Live Nation is expanding its live music presence in Latin America via a strategic partnership with top Argentine promoter Dale Play Live, Billboard can exclusively announce. As part of the agreement, Live Nation will acquire a majority stake in Dale Play Live, and Dale Play founder and CEO Federico Lauria will continue in his position, leading the company’s creative and strategic direction.
The move is part of Live Nation’s continued push to expand its presence in Latin America. Earlier this year, the promoter announced it had made a majority investment in Bizarro Peru, one of the country’s leading promoters, and in 2023, it acquired a majority stake in Colombia’s Páramo Presenta, the company that produces leading festival Estereo Picnic. In turn, that deal was executed through OCESA, which Live Nation acquired a controlling interest of in December of 2021.
Dale Play Live is the live arm of entertainment company Dale Play, whose holdings also include Dale Play Management and Dale Play Records, which is home to Bizarrap, Rels B and Duki, among others, and which Lauria owns in partnership with Rimas (Bad Bunny’s label) and Sony.
Although Dale Play has established itself globally as a pioneer in the South American urban music movement –taking the music to the top of the charts worldwide — the company actually started as a concert promoter in Argentina, where it sells over one million tickets per year and promotes concerts by the likes of longtime client Bad Bunny.
The new partnership bolsters Live Nation’s already significant presence in Argentina, where it has a longstanding partnership with promoter DF Entertainment. DF will continue playing a central role in the growth and expansion of “international live events” while Dale Play will contribute its expertise in developing Spanish-language artists and local content.
“Buenos Aires is the second largest music market in South America and a priority for Live Nation,” said Michael Rapino, President and CEO of Live Nation Entertainment, in a statement. “The addition of Dale Play complements our existing partnership with DF Entertainment and strengthens our commitment to Argentina and the growth of Spanish-language music in the region and throughout the world.”
“Dale Play was founded with the vision of supporting artists and building a platform that empowers them to grow locally and globally,” said Lauria. “Being partners with Live Nation represents a tremendous opportunity to continue expanding artists from Argentina and Latin America to the world.”
