Why Live Nation Is Doubling Down on Latin America & How Indie Promoters Are Adjusting: ‘Surf the Wave’

This July, Live Nation announced a partnership with Cidade Center Norte to develop a new arena in São Paulo.

Projected to open by 2028, the 21,000-capacity venue is expected to be Brazil’s first purpose-built arena and the largest indoor live-entertainment venue in South America.

The deal did not arrive in a vacuum: It’s the latest piece of Live Nation’s broader strategy in Latin America, which dates back nearly a decade but has accelerated since the pandemic, to shift from partnering with existing promoters, venue operators and infrastructure companies to ownership stakes in them.

To date, publicly announced deals and projects span markets like Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Chile, the Dominican Republic and Brazil , as Live Nation seeks to capture more of the region’s growing demand for live music.

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“We’re proud of the strong promoter and venue network we have throughout the region.

Our dedicated Latin touring team works to help Latin artists reach their fans around the world.

Live Nation is committed to investing to bring more shows and world-class venues to Latin America.” One of the strategy’s earliest major steps was Live Nation’s 2018 acquisition of a majority stake in Argentina’s DF Entertainment, which co-promoted events by Coldplay, Ariana Grande and more, following years of working with the concert promoter on regional tours.

Since then, it has acquired 75% of leading Mexican concert promoter OCESA, including its Ticketmaster Mexico division; a majority stake in Colombia’s Páramo Presenta, including Bogotá’s Estéreo Picnic, Baum Festival and Knotfest Colombia; a stake in the Dominican Republic’s SD Concerts, extending its reach into the Caribbean; and a majority stake in Argentina’s Dale Play, with founder and CEO Federico Lauria continuing to lead its creative and strategic direction.

It was the OCESA deal, and Live Nation’s subsequent expansion in Mexico, that has exemplified the strategy.

“Our work at OCESA is to translate that knowledge into local operations: to have prepared venues, specialized teams and processes that allow us to receive increasingly complex productions,” Mario Villa Vera , OCESA’s operations and venues director, tells Billboard .