The Voice: Brazil’s Music Scene: Opportunities for Irish Collaboration

Brazil has surged to become the world’s 9th largest music market, with revenues jumping 21% in 2024 alone. This growth reflects both the scale of Brazil’s domestic appetite for music and its increasing global integration. While local genres like sertanejo, pagode, and funk carioca dominate Brazilian airwaves and streaming charts, nearly a third of the market remains open to international music—creating exciting possibilities for Irish artists, composers, publishers, and music professionals.

At its core, the Brazilian music industry is a paradox: a huge and vibrant ecosystem full of opportunity, yet often difficult for outsiders to navigate. In 2024, it generated over USD 256 million in revenue from Spotify. Brazil also boasts some of the world’s most extensive cultural platforms, from the SESC venue network (300+ performance spaces across the country) to globally recognized festivals like Rock in Rio, Lollapalooza Brasil, and The Town.

But success here requires more than a good song. The business side is complex. Traditional radio still holds sway, yet much of it operates under a pay-for-play (jabá) model. Independent artists struggle to break through without the backing of major marketing muscle. Navigating rights collection, royalty distribution, and live performance fees also demands an understanding of Brazil’s specific institutional structures. Still, for Irish professionals and artists who engage with intelligence and creativity, Brazil offers fertile ground.

Why Ireland and Brazil Make Sense

There are natural synergies between the two nations. Both cultures prize storytelling, emotional expression, and melodic songwriting. There’s a growing community of Brazilians returning home after years in Ireland—bringing with them connections, language skills, and a genuine appreciation of Irish culture. This network is a powerful bridge for collaboration.

More tangibly, Ireland’s music industry is nimble, internationally savvy, and strongly supported by organizations like IMRO, Culture Ireland, and First Music Contact. By strategically entering the Brazilian space, Irish music professionals can build reciprocal ties—supporting Brazilian artists coming into Europe while opening new channels into South America for Irish music.

Three Practical Pathways to Collaboration

1. Sync Placements: Irish Music in Brazilian Ads, Film & TV

Brazil’s advertising, film, and TV industries are massive—and always in need of music. Telenovelas, branded campaigns, YouTube series, and streaming originals are major consumers of songs and instrumentals.

Sync licensing offers Irish artists a unique way in. Success stories like Gavin James, whose tracks have featured in Brazilian media, show the power of well-placed emotional ballads.

Irish artists and publishers can collaborate directly with Brazilian music supervisors or work through local publishers with existing sync relationships. Genres that perform well in Brazil include acoustic pop, emotional ballads, and cinematic folk—areas where Irish music already excels.

2. Live Music & Industry Events: Playing and Networking in Brazil

While Brazil is often seen as a distant tour destination, there are accessible and cost-effective live opportunities, especially through the SESC circuit—a publicly funded cultural network that supports international and independent acts with accommodation, tech support, and guaranteed fees.

Festivals and trade fairs such as Rio2C, SIM São Paulo, and Trends Brasil Conference bring together global decision-makers in sync, publishing, and live performance. Irish delegations—both artists and professionals—should prioritize these events.

There’s also room for innovation. Joint Irish-Brazilian showcase events could spotlight musical dialogue—imagine a “Trad meets Sertanejo” event or Celtic-Brazilian jam session in São Paulo, streamed globally. These collaborations excite audiences and media alike.

3. Songwriting Camps & Creative Exchange

Real industry bridges are built through creation and co-authorship. Irish and Brazilian musicians can forge lasting partnerships by writing together, either in Dublin or São Paulo. These songwriting camps bring together composers, producers, and lyricists from both countries.

Such camps can lead to co-authored songs, which are then eligible for support and promotion in both territories. These collaborations also introduce artists to each other’s markets in organic ways, beyond traditional PR.

An added asset is the Brazilian diaspora in Ireland—many of whom have artistic or music industry experience. Tapping into this community for translation, cultural mediation, or artistic participation is a winning strategy.

Royalty Collection and Music Rights: Understanding the Infrastructure

If you’re doing business in Brazil, understanding music rights and royalties is crucial. Brazilian collective societies like ABRAMUS, UBC, and SICAM collect and distribute royalties for public performances, streaming, and synchronization. They play a similar role to IMRO in Ireland.

In 2024 alone, Spotify paid Brazilian artists over USD 281 million—a sign of the platform’s dominance, but also of the efficiency of the local rights system. We strongly recommend fostering cooperation between IMRO and UBC, enabling smoother tracking and collection of royalties for Irish rights-holders active in Brazil. Joint workshops—virtual or in person—on copyright, royalties, and metadata registration would serve both sides well.

Recommendations for 2025 and Beyond

To turn opportunity into action, we propose the following steps:

• Commission targeted research to map sync, touring, and education opportunities for Irish music in Brazil.
• Pilot a Brazilian-Irish songwriting residency—either in Ireland or Brazil—focused on collaborative creation and cultural exchange.
• Support Irish artists and professionals to attend Brazil’s major music trade fairs““`.
• Establish IMRO-UBC collaboration, allowing for seamless royalty registration and collection across both markets.
• Create a “Brazil Music Market Entry Guide” for Irish musicians and companies, including contacts, legal insights, and cultural tips.

“Music builds connection—and connection builds opportunity.”

Brazil’s music scene is booming, but it’s also relational. Trust, long-term partnerships, and cultural empathy matter. With shared values and a track record of international engagement, Ireland is well-positioned to become a meaningful player in Brazil’s music future.

About the Author

David McLoughlin: Your Bridge to the Brazilian Music Scene

David McLoughlin has worked in the Brazilian music industry for over three decades. He ran his own independent label licensing international acts like Public Enemy and The Prodigy, and later served as international manager for the Brasil Music Exchange (BME) under APEX Brasil, helping Brazilian artists showcase their music at global events like SXSW, WOMEX, and MIDEM. Today, through his project Brasil Calling, David curates and distributes new Brazilian music to global radio, press, sync supervisors, and festivals.