Indie Champions 2025:
Bonus Track

Bonus Track was formed 40 years ago in the wake of the inaugural Rock in Rio Festival, where company founder Luiz Oscar Niemeyer had the role of general coordinator

By IQ | 19 November 2025

Bonus Track was formed 40 years ago in the wake of the inaugural Rock in Rio Festival, where company founder Luiz Oscar Niemeyer had the role of general coordinator.

The company initially focused on management of local acts and the promotion of a local festival and other events, but in 1988, Niemeyer launched his first international festival, Hollywood Rock, which during its seven editions booked artists such as Supertramp, Duran Duran, Pretenders, Simply Red, Simple Minds, Bon Jovi, Bob Dylan, Eurythmics, Page & Plant, and the Rolling Stones. And in 1990, the company promoted the first concert by Paul McCartney in South America, drawing 184,000 people to Maracanã Stadium and establishing a Guinness world record in the process.

Today, Bonus Track has four divisions: management and promotion of local…

Looking for full access?

Enjoy unlimited access to all digital content by subscribing to IQ

Subscribe

Share this

INDIE CHAMPIONS 2025:

Eat to the Beat

Eat to the Beat (ETTB) has come a long way since the late Tony Laurenson launched operations more than 40 years ago.

Double Vee Concerts

Jacco van Lanen and Willem Venema founded the three-people-strong promotion company Double Vee Concerts at the end of 2009.

IAG

IAG was formed in June 2023 following the merger of legacy full-service agency APA and music touring agency AGI.

Good Taste Production

Formed in 2012, Good Taste specialises in creating original festival concepts and large-scale live experiences across Poland.

Silverdust

Formed after a rocky start for Summer Breeze Open Air, Silverdust GmbH was formed as the company behind the rock and metal-focussed festival.

Paléo Arts & Spectacles

Non-profit cultural association Paléo Arts & Spectacles was formed in 1974 to bring popular folk music to the local youth.

Opus

Opus was founded in 1994 in order to develop Jazz Open Stuttgart festival, and was positively transformed by serial entrepreneur Jürgen Schlensog in 2008.

LETSGO

Brothers Iñaki and Gorka Fernández founded LETSGO in 2009, with an ambition to fuse the performing arts and captivate audiences worldwide.

Solo

Now functioning as an all-around artist agency service, Solo was formed in 1985 by John Giddings

Voulez-vous Danser

Paris-based Voulez-vous Danser (VVD) has grown from a small independent initiative into a full-scale international booking and live production agency.

People Entertainment Group

Founded in 2001, People Entertainment Group now operates its own network of companies, allowing it to self-present its tours.

Serious

With over 30 years’ experience in producing events from grassroots to large scale concerts, festivals and tours, Serious aim to make meaningful music experiences and opportunities for everyone.

Barley Arts

Barley Arts was founded in 1979 when Italian record label Dischi Ricordi decided to launch a catalogue of country and folk music by organising tours and concerts.

DHP Family

Working at both national and regional level, DHP Family promote artists including James Blunt, Lewis Capaldi and Sam Fender.

Northern Music

Launched in 1987 as a response to a London-dominated music industry, Northern Music offers a swathe of services to clients, employing 12 staff and using freelancers for specific projects.

All Things Go

Having evolved from a single-day event, All Things Go now welcomes more than 120,000 fans annually to multi-day events in Washington, New York, and Toronto.

S2BN Entertainment

Michael Cohl founded S2BN Entertainment, an independent company dedicated to producing & promoting world-class live experiences across multiple sectors.

Cobra Agency

Specialising in the rock and metal genres, Cobra Agency was founded in 2017 by business partners Günther Beer and Dominik Meyer.

Aiken Promotions

Aiken Promotions is a multi-generational family company, founded over 60 years ago by the late James Aiken in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

MOST POPULAR

Related Content

Rock in Rio through the ages

In part one of our deep dive into 40 years of the Brazilian festival, IQ takes a look at the history of the landmark event

Feature 7 October, 2024

Luiz Oscar Niemeyer, Bonus Track

Luiz Niemeyer on Brazil’s hottest new festival

The legendary promoter tells IQ how he's replicating the hugely successful Hollywood Rock festival for his new event Music Is The Answer

News 29 March, 2023

Living La Vida Local: Latin America market report

IQ visits some of the diverse territories that make up the vibrant, ever-expanding Latin American tour circuit

Feature 17 June, 2024

Back to top