South America Focus Hub

With Mucha Pasión, Live Música Continues To Grow & Thrive

By Oscar Aréliz

There really is no way to describe the live Latin music market other than to use the words of veteran promoter Phil Rodriguez, who describes himself as an “old dog” in the live entertainment industry.

“I mean, the Latin market’s insane,” Rodrigeuz, CEO of Move Concerts, tells Pollstar. “It’s just unstoppable. That’s just a reality that’s here.”

And it certainly feels like it has established itself in the industry after decades of Latin music slowly rearing its head into the Anglocentric mainstream with crossover artists such as Ritchie Valens, Gloria Estefan, Santana, Selena, Ricky Martin and Daddy Yankee over the years bringing the culture to the center stage. However, the most recent monumental shift was in 2017 with Luis Fonsi’s megahit “Despacito” and the rise of streaming platforms, and Latin music has since snowballed into becoming a global force in all facets of the entertainment industry.

Q’s With C3’s Joe Howard: Building A South American Festival Circuit

By Ryan Borba

C3 Presents has grown from humble beginnings at Stubb’s Bar-B-Q in Austin to becoming a North American powerhouse promoter of venues and festivals of all sizes, including its mammoth annual Austin City Limits Music Festival and flagship Lollapalooza in Chicago’s Grant Park, two long-running urban festivals in major cities.

C3 has also effectively established itself as a global festival force, most notably with its now-long-running South American Lollapaloozas, which take place annually in Chile, Argentina and Brazil. Add to those two sister events in Colombia and Paraguay, along with side shows and other opportunities while on the continent, and C3 Presents has somewhat single-handedly created a major opportunity for artists eager to play for music-hungry South American fans.

Latin Music Grows & So Does The Number of Venues

By Oscar Aréliz

Routing a tour in South America isn’t easy for artists visiting from elsewhere due to the countries’ infrastructures, but most major acts, from Evanescence to Paul McCartney, still make their way to the continent, and those who work in the live industry in the region know why.

“One of the main reasons is how warm and welcoming the fans are,” Jose Muniz of Mercury Concerts tells Pollstar. “Even with the language barrier, they sing every song, up to the point that they are louder than the artist. There is no other crowd like the Latin ones.”

Q’s With Wesley Cullen, OVG’s VP of International Venue Development

By Oscar Aréliz

Oak View Group, the parent company of Pollstar, once again disrupted the live industry when it announced a partnership with Live Nation and GL Events in 2021 to develop a new 20,000-capacity arena in São Paulo, Brazil, and it doubled down on its commitment to Latin America one year later by hiring Wesley Cullen as vice president of international venue development.

Based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Cullen previously served as general manager at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico and boasts more than two decades of experience in the industry. Cullen set aside some time to chat with Pollstar to talk about the South American market and its potential, as well as the importance of venue development in the region.

From Social Media Sensation to Stadiums: Maria Becerra Set For Biggest Stage Of Her Career

By Oscar Aréliz

The rise of reggaeton, or urbano, an umbrella term for music that blends elements of trap, hip-hop, funk carioca and dembow, put Puerto Rico and Colombia in the spotlight with artists like Daddy Yankee, Bad Bunny, J Balvin and Karol G dominating airwaves and charts — and deservedly so because both territories have continuously exported well-known talent that has gone mainstream.

Songs from such artists not only impacted the world but the nations surrounding them, inspiring a new generation of singers who are evolving the genre as well as the music scene in their homeland. One example is María Becerra, one of the leading ladies of Argentina’s urbano movement who received four Latin Grammy nominations this year for Song of the Year, Best Reggaeton Performance, Best Urban Song and Best Urban Fusion/Performance.

Q’s With Daniel Hiller, CEO Of BeLive Entertainment Group

By Oscar Aréliz

When it comes to venues, the stadium is king in South America with the popularity of soccer in the continent, but the arena is on the rise in the region as investors and cities work together to develop more sites to accommodate the ever-increasing demand for live entertainment.

One building that can serve as a north star is Santiago, Chile’s Movistar Arena, which is the top-grossing South American venue with more than $94.6 million in grosses and 1.58 million tickets sold in the past year. Daniel Hiller, CEO of BeLive Entertainment group, which owns the venue, credits the arena’s infrastructure and technical features for its success and ability to draw artists from all genres. He took the time to chat with Pollstar about Movistar Arena, the Chilean market and the future of live entertainment in the country.