Sónar 2012 turns Barcelona into the world capital of electronic music culture

Barcelona (CNA).- Sonar will bring once again a music revolution to Barcelona. Electronic music and culture will fill the city just before the summer. The festival includes many activities such as music, exhibitions, screenings and activities for professionals based around the technology applied to artistic creation, as more than 150 proposals in the program, are on offer throughout three intense days.

Most of the people who come to Barcelona do so because of the electronic rhythms and the party that this festival offers. The music line-up includes essential classics, experimentalists with a unique profile and an extensive representation of the new forms of house, contemporary electronic pop and the multiple derivations of bass music. Other highlights include the carefully staged audiovisual shows.

Sònar is something different to the rest of the music festivals. This is not the typical summer music fest. A good example of this is Sonar Pro, the area of the festival dedicated to professionals in the creative industries. With SonarPro, the festival becomes a milestone for the global electronic music industry and the place to be for the next three days. Sonar Pro expands and focuses on the impact of technology on all areas of the music and audiovisual industry. This year, SonarPro will host nearly 2,500 professionals from 900 companies from 50 countries.

SonarPro attracts professionals from all areas of the creative industries: music software and hardware developers, record labels, management, digital distribution and dissemination platforms, online marketing experts, mobile application developers and rights management agencies, among others. This year it includes the field of training, with an extensive collaboration agreement with the Pompeu Fabra University, in Barcelona.

Sonar is one of the cultural events with the highest international profile in Europe. This year's festival will be covered by more than 850 journalists from 40 countries and attended by audiences from more than 80 countries. In addition, 90% of Barcelona's hotel facilities will be covered during the three days of the cultural event.

Barcelona is not the only place where the electronic festival takes place. Sónar Barcelona is the fourth event of a year in which the festival has traveled to South Africa, Japan and Brazil. The Barcelona version of the festival features more than 120 live shows and DJ sets, spread over the 8 stages of Sónar by Day and Sónar by Night.

Following Primavera Sound’s lead, Sonar will be broadcasting live some concerts at ‘Sonar by Night’, plus the best pre-recorded shows of ‘Sonar by Day’ on its YouTube channel. The festival can be followed live from all over the world, with a computer and an internet connection. Sonar will be broadcasting a total of 17 shows on its official YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/sonarfestival and the stream will take place on Friday June 15^th and Saturday 16^th, from 9pm until 6am.

There are many formulas for buying tickets. Apart from the typical general pass, which costs €155, it is possible to buy just a day pass (€39) or a night pass (€60). The SonarPro accreditation has a price of €220. All the tickets can be bought on-line, at http://www.sonar.es/en/pg/tickets, and at Ticket Sales Points. Further information in English is available on the website of the festival.