The B-side of music festivals along the Costa del with more losses than gains

It would seem that nobody wants to talk about the elephant in the room on the Costa del Sol this summer: something is going wrong with live music events. It's happening in Malaga, but not only here. "It's a national tragedy," said one promoter with decades of experience. Sudden changes of location, cancellation of concerts, changes in the line-up, a lowering of the standard of artists and in many cases, fewer people buying tickets.

There are several reasons why this is happening, from too many festivals and events on at the same time, to tickets priced at over a hundred euros and high production costs. It is an unsustainable combination that translates into losses for promoters.

Last weekend was a case in point: big names including Lionel Richie and The Prodigy at Marenostrum Fuengirola, Il Divo and Will Smith at Starlite Marbella, Luis Fonsi and Pastora Soler at the 101 Music Festival in La Malagueta, the Brisa Festival at the city's Dique de Levante and Boombastic at the Málaga Forum. "You can't go to everything, you have to choose, said another professional in the sector. Especially when the average price of concert tickets, according to an analysis by SUR (not counting festivals), is 41.40 euros, with a multitude of events costing close to 100 euros.

The fear of the 'squeeze' is such that, for some events, technicians and suppliers are already asking for money in advance: if they are not paid in advance, they do not set up the stage or do not supply beers and they go to another concert, if there is one. In some cases, the supply of drinks has not been guaranteed until shortly before the start of the performance.

Behind this reality there is an accumulation of bad decisions and miscalculated ambition. "Most people think that in music you make a lot of money but it is very difficult to make money," says one promoter. There is no such thing as a 'big buck' because the costs of organising a concert are very high (stage set-up, sound, lighting, hiring staff, artist's fee...) and many risks are taken (financial, image, security...).

One example of rising costs was the income from ticket sales was not enough to mount the enormous infrastructure required for the Jennifer Lopez concert at Malaga's athletics stadium, nor to create the structure of an urban music festival at the Estepona fairground as Boombastic intended.

In both cases they wanted to go all out, but the public, for whatever reason, did not respond as expected. The most sensible thing to do to cushion the blow was to move to a venue already prepared with everything, from the most obvious, such as the stage, to the most basic, such as the toilets. In the end, Jennifer López moved to Marenostrum and Boombastic to the Málaga Forum, although not without controversy and frustration for those who had bought tickets.

The excuse given by organisers for the change of venue was "logistical reasons" and "unforeseen circumstances". Rigoberta Bandini's concert was cancelled only a week before her performance in Malaga. According to what the promoter Last Tour published on Instagram it was cancelled for "logistical reasons beyond the control of the artist, the concert promoter and Selvatic Málaga Fest". No further explanation was given. In the same way, from one day to the next, Mando Diao disappeared as headliners of Galaxy Sound.

The festival format, on the other hand, is starting to show signs of exhaustion. After a strong start last year, Galaxy Sound had no big names to attract the crowds this year because of the competition: all of the festival organisers go for the same artists that are available and the fastest or the organiser that is willing to, or in a position to offer more money wins.

The Weekend Beach festival in Torre del Mar has gone from four to three days and has considerably reduced the number of artists. Furthermore 90,000 people attended this year, according to the organisers, compared to 135,000 three years ago. Ojén has lost its title of 'indie town' with a one-day Ojeando and a more commercial musical proposal.

Brisa, with sustained growth, is one of the few festivals this summer that can boast good results, due to the right mix of a central venue and an intergenerational line-up. In the case of places like 101, Marenostrum, Starlite and Selvatic, the key lies in the ability to compensate: the concerts that sell out must cover the costs of those that do not.

Those who already have a stable structure (either as a concert venue or as a company), those who can balance their accounts with sponsorship and public aid and those who know their audience well will survive. Organising successful festivals requires experience and professionalism, a combination that is not always found in the music industry.