Live music: Céu, Karol Conka, and Supultura share their success cases
Different trajectories and musical styles, but the same achievement: success in Brazil and abroad. Andreas Kisser from Sepultura, and the singers and songwriters, Céu and Karol Conka thrilled the audience at the Brasil Music Summit (BMS) by telling the challenges and victories of their successful careers. The presentations took place during the two days dedicated to live music, February 8 and 9.
The event, which happened from 6 to 9 at Unibes Cultural, is promoted by Brasil Música & Artes (BM&A) in partnership with the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil), through Brasil Music Exchange (BME) program, counted on over 500 congress persons, besides 1400 people of the end public, who went to watch the shows.
“We wanted to bring inspiring stories and at the same time hold workshops with practical subjects that generate doubts among professionals, such as visas and fees for performing shows abroad”, says André Bourgeois, director of live music programming, CEO at Urban Jungle.
Andreas talked about the international rise of Sepultura, certainly one of the Brazilian bands that most performed international shows, deserving even a documentary on Netflix.
In a chat with André, who is also her manager, the singer Céu shared her career from the beginning, when she played in nightclubs in Vila Madalena and Augusta Street, to her performances at major festivals, such as Coachella, and her presence among Billboard’s top 200 on the United States in 2007. “When we were doing our independent distribution and putting the albums in box, we received such news. It was amazing. We were selling 10,000 albums a week at the time”, André recalls.
Interviewed by Evandro Fioti Roque de Oliveira of the Laboratório Fantasma, Karol Conka recalled not only exciting moments in her career, but also commented on her brand as an icon of female empowerment. “My mom once asked me where I get so much information to write. I told her that I watch a lot and everything for me is poetry”, she described.
Two round tables were also aimed at clarifying doubts from audience in relevant debates to live music professionals. In the debate “O que vem primeiro: o selo ou o booker?” (What comes first: the seal or the booker?), representatives of labels and booking agencies debated on how to tie up partnerships to have the best representation abroad, especially regarding the sale of shows and the promotion/release of songs.
Representatives of international festivals and cultural centers present at the event - Barbican Center, Montreal Jazzfest, Québec Festival, POP Montréal Festival, Rencontres Trans Musicales Festival, Les Suds à Arles Festival, and Les Escales Festival - gathered in a panel in which they explained what they take into consideration when selecting artists for their lineups. Among the tips, is the ability of delivering a quick and clear good digital presentation of the band, showing the song essence.
The event ended with a lecture by Renato Martins, journalist, music researcher and founder of the label/blog Funk na Caixa, which told the story of funk, one of the most impressive musical genres in the world.
Showcases
Brasil Music Summit (BMS) gathered 23 musical presentations in four days of programming at the BMS Festival. Besides the congress persons, the shows were opened to the end public, being watched by about 1400 people.
The lineup was selected by a committee of professionals from Brazil and abroad and had names like Céu and Karol Conka, besides Tássia Reis, Xenia França, Luedji Luna, Boogarins, Drik Barbosa, Barbatuques, Höröya, Teto Preto, Josyara, Beto Villares, Mestrinho and Nicolas Krassik, Quarteto Roda de Choro, Filó Machado, Gabriel Grossi, Tuyo, Felix Robatto, Black Mantra, Autoramas, Rakta, Maria Beraldo, and Ricardo Herz Trio.
The next edition of BMS will happen on February 10 and 11, 2020 in São Paulo, and the program continues on February 12, 13 and 14 in Recife as part of Porto Musical.
About BME
The Brasil Music Exchange (BME), a Brazilian music internationalization project carried out through a partnership between Brasil, Música & Artes (BM&A) and the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil), promotes the Brasil Music Summit.