‘Come To Brazil’: Promoters Thriving In Robust Brazilian Markets

Mexico may be the Latin American nation to steal the most headlines in any given year with its dominant showing in stadium and arena charts, but it hasn’t dethroned the king of LATAM in the overall ecosystem of the music business, which includes revenues from streaming and physical sales.

With a ginormous population surpassing 213 million, Brazil has the honor of being No. 1 in Latin America and the No. 9 music market in the world, according to a 2025 report from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. It’s one of the fastest growing markets in the music industry, and that includes live entertainment as more acts, especially legacy artists, consider South America to their routing.

Brazil is emblematic of South America’s growth, not only in the music industry but also in the global economy. The International Monetary Fund, a global organization that aims to ensure economic stability, projects Brazil to be No. 11 in the world with a gross domestic product of $2.26 trillion, a 2.4% increase over the previous year. Though growth slowed down compared with 2024 because of inflation, it still grew.

But no matter what the outlook is or what the economic trends are, Brazilian promoters always find a way to meet the demand of consumers while making the trek to South America worthwhile for artists.

“We felt that last year, things adjusted a little bit, but kept selling at least 80% of our shows, which I think is still very solid,” Jose Muniz, founder of Mercury Concerts, tells Pollstar. “We kept doing things exactly as we’ve been doing for decades, being really aggressive in marketing, combining traditional and social media and looking after our fans, providing top quality events for them.”

Mercury reported about 1.45 million tickets sold in the past year, placing them among the top 30 promoters in the world.

Another Brazilian company that showed such resilience is 30e, which launched during the pandemic and hit the ground running as soon as live music was open for business. The young promoter reported nearly 1.8 million tickets sold last year and was the top-ranked Brazilian company at No. 22 on Pollstar’s top promoters chart. 30e took a major step forward in producing System of a Down’s stadium tour in South America, taking over just about every facet of the tour and showing the industry what is possible. The nine-date trek visited major South American markets, grossing a gargantuan $51.95 million and moving nearly half a million tickets.

“The tour validated both the maturity of the South American market and 30e’s operational strength,” says Pepeu Correa, CEO of 30e. “Selling out stadiums across multiple countries requires more than demand — it requires execution and trust. South America is no longer emerging; it’s consolidated, and Brazil plays a central role in that. We see clear opportunities to expand further across the region and internationally.

“South America is already delivering results, supported by continued investment, regional integration, and long-term consistency,” he adds. “Brazil has the scale and audience to remain a global pillar of live entertainment.”

Similar to the U.S., much of Brazil’s success came from large-scale shows with the region’s abundance of soccer stadiums. Artists who play mostly arenas when touring the States can be vaulted into Brazilian stadiums and find great success, including Twenty One Pilots, who grossed $3,146,070 off 40,178 tickets at Allianz Parque in São Paulo, Brazil.

“Allianz Parque remains one of the most important venues in the region,” Correa says. “Its infrastructure and versatility enable Brazil to operate at global standards, and 2026 is shaping up to be another strong year.”

As the largest country in Latin America, Brazil very much leads the charge and sets a tone for the region with its passion for the arts. One event emblematic of the country’s evolution within the music industry is Rock in Rio, which is still rocking 41 years after debuting with a massive lineup that included Queen, Ozzy Osbourne, Iron Maiden, Rod Stewart and many more. The seven-day festival attracts about 100,000 people a day and has become the gold standard in large-scale, multi-day live music experiences.

It also established Brazil as a bona fide rock haven. Look at any social media post from any prominent band, and it’s likely that the comment, “Come to Brazil,” is among the top. Mercury Concerts has developed strong relationships with such acts over the years and worked on the South American leg of Guns N’ Roses’ tour, and they recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of its Monsters of Rock festival with Judas Priest and Scorpions as headliners.

Passion, however, can only do so much when it comes to improving infrastructure. Venues of all sizes, even stadiums, are needed to help Brazil realize its potential and compete with powerhouse markets. Companies, including Live Nation and Oak View Group, have pursued opportunities in São Paulo only to see projects stall or fall through. Promoters work with what they got and understand that they can inspire change in the way they work.

“I believe this is our company’s difference compared to others,” Muniz says. “We always go far and beyond with our tours, and the proof is the 2025/2026 Guns N’ Roses tour totaling 22 shows, being 14 across Brazil, all stadiums and some of the markets where no other international act has ever played.

“It takes a lot of planning and hard work to put together these tours and not every company wants to spend the time in such an odyssey. It takes a lot of courage to do it, trust me.”

It’s the kind of courage needed from investors to take a chance on Brazil, which should have a strong 2026 with major acts like Bad Bunny, My Chemical Romance and Iron Maiden coming to town, an indication that major stadium tours are king in the market.

“Large-scale shows performed very strongly in Brazil, while demand remained broad across genres and venue sizes,” Correa says. “Continued investment in infrastructure, professionalization and collaboration across the ecosystem will be essential to sustain growth.”