Live Nation “beneficial” for Portugal music industry

The entry of Live Nation into Portugal is beneficial for the music industry and, more than a threat, it should be seen as a challenge, argued the executive director of MOT – Memories of Tomorrow, promoter of the Somnii festival.

“I am not at all shocked by the entry of large multinationals and, for those who do not know, Live Nation is to music what Microsoft is to software. And it is a sign that Portugal is strategic for the industry”, Tiago Castelo Branco told Lusa news agency.

The director of MOT also argued that the world's largest producer of live events, which in 2024 acquired MEO Arena and the national company Ritmos e Blues, sees our country as a destination of excellence in music festival tourism.

“We have exceptional hotel and restaurant conditions, we have great cod, great wine, we have sunshine, we are a safe country, we have infrastructures capable of hosting major events. Therefore, a Live Nation does not come to the Portuguese market because we are beautiful, it comes because it sees the possibility of doing business”, illustrated Tiago Castelo Branco.

“If the largest multinational in the world of music sees a business opportunity, don't we also have to see that this opportunity exists? Of course,” he added.

On the other hand, Tiago Castelo Branco argued that if tourism represented 12.7% of the national wealth generated in 2023 (which corresponded to a direct and indirect contribution of 33.8 billion euros), “it would be interesting to conduct a study on how much our industry represents” in this percentage.

“And perhaps they would be astonished and that is what foreigners are betting on,” he highlighted.

Tiago Castelo Branco also said that for Andrea Bocelli’s recent concert at the Leiria municipal stadium, MOT sold tickets in 46 countries around the world.

“And why do people come to Leiria? First, they are visiting Portugal and they take advantage and see the concert. Second, it’s much cheaper to come to Portugal than to go to London, New York or Paris to see the same show. This is our opportunity”, he stressed.

As an American who moved to Portugal: Live Nation is a terrible company, and the Portuguese should be concerned. They buy up competitors, sign exclusive contracts with venues, and create a monopoly so that consumers are ultimately paying more for tickets, and high fees.

This is anything but “beneficial” for the music industry. They are harmful to both artists and consumers. This line in particular is so uniformed: "Therefore, a Live Nation does not come to the Portuguese market because we are beautiful, it comes because it sees the possibility of doing business.” No, they see the possibility of exploiting a new country.

By Adrian from Porto on 23 Jun 2025, 09:49

Like all the Portuguese propaganda this is another lie.
The vast majority of the tourism trade benefits only the very few.
The rest of us have this forced down our throats.Always they use the in the national interest card.
Whether it's the massive overdevelopment. Destruction of coastline,the infestation of short term rental properties,it's always the same excuse.
Nobody stands back and asks what are the unforeseen consequences of these short term fixes on communities and the country as a whole.

Build businesses that don't simply rely on people getting drunk and high and anti social behaviour.

The problem is too many people have their fingers in the till.

By James from Algarve on 24 Jun 2025, 09:37