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| Ibiza Rocktronic Set To Become A Collectors Item. |
In the end it was always going to come down to money. No matter what spin people put on it, Ibiza Rocktronic, would be still alive today, if it was going to be a profitable venture for the stakeholders involved. In the corporate world, the bottom line and golden mantra for investors, is profit. As a sustainable product, Ibiza Rocktronic, was too much of a risk to take for its savvy investors. Pino Sagliocco is a man that is much respected within the music industry. A legend, who has promoted some of the finest musical acts in the World. His love for Ibiza is real and he has proven this by giving the Island the famous Ibiza 92 Festival, which put Ibiza on the international map back in 1987. A president of Live Nation Spain, his judgement is sound, so if a man of his stature feels it best to have a re-think, then its the right thing to do. The macro environment of Europe’s unstable economy and the ever changing social and market trends of the Industry, are hampering the creative vision of music festivals worldwide. Plans have to be put in place so far out, that when it comes to the actual date of the event, trends may have changed and the product or mix is no longer relevant to its market. Even the established Festivals are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain numbers, as people are becoming more selective as to which event they attend. The list of excuses are many and varied, but in my opinion, its all boils down to economic viability, nobody wants to loose their hard earned cash any more and philanthropy is a dying breed.
One of the main reasons cited for the cancellation of the Ibiza Rocktronic Festival, was issues with land leases. The land that Ibiza Rocktronic was held on last year, is owned by the powerful Matutes Group. Some people on the Island, seem to think that the Matutes Group have plans to develop the land and this is the reason they said no. When contacted by the Blog about the matter, a spokesman for the Matutes group, issued this statement (translated from Spanish)……..”The problem has been that the event is always celebrated the 1st ,2nd and 3rd of July and it was very good for the island in general, as it helped to boost the season, but on this occasion they have decided to do it at the end of July. It makes no sense what so ever, not only for us, but for the people of Ibiza, as the high season has already started without needing to organize more festivals. For us the programming date strategy is important, and it is for this reason, why we have not agreed. We would be delighted to support the project at a future time, if the dates are right for Ibiza.” The statement would seem to make logical sense, as talking to a number of Hoteliers in San Antonio, many were of a similar opinion. They felt the Festival would be a much better event for San Antonio, if it was held during the mid or low season, as that’s when they most need to fill hotel rooms and bring new tourists to the Island. The revised Rocktronic dates for 2013, were right at the start of High Season in Ibiza, where room occupancy is near 95%. The statement mentions nothing about plans to develop the site.
The land next to Cafe Mambo has laid idle for many decades now. If the Matutes group had wanted to develop it soon, they would have not granted permission in the first place, or, they would have developed it long before now. Plus, the Group is heavily involved with a luxury development in Playa Den Bossa and its this market that the Group now seems to be targeting. Only time will tell if the land will be used for any other purpose. The Matutes Group have stated they they will allow the Rocktronic festival to use the site, if the dates makes more sense for the Island, so the ball is firmly back in Rocktronics court. In my opinion, we will never see another Rocktronic Festival, or any other similar concept, as Ibiza is not a perfect fit for any festival outside dance music. Smaller scale, boutique events may work, but large scale ones similar to Rocktronic, were a mix of genres are used, I dont think so. Memorabilia from the poorly managed and attended event last season, will be collector items in time. As we type, the Ibiza Rocktronic Website, still has no news update of the cancelled event this year. Many people in Ibiza will just shrug their shoulders and move on. Nobody set out for it to fail, and intentions were good, but as in life, things dont always work out they way you want them to. For now, the well managed Ibiza Rocks, is where its at for Rock, Indie and alternative Music for Ibiza 2013.
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