2023-08-09 22:03:52
Three days, an island, a secret cartel, less than 1,000 people. The Sinsal SON Estrella Galicia and SON Estrella Galicia Posidonia music festivals are governed by these four premises. Yes, you have read correctly. They are music festivals. Faced with the worn-out model of macro-events exemplified by Mad Cool or Primavera Sound, there are alternatives that show that sustainability and, above all, the comfort of attendees can prevail. Without crowds, without kilometric queues and without disturbing.
Julio Sinsal was the creator and co-directs the first of them, which has been held for 20 years in Galicia, sells out all its tickets and its priority is to positively influence the environment of the island of San Simón that hosts it. A place that was an inspiration in medieval poetry and a concentration camp during the Civil War. Its last edition took place on July 21, 22 and 23, and artists such as Fillas de Cassandra, Combo Chimbita and Brama performed on its stages.
This manager is also curator of the artistic poster of SON Estrella Galicia Posidonia, whose seventh edition will take place next October, with a capacity reduced to 350 people.
How do you remember the beginnings of the Sinsal festival and how do you assess its evolution?
We had been programming since the late nineties. The festival was born from the need to find more appropriate spaces for risky proposals that we represented in a club. Many years have passed and now it is normal to find specialized music cycles in museums, theaters and other buildings, but then we had to look for allies because there was still a certain amount of mistrust towards other types of music.
Today, the problems are different. The most notable change that has taken place in live music has been the arrival of large investment funds, both in the world of festivals and in the world of booking agencies. We live in difficult times, especially for artists who do not have visibility. We have tried to reinforce the festival’s brand, offering added value with the experience. We are aware that almost all of the artists we schedule would hardly generate attention on their own.
Achieving a good location is essential. In the case of the island of San Simón, how did the festival come to be there?
All festivals study the location. Some focus on infrastructures and connections; others, in the effect of the city, the natural environment, public aid, etc. We have been working in the representation space for many years. In addition to the festival, we have always been linked to research projects related to landscape and sound art.
In fact, our first contact with San Simón was with a cycle of musical proposals called Espazos Sonoros that brought classical and popular music to places of special cultural interest in Galicia. From this combination of heritage research and the difficulties of continuing with a stable annual program, the San Simón proposal was born.
In October the SON Estrella Galicia Posidonia will be held in Formentera. Are the islands the ideal place to alleviate possible inconvenience to the neighbors?
We are lucky to work on two islands, but in no case have we come there to escape from the neighbors. Sinsal is one of the few daytime festivals in Spain and we end at sunset. Son Estrella Galicia Posidonia takes place on a fairly populated island like Formentera. It is also a festival that distributes part of its activities during the day and both on Friday and Saturday we finish at a very prudent hour: two in the morning. Small festivals do not need large technical deployments. We take great care of the acoustic impact and, although you always cause discomfort, taking advantage of daylight and limiting the capacity to 350 people, as in the case of Formentera, are examples of our concern for the environment.
How is sustainability worked within a festival?
In the first place, specifying, and delimiting, the concept. For us, the idea of a sustainable event involves placing people at the center. There is no possible sustainability without the human part. The public, workers and artists must be the center of attention and from there, together, work on the policies of the sustainable development agenda because they are more ambitious: decent work, equal opportunities, cultural diversity, gender, environment, etc.
If Sinsal and Posidonia show that they can be, why isn’t there a similar “effort” on the part of other festivals, especially the biggest ones?
I’m not sure they don’t make that effort. In fact, although it may seem otherwise, I do believe that they do, at least a large part of them. I would say more: if we compare the actions and the effort made by music festivals during the last 25 years with other social events, the festivals have been pioneers and are many years ahead. It is true that there are contradictions, some of which are difficult to hide, but that we criticize certain ethical behaviors does not mean that everything is done wrong.
The bet because the cartel is secret, where does it come from?
We have been defending a festival model for 21 years that since the first edition has put two rules into practice: presenting new artists to the Galician public and trying not to repeat proposals even if they have become popular over time. Equal opportunities and diversity are on our itinerary.
In the case of San Simón, we could not condition the proposal to the commercial pull of an artist. For this reason, we decided that the territory and the public should be the center of attention. Thus was born the secret cartel. When curating the Son Estrella Galicia Posidonia project in Formentera, we thought it appropriate to maintain this line because the festival maintains this model, although adapted to the identity and objectives of the event.
What would happen if all the festivals had secret posters?
Quite a few successful festivals sell almost all their capacity before the bill comes out. And we are talking about thousands of people, not 400. In Spain, I would say that more than 90% of the festivals are small or medium-sized. They need to bet on headliners because their public demands it and each festival is due to its public. It is not about imitating formulas, because what may be good for one does not mean that it is for another.
The other exception is that the capacity is very small. With tickets selling out just as fast, why don’t other events follow suit?
A reduced capacity is not economically sustainable. And I can almost assure that an average capacity either. We do what we do because we have support, especially from Estrella Galicia. The reason is the economy. In general, we are selfish and care little about looking beyond our interests. It happens to us when we hear that farmers protest the difference between what they charge and what the consumer pays in the store. The same thing happens in music: we never think if we are paying the real price of a ticket. At Sinsal, for every euro that a person puts in, we must get two more.
Could a macro event like Primavera Sound or Mad Cool “afford” the same?
It is another festival model. I don’t know your economy, so I can’t answer this question. In any case, taking into account the incredible competition that exists in Spain and in other countries for the great stars of pop music, I am very afraid that when you confirm an artist of this dimension. In addition, you have to meet their communication demands. And as far as I know, none have requested that their performance be secret. I mean, in this type of league you also owe yourself to what those musicians want and ask for. There is a whole protocol, very meticulous, in the communication that is done from the festival. There are law firms specializing in that.
How do you see the evolution of the music festival model?
More than 90% of festivals are not macro events. I understand that these are the ones that make the most noise, but the reality of festivals is quite different. We live conditioned by sponsors and ticket sales. We are weaker in all aspects. We do not have investment funds behind us that can withstand several years of losses or we do not receive million-dollar public aid. Our league is game by game, although we cannot hide that we are paying for the inflation of the caches due to the crazy offers that are made from these events by artists who in other countries are far from those amounts.
That and the unfair competition from the administrations, which have also entered the game of programming millionaire artists for populist and electoral purposes. What some city councils and regional governments do should be prohibited and sanctioned. There would have to be a limit on the hiring of an artist by the administration. I consider that every artist with a cache of more than 15,000 euros is a self-sufficient artist who does not need gigs paid for with public money.
Are there headliners for all the festivals out there?
No, but right now it doesn’t matter either. And this is not the fault of the festivals. They owe it to their audience and if a good part of it prefers to see the same group twenty times than to discover twenty different ones, it is not the programmer’s fault.
What type of public are macro-festivals excluded?
The vast majority of festivals do not exclude the public. I went to a macro festival when I was twenty years old and I still drop by one today. It is true that some lack pedagogy in the management of intergenerational audiences. It is also important to recognize that in Spain we lack a certain culture of integration. We only have to see such derogatory comments towards current urban artists simply because they do trap or reggaeton. I had already experienced that resentment and contempt in the nineties when house and techno arrived.
In my experience, this is not the case in other European festivals where different generations coexist. This is what we try from Sinsal and Posidonia, although they are two different models. In Sinsal this year we have had almost 200 children. In Posidonia, on the other hand, there is no child audience. I would rather say that mothers and fathers choose this festival to disconnect for a weekend.
How is a festival map designed?
We handle a set of standards, from specific laws on the organization of public events to other documentation from sectors that apply their own technical code. Many people are unaware that the assembly and disassembly of a cultural event is included as a construction activity in the Occupational Risk Prevention Law. This means that we must follow the documentary procedure that is done, for example, when building a building. In some aspects, the regulations for public events can be improved. The ratios of bathrooms and toilets should be more demanding. Investing in quality services and in the comfort of the public is very important, although certain sectors of the population do not value it.
Another thing that we have seen in events like Mad Cool is the number of advertising stands and even a raffle with loud music. Are artists losing prominence?
We can no longer assess the impact of advertising in physical terms. Many brands know that their image is diluted in space due to the high concentration of stands, but right now, the internet and social networks are the objective. This is one of the reasons why these festivals have so many sponsors. I suppose also the fact that there are large financial groups behind it and with this dimension it is easier to find commercial allies.
I can assure you that the artist does not lose prominence; and, in any case, never mainstream artists. Big festivals are ephemeral cities. I give the example of Glastonbury with its avenues and stalls selling restaurants, merchandising, crafts, etc. There are many festivals within these cities. By the way, as a good Galician that I am, at a popular party the tombola always tends to have the best sound equipment and, of course, speakers who are pure talent.
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