How Unknown Cover Bands Won Millions From São Paulo City Hall
Politics
Key Facts
—The money. Four little-known cover bands were hired at least 73 times by São Paulo’s city hall in 15 months, for over R$2.3 million ($457,000).
—The link. All were tied to producer Fabrício Raveli, whose brother ran events at the city tourism body SPTuris.
—The comparison. One band, RockFun Legends, was paid R$45,000 ($8,900), the same fee rapper MV Bill earned at the huge Virada Cultural festival.
—The rule. A 2022 city ordinance caps such acts at R$3,500 to R$7,400 unless they are acclaimed by critics or the public.
—The probe. The city audit court, the TCM, has opened an inquiry after a councillor’s complaint; the producer did not comment.
A cluster of barely-known cover bands pulled millions of reais from São Paulo’s city hall in little over a year, a case now under investigation. It offers a rare, plain look at how public culture money can flow to the well-connected.
The story was reported by the news site Metrópoles. It found four rock cover bands, hired at least 73 times by the city in 15 months. One of the bands, Motorock BR, was created at the end of 2024.
What the cover bands were paid
Together the four collected more than 2.3 million reais, about 457 thousand US dollars. None had ever been hired by any other public body, and they performed almost exclusively at events run by one producer.
The fees stand out against the market. At a typical São Paulo rock bar, a cover band earns roughly 500 reais per musician, because supply of such groups is high and demand is low.
One band, RockFun Legends, was paid 45 thousand reais, about 8,900 US dollars, for a single show. That is the same fee the well-known rapper MV Bill received to play the city’s giant Virada Cultural festival.
Stranger still, that show was reportedly staged at five in the afternoon on an ordinary Tuesday, at a municipal cultural centre, with no prior publicity. The day, time and price are all unusual for the city’s cultural calendar.
The family connection
The common thread is producer Fabrício Raveli, who owns the events the bands played. According to the reporting, those events were funded by the culture secretariat and staged by the city tourism company, SPTuris.
SPTuris’s events manager was his brother, Rodrigo Raveli. The city says it removed him from the post after the column first exposed the relationship between the two.
How the rules were bypassed
A 2022 city ordinance sets fees for such performances between 3,500 and 7,400 reais, and requires a price survey among several musicians first. The high payments relied on an exception for artists acclaimed by critics or the public.
The audit court found that the proof of such acclaim was, in two cases, merely promotional material prepared by the contractor itself. Auditors also found no evidence the shows had been publicised, nor confirmation some had even taken place.
The case reaches beyond one producer. A separate investigation by the outlet Agência Pública found the city paid about 5.1 million reais to 14 low-audience artists since 2023, often despite unfavourable internal reviews.
For a foreign reader, the episode is a small window onto a familiar risk. When public money meets loose rules and family ties, the line between culture funding and favour can blur, which is exactly why the audit court is now looking.
Why were the cover bands paid so much?
The high fees relied on an exception in city rules for artists acclaimed by critics or the public. Auditors found that, in some cases, the only proof of such acclaim was promotional material the bands supplied themselves.
Who is being investigated?
The city audit court, the TCM, opened an inquiry into the contracts after a complaint by a city councillor. The producer at the centre of the case did not comment, and the city says it removed his brother from his events role.
Is this part of a wider problem?
It appears so. A separate investigation found São Paulo’s city hall paid about 5.1 million reais to 14 little-known artists since 2023, in several cases against unfavourable internal recommendations.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why were these little-known cover bands paid so much by São Paulo's city hall?
The high fees relied on an exception in a 2022 city ordinance for artists acclaimed by critics or the public. Auditors found that in some cases the only proof of that acclaim was promotional material prepared by the contractor itself.
Who is being investigated in this case?
The city audit court, the TCM, opened an inquiry after a complaint by a city councillor. The producer at the center of the case did not comment, and the city says it removed his brother from his events manager role at SPTuris.
Is this an isolated case or part of a wider problem?
It appears to be part of a wider problem. A separate investigation found the city paid about 5.1 million reais to 14 low-audience artists since 2023, often despite unfavourable internal reviews.
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