As record sales drop, singers share spotlight at festivals FEATURE 06/09/2010

As record sales drop, singers share spotlight at festivals

FEATURE 06/09/2010 ARGANDA DEL REY — Javi Amaro has ridden a mechanical surfboard, performed karaoke and had a bite to eat — but four hours after arriving at one of the world’s biggest music festivals he has yet to attend a concert. “There are a ton of things to do here. Later on we are going to listen to Shakira perform,” the 23-year-old told AFP as he waited in line with a group of friends on Saturday to rappel a rope laid over the crowd attending a concert by R&B singer Rihanna at the Rock in Rio Madrid festival. With album sales worldwide down sharply due to the popularity of Internet downloads, artists are increasingly looking to live music performances to make up for lost income. And to draw bigger crowds — and maximize revenues — concert and music festivals like Rock in Rio are offering an expanding array of attractions, from carnival rides to fireworks, along with upscale food, souvenirs and VIP packages that can include backstage access in addition to prime seating. Rock in Rio Madrid got underway Friday and wraps up on June 14 when heavy metal veterans Metallica headline. The event’s 200,000-square-meter (240,000-square-yard) grounds at Arganda del Rey near Madrid, dubbed “Rock City” by organizers, include a ferris wheel and other carnival rides as well as several restaurants, bars and shops selling souvenirs ranging from T-shirts to necklaces and lighters. A major Spanish department store stages fashion shows daily at the festival, giving festival-goers the opportunity to strut their stuff on the catwalk like a top model. In another corner of the grounds, actors recreate the “Bed-In for Peace” staged by John Lennon and Yoko Ono at an Amsterdam hotel during the Vietnam War in 1969, providing a much sought-after photo opportunity for the crowds. “Rock in Rio is a theme park more than a music festival,” the event’s 61-year-old Brazilian founder, Roberto Medina, told daily Spanish newspaper El Pais last week. At the Glastonbury Festival later this month in England, organizers plan to offer circus acts and food from Michelin starred chefs along with the music while the Oxegen festival in July in Ireland will offer a complete funfair.... MORE     Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100609com3.html

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