Vallenata music is one of the exemplary cases of Colombian folklore, building an entire industry around it, capable of lasting over time despite not having its center in the country’s capital, Bogotá. For more than half a century, each generation of artists, from the minstrels who gave initial shape to the genre, through those who promoted its commercial explosion such as Diomedes Diaz or the Binomio de Oro, and reaching those who diversified the proposal to adapt it to trends of the moment like Silvestre Dangond or Ana del Castillo, it is an industry that has remained in motion and without stopping.
And as usually happens in Colombian music, the rates these artists charge are a source of debate among vallenato lovers. With the death of Omar Geles on May 21, a similar debate arose with the composers, since the founder of Los Diablitos could charge up to 70 million pesos for giving an artist one of his songs. Well, something similar happens with singers and their live performances.
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According to data from The Republicwhich collected information related to the payment of the most prominent artists in Colombia per concert, the one who earns the most money in the field of vallenato is Carlos Vives. The samarium would charge up to 1,000 million pesos for each of its performances, which makes it the most sought-after of the genre internationally. This is confirmed with its presentation at the El Campín stadium in 2023, with which it closed The Tour of 30on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Classics of the Province.
Silvestre Dangond is located quite a distance away in second place. In your case it is a variable rate between 150 and 280 million pesosdepending on whether it is a private concert or one in a more conventional concert setting like the ones he includes on his tours, which range from arenas to stadiums.
The man from Urumite, who a week ago filled the El Campín stadium in a presentation that marked the last appearance of Omar Geles on stage, chose to leave more space between each of his live dates in his last years, which confirms the luxury that you can take more breaks between dates.
The podium of the most sought-after vallenato singers is closed by Jorge Celedón. The former Golden Binomial of America and successful solo singer who swept the 2000s with hits like four roses, This life, oh man either for your first kiss, He would be charging about 120 million pesos per presentation, according to figures from the aforementioned medium.
Other artists have publicly revealed their figures in interviews. This is the case of Elder Dayán, who last February in The Mega confirmed that his fee was between 75 and 80 million pesos when it came to presentations in the Colombian Caribbean. “And from there to here it increases by the value of the tickets,” he said on that occasion, so its value in other areas of Colombia or abroad could reach 100 million pesos per concert.
Something similar happened with Mono Zabaleta, who spoke about the subject in April with Tell me King. In his case, in addition to generating a stir by confirming that he could charge 20 million pesos for a greeting, He stated that currently his rate for a concert is between 80 and 90 million pesos. For his part, Iván Villazón, who was honored at the last Vallenato Festival, He currently charges 70 million pesos per concertas reported by the portal The Pilon. Felipe Peláez would earn a similar figure, which according to the portal Vallenata area He would charge between 70 and 80 million pesos per concert.
Finally, there is the singer Ana del Castillo, one of the figures of vallenato music who achieved the greatest projection in recent history. In 2022, the station Cacica Stereo reported that the singer would earn 20 million per concert, when three years ago she earned about 5 million pesos. However, taking into account that the Valduparense received a Latin Grammy nomination in 2023 for her album God’s Favor and the success achieved by this production on digital platforms, it is very likely that this figure has increased since then.
