always had a professional relationship, but also one of friendship and respect. I wish them and Lollapalooza Brazil success in this new model.
“Time For Fun will continue with an intense performance in the festival sector. In addition to its own brands, the company, which has solid credibility with the national and international market, will establish new partnerships and collaborate with the construction and consolidation of other events and brands dear to the Brazilian public.”
The Lollapalooza brand has grown to eight countries on four continents, including editions in the US, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, France, Sweden and India.
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Luiz Niemeyer on Brazil’s hottest new festival
Luiz Oscar Niemeyer, the promoter behind a number of the biggest live shows in Brazilian history, has told IQ about the evolution of his new festival Music Is The Answer.
The Brazilian veteran is renowned for organising concerts such as Paul McCartney’s 1990 concert at the Maracanã, which attracted 184,000 people, and The Rolling Stones’ historic performance to over 1.5 million people on Copacabana beach in 2006.
He is also responsible for the groundbreaking Hollywood Rock festival (1988–1993), which took place in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro and drew world-class artists including Bob Dylan, Bon Jovi and Eurythmics.
“Nothing like Hollywood Rock has happened in Rio and São Paulo since then but we had massive success with this two-city model 20 years ago so we’re repeating it with Music Is The Answer (MITA),” Niemeyer tells IQ.
Launched during the pandemic, MITA takes place in both Brazilian cities across two days at the end of May. The two-stage, daytime festival is slated to return for a second edition this year, headlined by Lana Del Rey and Florence + the Machine.
“We had massive success with this two-city model 20 years ago so we’re repeating it with MITA”
Niemeyer says the two-city model has been a crucial factor in securing artists from across the globe, as well as sponsorship deals.
“Rio is the door to Brazil – all the artists want to play it – but São Paulo is the main market and the biggest city, where all the companies are established. It’s a very important market for sponsorship and selling tickets because 20 million people live there.
“If we only did Rio, we wouldn’t have enough to offer the artists. If I offer them two cities and maybe a concert in the middle, I’ve got a nice package for them.”
Niemeyer says that MITA is the only festival offering such as package, which helps it stand out from a competitive festival market that includes Rock in Rio, Lollapalooza and Primavera.
“I would say we’re the third festival in Brazil right now… probably bigger than Primavera because we do two nights in two cities,” he explains. “Rock in Rio and Lolla are major festivals – they play for 100,000 people per night. We do have competition because our acts play those festivals but we have a different proposal. I think the artists now value what we’re doing and they want to play our festival. You can see that by the talent we managed to book.”
“I would say we’re the third festival in Brazil right now, behind Rock in Rio and Lolla”
A bigger investment in talent is one of the main changes for this year’s MITA, according to Niemeyer. While the debut edition offered five international acts – Gorillaz, Rufus du Soul, The Kooks, Two Door Cinema Club and Tom Misch – this year’s will deliver eight.
In addition to the aforementioned headliners, Haim, Flume, The Mars Volta, BadBadNotGood, Sabrina Carpenter and Jehnny Beth make up the international representation on the MITA 2023 bill.
The bigger budget is thanks, in part, to more sponsorship as well as the move to a bigger location in São Paulo – from Spark Arena (cap. 12,000) to Novo Anhangabaú (35,000).
The Rio edition, meanwhile, will once again take place at the 20,000-capacity Jockey Club as “it’s linked to the brand, image, spirit and philosophy of the festival”.
Niemeyer says that both festivals are almost sold out and that this edition will recoup losses from the debut edition, which was faced with additional challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We’re living in a very enthusiastic moment in our business”
“Last year, we had several problems,” he says. “We opened sales in late November 2021 and, in mid-December, Brazil suspended all outdoor activities because of this new variation. Also a lot of suppliers shut down over Covid and the remaining ones didn’t have the same labour force to fulfil the demands. There were several surprises for the first festival and we had to go above budget, ending up with a bigger loss than we expected.
“But now, there’s no pandemic anymore and everything’s under control. Our budget is according to new prices and we’re prepared to work with no surprises. This year, we’ll recoup losses from the first edition and from the third year on, we’re going to be very profitable.”
Though Brazil is reckoning with extraordinary exchange and interest rates, Niemeyer says business has been “booming” since the pandemic: “We’re living in a very enthusiastic moment in our business. People are eager to go out and have fun experiences. Coldplay did 10 or 11 stadium shows recently and sold out, Rock in Rio in September was a big success. Everything is doing well.”
Niemeyer is promoting MITA under his new company, Bonus Track, which was formed after he left T4F (Time for Fun), South America’s leading live entertainment company.
T4F bought Niemeyer’s company Planmusic in 2016 and later appointed him head of live music/entertainment activities on a five-year contract, which ran out during the pandemic.
In addition to launching MITA alongside local promoter Thirty Entertainment, Bonus Track manages the Teatro XP Investimentos theatre at the Jockey Club headquarters in Gávea. The company will also revive Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Canecão arena, which has been closed for 12 years.
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Foo Fighters confirmed for new Sao Paulo festival
Foo Fighters have been confirmed as the first headliner of The Town, a new 105,000-capacity festival in Sāo Paulo organised by the founder of Rock in Rio.
Initially announced in 2021, the inaugural edition of The Town will take place on 2, 3, 7, 9 and 10 September 2023 at the Interlagos race track.
The event will involve “lots of music, lots of stages and lots of entertainment, with national and international attractions during the five days of celebration,” according to The Town, Rock in Rio founder Roberto Medina.
The announcement of the first headliner in the first edition of a new festival is a moment that will live forever”
Foo Fighters will perform on The Town’s mainstage on 9 September while, elsewhere, Brazillian singer Ludmilla has been announced for the Skyline stage.
“The announcement of the first headliner in the first edition of a new festival is a moment that will live forever,” says Medina.
“Only those who lived and made the first Rock in Rio edition, in 1985, know this. In that time we announced Ozzy and Queen as the first headliners and today, in the day after Rock in Rio’s anniversary, we are pleased to announce another memorable moment by announcing such a prestigious band that, I’m sure, will give a breathtaking performance. The Town’s dream is becoming real.”
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