Article produced by the Zonagirante.com team @spinning zone
Photo: Ana María Camejo.
On Zonagirante.com We want to address the topic of Rock al Parque from its very essence., Beyond whether they brought in this or that band or how the juries selected the artists in the district competitions, we intend to discuss their primary characteristics, their public nature, their relationship with the Bogotá music scene, their usefulness, and the reforms that may or may not be necessary for their survival. On this occasion we have invited important members of the city's "rock scene" to give their opinions on the matter. Next year there will be a change in the Mayor's office in Bogotá, the organizer of the festival, and this will surely lead to changes in cultural policies, including those related to this type of event. Therefore, we are getting ahead of ourselves in this discussion and posing these questions: With the twenty-first edition of Rock al Parque approaching, what are your thoughts on the festival? Do you think it fulfills its purpose? Who benefits from this event? Who should it benefit from? Do you believe Rock al Parque should remain a public event? How should the festival be funded?
These are the responses our guests submitted. We hope that their diverse opinions will contribute to the discussion. Thank you to all participants.
Francisco Tapiero (Independent cultural manager)
I think Rock al Parque is the most important music event in Bogotá; it has been by tradition. Now in its 21st year, it continues to be one of the most exemplary examples of coexistence and tolerance in Colombia. I think it used to be seen as one of the few options musicians had for showcasing their live projects., Currently, it is and should be taken by the musician as a complement to what happens throughout the year, It should not be the sole reason, but rather it should be seen as an event in which it is important to participate from a social, impact and professional experience point of view, but it must also be understood that the professional success of each artist or group is due to a process of development and articulation of different processes that intervene in the evolution of each project: musical concept, professionalization of technical elements, visibility, communication strategies, advertising, the launch of each project (concerts, target audience, recorded material, strategies for the commercialization of their project, internationalization, etc.)
Then the festival seems to me to have always been useful for the musician; it is up to him to understand what has been stated above. It should also be useful for the public, giving them the opportunity to access musical offerings, to discover and, why not, develop their own musical taste. This may already be happening, but perhaps the new generations need to research and listen to more music. The public in Colombia sometimes falls into snobbery, and the enjoyment of music is relegated to a secondary role.
Rock al Parque was born as a public event and should remain public., Bogotá already has other festivals that can cover other needs; the festival belongs to the people and the artists should be its main protagonists.
Daniel Casas (Journalist, music critic, former director of Rock al Parque).
Rock al Parque remains the biggest rock festival in the country, regardless of its management, lineups, processes, effects or lack thereof, maintaining an unprecedented level of public interest., but especially among artists who still see it as a necessary stage to satisfy their status as artists.
I believe Rock al Parque fulfills its social function, without a doubt. The festival remains an event of citizen participation, and from that perspective, it is an activity that brings together, without any discrimination, the most diverse audiences in the city., And although it may sound stubborn, in healthy coexistence.
In artistic terms, it has maintained open selection processes, thus remaining an important element for the local art scene. However, it is still dysfunctional due to its neglect of the overall Bogotá rock movement. This situation stems from its modus operandi and the internal mechanisms of Idartes (formerly OFB, SDCRD, IDCT). which necessarily makes it a one-off action per year and not a continuous, long-term, and integrated process for everything that happens as rock in the city 12 months a year, with all that this implies.
This event is useful for the citizens. For the underprivileged youth who cannot afford to attend paid concerts with renowned artists. For local musicians who know how to take advantage of the presence of well-known international artists, from whom they can learn and later emulate their best performances.
Events at the Park end up being a huge operational drain for the district entity that organizes them. The organization (currently Idartes) shouldn't be producing events, although that's an ultimate goal that doesn't actually concern it. Its specific purpose is to generate, promote, and develop public policies related to culture, and specifically to rock music in the city, with Rock al Parque as one of its areas of focus, which isn't happening.
It's not that they don't work towards public policy, but dealing with five different large-scale public festivals, at the production level, saves valuable time for long-term work on the city's rock scene. It is true, the entity contracts production suppliers, but it also has a team, not a small one, that must answer for that front.
The park festivals should be handed over through partnership agreements or concessions to concert production companies that, under the parameters, supervision, regulation and content of Idartes, would develop all the activity. From the development of the call for entries, selection of juries, programming and national and international artistic contracting. Ultimately, the process would remain the same, but it would give Idartes the flexibility to work directly with each of the musical genres that make up its festivals, permanently and actively throughout the year. Not in the dynamic of "Rock al Parque is over, now it's Jazz al Parque," or "Jazz al Parque is over, now it's Hip Hop al Parque.".
In that dynamic, These companies that promote, produce, and organize concerts would have greater marketing freedom., the viability of extra income that is added to the figures that Idartes assigns to each festival, facilities in the artistic contracting and other processes that, in truth, are an internal drain for the district entity.
Alfonso Pinzón (drummer Agony/Dia De Los Muertos, manager/promoter/agent).
Does Rock al Parque fulfill its purpose? It depends on what that definition of purpose is. If it's bread and circuses, it fulfills that promise perfectly. If its purpose is to foster coexistence among young people, it probably only succeeds for a few days, as I don't think there's any way to measure the festival's contribution to peace and coexistence in the city. If its function is to give a platform to foreign bands (many of which don't have that same platform in their own countries), it also succeeds admirably. If its purpose is to promote and contribute to the development of national rock music, then I think it has failed miserably. Tell me, how many national bands have achieved success after participating in the festival? Is national rock stronger in 2015 than in '95?
Rock al Parque only exists because it's a public event and the politician in charge at the time is interested in its existence. He, along with the suppliers, contractors, and bureaucrats who divide up the spoils of the contracts each year, are also interested in its continued existence. The fact that the festival has not had any private sponsorships throughout its existence reflects the incompetence and negligence of its leaders. But what does it matter anyway, if the money comes from public funds? And tell me, who in Colombia is interested in protecting public funds? If the festival had sponsorship, it would not only ease the burden on the state, but it would also provide the necessary resources to bring in top-tier artists. Oh, and people should pay to get in, even if it's with a can of tuna. How is it possible that in a country with so many needs, the event, which is also state-sponsored, is not used to raise social awareness?
Alvaro Gonzalez (Director of the public radio station Radiónica)
For me, the main attraction of Rock al Parque lies in the new and emerging bands from the city, They are the stars of the event. While there is a significant and well-curated international component, the Festival's objective, for us in the media, should be to focus on developing an audience that understands that beyond the Festival, bands need a self-sustaining circuit that allows them to create a real market, which we do not yet have. The Festival should be useful for these new generations of artists.
The public event format is part of Rock al Parque's origins and is perhaps one of its most important and notable characteristics. Those who organize the Festival have undoubtedly reflected on its cycle, considering its role as a launching pad for new talent. It is clear that the scenario in 2015 is different from that of 2005 and of course from that of 1995. That analysis, from within the Festival, must surely be very interesting. Another fundamental aspect of Rock al Parque today is the growth of private festivals. The largest free festival on the continent is no longer the only platform for showcasing new talent, nor is it solely responsible for the city's rock scene. Perhaps, having lost that influence, Its objectives offer it a more compelling possibility when it comes to projecting those new voices from the continent.
Alfonso Espriella (Musician):
I believe that's a big challenge for the festival. It is the dialogue between the curator and the festival audience. The challenge lies in the fact that audiences tend to expect the familiar, the names of "big" or legendary bands (both nationally and internationally), and generally there's no real desire to discover or explore new things. Furthermore, the curatorial process (for several years now) has been highlighting this challenge, as it introduces proposals that are either not widely known or offer a new understanding of the meaning of the word "rock.", She faces many dissenting voices from this audience. Achieving a balance between meeting traditional audience expectations and introducing new proposals or curatorial approaches (without doing so in such a jarring way that it leaves the audience without a connection to their long-standing festival) is, I believe, one of the great challenges of Rock al Parque.
I think the event serves a great purpose and is useful for both bands and the public. I have sometimes questioned the free admission to the park. I would be in favor of doing the experiment of charging one or two thousand pesos for admission each day.
Álvaro Vargas (Guitarist of Lokos Kuerdos, Tokai and Distracción, co-director of the Colombia Hardcore festival)
The festival fulfills the function of bringing together many people around rock and its various subgenres. It fulfills the dreams of bands who are forging their ambitions to be at the festival and to play there someday. At the same time, it frustrates many groups for not being selected, but in the end, we've all gone to the festival all these years because, beyond everything else... It's a festival that's part of rock heritage, and as such, we should enjoy it.
Who should it serve? Hopefully in the future, it will serve all the bands that come and register, not only during the 3 days of the festival itself, but circulating throughout the year on the different stages of the city.
Rock al Parque should remain a free, public event. In these times when the middle class is practically being driven to extinction, many people can't go to events because they don't have the money. It's difficult to come up with the cash to attend private concerts, which is why many only go to those three days of Rock al Parque. The taxes we pay must be good for something; they should be reflected in culture.
Andrés Gualdrón (Musician of Andrés Gualdrón and the White Animals).
I think Rock al Parque fulfills its purpose. In the last edition, I think they did a good job in terms of building audiences, showing people ideas and trends they might not have as much access to, showcasing the best of the national scene, and a well-curated selection of international acts. The event should be useful for the Bogota public - which is not only the audience of the most extreme rock and metal. It should also be useful for emerging Colombian bands (those who work on their careers, not those who wait for this one window a year to get their act together) and in the future it should be especially useful for Latin American bands.
The festival must remain public. With its "limited" budget, it may not be able to bring in Radiohead or Muse, but it can easily bring in incredible bands from places like Latin America., that are accessible and have a lot to show in terms of what is happening on the continent.
Leonardo Sicard (Director of the Comma Colombia agency):
The Festival is undoubtedly one of the most important events in the Colombian independent music scene, there is no objection to that. It has helped to place Bogotá in its current position in Latin America in terms of entertainment, And even though many may not believe it, the industry has grown and learned from it, allowing companies to strengthen and serving as a starting point for business plans and planning of other festivals that are currently being held. However, that also seems to be its drawback. The festival has grown, and countless other actors have grown alongside it, but we don't see the same happening for the musicians. It seems that this important festival offers artists nothing, but personally I think there is also a lack of commitment on their part to take better advantage of it. Institutions, for their part, have neglected the issue of talent promotion, even though they have made an effort; there is no clear support for new bands, and it seems that this work is delegated to independent media and ventures that increase the exposure and promotion of the bands. Who is a festival for? I think it's for the people., For those who are going to see it, however, it is also necessary for people to understand that these types of festivals are living beings that must grow and not be forced to follow inappropriate courses or to stagnate in the "should be" of their name.
Speaking of the festival being free, I believe it's only possible to charge for something when there are people who buy it and who want it enough to pay for it. Talking about a paid Rock al Parque is putting it in competition, in terms of production and experience, with other types of festivals; I believe that beyond the fee, it's about understanding that their assistants need to be trained.
The festival's funding must reach more people, with the same focus and direction as in recent years, but the sponsor must never be allowed to have any influence over the lineups. The festival is for brands that are interested in the audience that the festival already has, not the other way around. This funding should also be used to hire local artists. Furthermore, the standards for participating artists should be raised, and the possibility of performing multiple times should be reduced; this would broaden the reach of the event.
More information about Rock al Parque on their official website.
