Murcia chooses the big stars

But returning to Murcia, the reason why these artists pass through the city of Segura is neither romantic nor mysterious. It simply responds to an economic question. This is what two of the city's great promoters consider: Carlos Peñalver, head of Ibolele Producciones, the company in charge of managing the Plaza de Toros as a concert space –Murcia On and Sala Musik–, and Alberto Vegara, promoter of Monkey Pro, which is in charge of the programming of Las Noches del Malecón, the Sala Mamba and, starting next season, will once again be in charge of the Sala REM, as well as other festivals and specific concerts in different venues in the city such as La Fica , the Artillery Barracks, the Enrique Roca Stadium and the Sports Palace. He is the one who puts a figure: «From 250,000 euros we can talk about bringing artists of the caliber of Bryan Adams to Murcia. To that we must add the rental of the venue, the services, the infrastructure…”, explains Vegara, who adds: “Brian Adams came in 2019 and Murcia was the only 'sold out' he did at the national level that year. The industry has completely changed. The promoters no longer have anything guaranteed, they work so that the artist decides to come but in the end everything is based on money. Linked to this, “the price of the ticket is set by what the artist is worth, we set it based on profitability,” says Peñalver.

«The 'break even' –balance point– depends on the price of the ticket they let you buy and the capacity you have. In a capacity of 7,000 people, like the Palacio de los Deportes, it can be around 6,200 tickets. From there, you win, but there may also be surprises and there may be unforeseen expenses that you have to assume. Therefore, the risk is very high,” says the person in charge of Monkey Pro.

Regarding the pace of ticket sales, both promoters agree that Madrid, where Karol G, after quickly selling out three concerts at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, announced a fourth date and where Aitana and Lola Índigo will perform in the coming months, is incomparable with the rest of Spanish cities. «There is a huge difference in purchase intention on the part of users. The Bernabéu is the new thing, and if you are a Real Madrid fan… stop counting!” says Vegara. However, “Murcia does have the ability to sell tickets quickly.” The promoter of Ibolele also believes this: “It took us a morning to sell all the Estopa tickets.” It was December 21, 2023 for a concert that will be held on May 25, 2024. Well over a year in advance, Dani Martín sold out seven WiZink Center in Madrid last March for a series of concerts that will be held starting on November 21, 2025. For Álvaro Urquijo, leader of Los Secretos, who will bring a new show, halfway between the musical and the concert, on April 19 and 20 at the Víctor Villegas Auditorium in Murcia, this phenomenon was common in other countries already in the 90s. «I remember that on one occasion we were in London and we saw U2 performing that week. Until we realized it was scheduled for two years later. But I think the explanation for what is happening now in Spain is different, and that is that people now listen to much more music, have more access, and concerts are almost unique occasions.

«People are having a good time. It's fashionable. You go to a soccer game and your team may lose 0-4. But 95% of the people who go to a concert leave happy,” considers Carlos Peñalver, who, with three decades in the sector, has seen this phenomenon grow gradually.

Impact

But what economic benefit do these concerts leave in Murcia? «At the Simply Red and Rod Stewart concerts last year, the hotels were full. August 4th and July 18th in Murcia! Murcia right now is considered one of the best places, musically speaking. We have an offer that neither Alicante, nor Albacete, nor even Valencia have. Usually many people come from Almería, also from Madrid… and many foreigners,” says the person in charge of Ibolele. For his part, Alberto Vegara states that “in 2023 the Las Noches del Malecón cycle has generated 7 million euros for the city of Murcia. In branding, in the hotel sector, in user consumption, in restaurants… It is evident that there is an economic impact behind it. And the institutions know it. Community [que impulsa la marca Festivales Región de Murcia] helps us based on the data we generate. They are not advance aid. As for the Murcia City Council, the help is a little smaller and is more focused on offering us services.

«We are not Andalusia or Galicia, which have a very large budget. That would help us much more, but we are a smaller community and, within the limitations, you increasingly feel better treated by both the Community and the City Council,” concludes Carlos Peñalver, optimistically.