Spain Focus 2024 Index Page

Five Late Registrants, Four Runner-Ups & A Gold Medalist: Meet Spain’s Top 2024 Touring Artists

Spain’s live business is flourishing with its nearly 48 million inhabitants’ unbridled enthusiasm for live pushing its industry to one of its best years on record. The artists bringing the multitudes to clubs, arenas, stadiums, and green fields are led by homegrown talent, with eight of the top 10 tours, when ranked by ticket sales reported to Pollstar between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024, calling Spain their place of origin.

‘We Give Artists A Different Perspective And A Long-term Plan’: Q’s With The Team Of Live Nation Spain

For our annual Spain Focus, Pollstar reached out to the team of Live Nation Spain. Amidst a busy calendar of events, president Pino Sagliocco, head promoter Nacho Córdoba, and Chen Castaño, managing director of Planet Events found the time to respond.

‘The Volume Is Insane’: Q’s With Chris Ortiz, President, Riff Music

Riff Music is one of few independent promoters doing major business left in Spain. Headquartered in Cordoba, Andalusia, the team around co-founders Chris Ortiz and Carlos Espinosa counts 18 full time staff in the office, plus 12 working externally, mostly directly with the artists that are not just promoted, but in some cases also managed by Riff. It is this close involvement in artists live careers, coupled with vast experience of the Spanish and Latin American markets, that allows this independent business to thrive in a live entertainment world dominated by large conglomerates.

‘Spain Is A Country With A Passionate Audience’: Q’s With Neo Sala, CEO, Doctor Music

Pollstar speaks with Neo Sala, founder and CEO of Doctor Music, one of Spain’s longest-standing promoters, and the go-to company for many international blockbuster tours coming through the country. He’s always got his finger on the pulse of live, and despite the challenges this business has had to face over the years, Sala still considers himself lucky to work in it.

‘Firmly Committed To What The Public Call For’: Q’s With Carme Lanuza, Director, Palau Sant Jordi & Estadi Olímpic

Carme Lanuza works at Barcelona Serveis Municipals (BSM), which unifies the provision of municipal services in the Catalan capital, where she oversees Barcelona’s Anella Olímpica, comprising Palau Sant Jordi, Sant Jordi Club and the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, which, together, counted more than 2.1 million visitors in 2023.

‘Success For Us Is Opening Doors For Acts’: Q’s With César Andión, The Spanish Wave

Pollstar reached out to César Andión, head of The Spanish Wave talent factory of Live Nation Spain, who works with some of the country’s most promising artists. He aswered our questions having just returned from The Great Escape Festival in Birghton, UK, where Spain was this year’s focus country.

‘We Are Managing To Take Our Country’s Culture To A Global Stage’: Q’s With Juli Guiu Marquina, chair, Clipper’s Music Group

There’s hardly a country on earth that offers as many stunning outdoor locations as Spain. Clipper’s Music Group has been making good use of them for decades. The festivals in Clipper’s portfolio are one of the main reasons for the company’s continued growth. Pollstar speaks with Juli Guiu Marquina, chair of this third-generation family business, who says, “We are living a moment of significant expansion, and growth in the field of concerts and festivals at national level.”

‘It Is Crucial To Teach New Generations That Online Formats Are Not Enough’: Q’s With Manuel Saucedo, General Manager, WiZink Center Madrid

All the big acts passing through the Spanish capital of Madrid perform at WiZink Center – unless they want to book a stadium. But even that’s changed, according to the building’s GM Manuel Saucedo, who said that some artists, who could fill a stadium, choose to do multiple nights at a state-of-the art arena like WiZink Center these days.