More than thirty artists cancel their performance at Sónar due to links to a pro-Israeli fund

BarcelonaThirty-three artists, 28% of the lineup, have canceled their performances at the 32nd edition of the Sónar festival, which will be held from June 12 to 14. This is an expression of their disagreement with KKR, the pro-Israeli fund that in October 2024 became the main investor in Superstruct Entertainment, the company that bought Sónar in 2018. Among the latest cancellations is that of French artist Rone, who had a show in Barcelona with the Ballet Nacional de Mars'a. Arca's withdrawal is especially significant because his relationship with Sónar has been very close; in fact, he has often enjoyed the festival's absolute complicity in premiering his work. Currently, 83 groups and artists remain in the festival (39 in Sónar by Day and 44 in Sónar by Night).

The crisis, which erupted following a report byThe Leap, is profound and difficult to resolve one week before the event begins. A statement in which Sónar explicitly condemned "the genocide of the Palestinian people" This has not served to quell the scope of the protest. Even the Generalitat (Catalan government) has supported the artists who have canceled their participation. Government spokesperson Silvia Paneque said on Tuesday that the government "agrees to express itself and limit the areas where companies with Israeli parent companies can operate or profit." The contradiction is evident, given that the Generalitat (Catalan government) contributes €250,000 to Sónar.

For now, of Superstruct Entertainment's eighty festivals, the most affected by cancellations is Sónar, surely because it is the one held earlier, but also because it is an event that has always welcomed artists with a critical spirit and a strong political commitment, often spurred on by the festival's own management. Although less numerous, there have also been cancellations from the lineup at Arenal Sound in Burriana and the FIB in Benicàssim, in addition to protests over the holding of Brunch Electronik in Barcelona. And some twenty bands and artists have also said they will not perform at Viña Rock (in Villarrobledo, Albacete) next year if KKR remains the main investor.

Superstruct explains that "the profits obtained by the participating festivals are used to develop the festivals," and that in no case do they generate dividends for KKR, or for any other investor. This is not an exceptional situation, because funds like this one do not make their investments profitable through dividends, but rather by selling the assets over time. Along the same lines, festivals within the Superstruct conglomerate, such as the British Mighty Hoopla and Field Day, both in London, and Tramlines in Sheffield, had already distanced themselves from KKR, as had Sónar itself. "At no time have we sent nor will we send a single euro to KKR [...]. All profits are fully reinvested for future editions of Sónar," the Barcelona festival stated. However, any profits it might make if it sells its stake are beyond the scope of the funds it will invest in. It could even be the case that the fund would benefit greatly from the sale because it could negotiate from a position of strength: if you want it to leave, it could find a buyer who will pay more, it might argue.

The problem with not being the master of your destiny

Sónar has been able to maintain its founding artistic direction and political philosophy for more than thirty years. This essence did not change when the festival was acquired by Superstruct in 2018, nor when KKR bought the stake in Superstruct from the Providence Equity Partner fund. In fact, of the major Catalan festivals, Sónar is surely the one that has given the most space to critical political expressions. The problem arises when you are no longer the master of your destiny. In the last ten years, increasingly fierce competition in the live music market has led many festivals to opt for capitalization through investment funds to guarantee a future without financial shudders. Sónar did so, maintaining its artistic direction, and so did Primavera Sound, when the American private equity investment fund The Yucaipa Companies acquired a stake in 2018. The reputational crisis that Sónar is suffering could be suffered by Primavera Sound if a fund like KKR were to acquire the stake of The Yucaipa Companies, because the room for maneuver is practically zero.

All this is happening just as the festival season begins this Thursday with Primavera Sound celebrating an edition with all daily tickets and all season tickets sold out thanks to a lineup headed by Charlie XCX (Thursday), Sabrina Carpenter (Friday) and Chappell Roan (Saturday). The sales success hides a paradox: Primavera Sound has made the right choice by programming three stars who can compete in the stadium concert league, but the investment risk is high. Last year, the festival scheduled Lana Del Rey at 9:35 p.m., and when the concert ended before 11 p.m., more than 20,000 people left the festival, jeopardizing the expected income from drink sales at the bars, which is essential to balance the budget.

The inflation of stadium concert prices makes the price of a day ticket to a festival quite competitive for the public. For example, a floor ticket for Kendrick Lamar at the Estadi Olímpic costs around €130, roughly the same as a day ticket to Primavera Sound cost when they went on sale. The question is whether, in the fight for headliners, festivals will be able to continue competing with artists' tour promoters.