Creator of Rock in Rio comes to São Paulo with ‘The Town’ festival

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The creator of Rock in Rio, Roberto Medina, will mark the entertainment market in São Paulo for the first time. The entrepreneur announced this Friday, July 16, “The Town”, a five-day festival that aims to match the musical power of the Rio event, but with a Paulistano atmosphere: sets and parallel artistic performances that go through different moments of the city, from the 1950s to today.

The event will have its first edition in September 2023 at the Interlagos racetrack and be repeated in odd-numbered years. With Rock in Rio taking place next year, and subsequently always in even-numbered years, Rock World, the company that owns the projects, will have at least one major festival per year in the country and, in Medina’s words, the two biggest products on the market, including the international market.

Until now, unofficial information had indicated that Medina’s push in São Paulo would be under the Rock in Rio brand, which has regular editions in Lisbon and has been to cities like Madrid and Las Vegas. But he says that São Paulo deserves its own project because it is a “country within a country” with its own identity. He also jokingly adds that the Cariocas wouldn’t forgive him if he brought Rock in Rio to São Paulo.

“That couldn’t happen. In Brazil, Rock in Rio only exists in Rio. There is a parochialism of the Cariocas, they would kill me if I brought the festival to São Paulo. Abroad it’s something else, it’s seen as an extension. But there’s no way the Cariocas would accept it,” he says. He also sees space and need for the newcomer in São Paulo. “Lolla [Lollapalooza] is more of a niche festival that focuses on something more indie, something completely different from what The Town will be, which is more expansive in terms of music.”

In terms of format, however, The Town will be similar to the current Rock in Rio. There will be six different outdoor stages with simultaneous shows in a space whose scenography is inspired by the city.

A model of the project identifies historic buildings, such as the Sé Cathedral and the Luz train station. According to Medina, another area will refer to São Paulo’s industrial spaces, referencing rap and hip-hop. Another area will feature big bands and extras in 1950s costumes.

Medina said that the lease for the first edition and two more, in 2025 and 2027, was signed this Friday afternoon with Mayor Ricardo Nunes (MDB). Rock World, the company that owns Rock in Rio and now The Town, will rent the space, but the municipality will have to improve the infrastructure in the space itself.

“We will rent the space. We are specifying the requirements that an event must have to host other events of this magnitude properly. This will make the area very profitable for them,” Medina says. In line with Rock in Rio, The Town should host 105,000 people per day.

Rock World’s initial investment in the new festival will be R$240 million, from its own capital, advance ticket sales, and sponsorship revenue. “It’s the same thing we’re doing with Rock in Rio. There is capital that is leveraged, we create the structure, light the flame, and the event pays for itself,” Medina says.

The idea is to repeat the recipe of the festival that made it famous, with the sale of a small number of tickets that sell out in a few hours and serve as a taste of success for the public and sponsors. Among the latter, preference will be given to the brands with quotas at Rock in Rio, where there are six main sponsors and seventy other satellite brands. “We expect a much easier prospecting process in São Paulo. It’s a bigger economy [than Rio de Janeiro], and we will arrive in Rio with the Rock brand,” he explains.

In terms of returns to the São Paulo economy, he estimates a return of R$1.2 billion in economic activity and the creation of 20,000 jobs. These figures were calculated by the Getúlio Vargas Foundation (FGV) based on the experience of Rock in Rio, which in its last editions turned over about R$1.7 billion and employed 28,000 people.

Today, Medina has a 40% stake in Rock World but remains president and creative head of the festivals. The remaining 60% is held by the American production company Live Nation. Live Nation joined Rock in Rio in May 2018 after acquiring the 40% stake held in the company by billionaire Robert Sillerman’s SFX, also American. Live Nation then expanded its stake in the company in July 2019, buying another share, then 20%, from IMM, founded by Eike Batista but later bought by Abu Dhabi investment firm Mubadala.

There is no set price yet for tickets to The Town, but Medina estimates that they will be in line or “at most 10% more expensive” than the price at Rock in Rio, which indicates a full ticket price of about R$500. For the VIP area, however, the idea is to increase the sophistication of the services to offer prices far above those of the neighboring event.