Riff Music President Chris Ortiz Reflects on Touring, BluesCazorla at 30

2026 marks a very special year for Riff Producciones, and not just because its business continues to thrive. BluesCazorla, the festival that started it all for Riff in 1994, celebrates its 30th edition, July 2-4.

For Pollstar ‘s Spain Focus 2026 , we reached out to Riff Music president Chris Ortiz to talk about some more highlights from the past 12 months, including the top-selling tour of the year in Spain, future opportunities as well as challenges.

Pollstar: How would you sum up the state of business at Riff Music? Chris Ortiz: Busy, fortunately. The artists we have under management are very active this year, with Manuel Carrasco undertaking a four‑stadium residency in Seville and Melendi releasing a new album and kicking off a new tour in the fall. Beyond that, we’re also working on tours with ZZ Top, Dani Martín, Chayanne, Sergio Dalma and others, so it’s been a very strong period overall.

What are some highlights from the past 12 months? Melendi’s LATAM tour was definitely a standout. We saw sold‑out shows across the region, including Movistar Arena in Buenos Aires, two nights in Santiago, Antel Arena in Uruguay, Movistar Arena in Bogotá, two nights at Kaseya Center in Miami, and the Kia Center in Orlando. Incredible business everywhere.

Another major highlight was promoting Joaquín Sabina’s farewell tour. It was the top‑selling Spanish tour of the year, finishing in Madrid with his last of ten shows at Movistar Arena. After so many years working together, it was a very emotional final night.

What business trends do you observe with particular interest? With travel costs rising and flights becoming more limited on certain routes, we are definitely rethinking how we tour. Provincial markets, unfortunately, are often losing out, as we increasingly opt for multiple nights in major cities rather than long, extensive national runs.

Any cities/regions in Spain emerging as real concert markets? Pamplona and Valencia have clearly moved into top‑tier positions in the Spanish market, directly linked to the opening of new venues. Both Navarra Arena and Roig Arena have proven that “if you build it, they will come.” Their higher capacities and modern infrastructure make production much more efficient, putting them high on the routing list.

In Valencia’s case especially, the state‑of‑the‑art design and excellent acoustics have become a major draw, and we’re seeing noticeably stronger ticket sales driven by the appeal of the venue itself.

What challenges remain to your Spanish business? Festival sites and provincial markets remain very tied to specific political parties or local governments. The fact that venues can thrive or disappear following political shifts is a variable the industry would clearly prefer not to have to factor in.

Where do you identify the biggest opportunities? National acts are extremely strong at the moment. There is a powerful nostalgia factor, and artists reuniting or undertaking anniversary or farewell tours are selling exceptionally well. Audiences are eager to attend live shows, create memories and reconnect with the music that shaped earlier periods of their lives.

Anything else you’d like to add? This year marks the 30th edition of our BluesCazorla festival. It’s where Riff started back in 1994 (30 editions, accounting for the two pandemic years), and it feels very special. We have a great lineup this year, with Charlie Musselwhite and Eric Johnson headlining.

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_Originally reported by [Pollstar](https://news.pollstar.com/2026/05/21/we-are-definitely-rethinking-how-we-tour-qs-with-riff-music-president-chris-ortiz/)._