Music event in Spain unites Europe and Latin America to generate business – Market Intelligence

The years 2020 and 2021 were marked by the Covid-19 pandemic, which brought the world to a halt. With the advance of vaccination, the rates of contamination and deaths are showing levels of cooling and the resumption of life considered “normal” seems to be approaching — with caution, of course.

In this context, the city of Bilbao, in northern Spain, hosted the ninth edition of Bime (Bizkaia International Music Experience), from October 27th to 30th. The event in the Basque Country is a musical meeting between professionals in the area that brings important discussions in the market, presents trends and, at the same time, promotes concerts by bands from different parts of the world, especially Latin American ones, in houses in the city.

The division is made between: Bime Pro, which concentrates the lectures at Palacio Euskalduna; Bime City, which spreads artists to perform in Bilbao; and the Bime Live festival, held at Arena Bilbao, with well-known attractions in Spain, such as singers Bad Gyal and Ana Tijoux and rappers Trueno and Maikel Delacalle.

The congress has a global character, with representatives from 45 countries, according to the organization. There were around 3,500 public, in person and online, 1,450 companies and 105 conferences. With Bime City, 40 artists performed in places like Antzokia, Backroom, Stage Live, Shake, Bilborock, La Ribera and Bidebarrieta.

One of the main themes in this edition, of course, was precisely the post-pandemic resumption. The concerts and large events sector was one of the first to stop and one of the last to officially resume face-to-face activities, emphasize professionals in the area.

After a few weeks of the release of indoor events with no major capacity restrictions, although the mask is still mandatory, the shows took place.

EXCHANGE AND BUSINESS

Entrepreneurs, artists, executives from large companies, startups and many other professionals in the area exchange experiences and establish new businesses in Bilbao.

Fabio Acosta, manager of J. Balvin, and Agustín Boffi, tour manager of artists such as Rosalía, Shirley Manson, vocalist of Garbage, the Spanish singer Mala Rodríguez and the Colombians Li Saumet and Simón Mejía, of the group Bomba Estéreo, marked presence in the debates .

Mala Rodríguez was interviewed by Argentine journalist Julio Leiva and feminism was one of the main topics. “Being a professional and being a mother is very difficult and all the women here can agree with me”, said the artist. “Being a mother is a job like another. That’s a lot of tasks for a woman.”

The conversations go through streaming platforms, marketing, lives, sustainability, diversity, inclusion, ticket sales, new business models and tourism, for example.

In the startup contest, the winner was Odisei Music, with a solution for instruments and accessories, highlighting a small electronic saxophone for travel.

BRAZIL AND LATIN AMERICA

Another interesting aspect is the bridge that we want to establish between the music of Europe and Latin America — even though Brazil is a few steps behind in terms of representation.

There were no concerts by Brazilian artists, but Sebastián Piracés and Lazuli, members of the Francisco, el Hombre band, took part in one of the debates, alongside businessman Felipe González, from Difusa Fronteira, and musicians from the Barcelona group La Pegatina.

For Sebastián, Brazil is part of Latin America, but it seems not. Although they say that there is little consumption of music in Spanish in the country is because of the language, he points out that art in English is coming with force.

“It’s not because of the language, but because of a process of US imperialism that has been going on for over half a century,” he said last Thursday (28) during a debate on the process of collaborative creation between Ibero-American artists, which also brought together Spaniards Adrián Salas, Axel Didier, Rubén Sierra, from La Pegatina.

“The main barrier that I identify is the estrangement, which generates distancing [da cultura em espanhol e em português]. People have been taught not to appreciate what they don’t know. This is why they ridicule or minimize such clichéd stereotypes,” he says.

Bime’s director, Julen Martin Larrinaga, cites a certain difficulty in bringing together Brazilian names. For example, he says, there was an attempt to take the singer Anitta, but for reasons of agenda it didn’t materialize. Another barrier to be overcome is the lack of incentives from the Brazilian government and brands to support the artists.

BIME BOGOTÁ

In the effort to internationalize music, from May 4th to 7th, 2022, Bogotá will receive an edition of Bime. The Colombian capital was chosen for its strategic position on the continent — it is like a midpoint between North America and other countries in South America.

There, the increase in the representation of the speakers is one of the organization’s objectives —to have more Brazilians, blacks, indigenous people, for example.

For now, some of the confirmed names are Ruth Daniel (CEO of In Place of War), Fer Isella (musician, pianist) and Iggor Cavalera (musician).

Prices for the event have not yet been released, but a pre-order registration is available on the official website.

*The journalist traveled at the invitation of Last Tour, promoter of the event