So, why hasn’t Portugal been able to take the Eurovision Song Contest to its cities?
Well, maybe it’s a mix of all the opinions expressed on the subject, but it would be important to note some unique characteristics of the country concerning the music reality. Portugal, in contrast to other countries, has a weak national music industry, being the charts full of foreign artists. If it’s correct that everyone knows who Simone de Oliveira or Madalena Iglesias are, the same thing doesn’t happen with Sabrina or Vânia Fernandes, for example. In the sixties, a closed country had no choice than to hear and appraise its national artists; now, most of the Portuguese singers find difficult to establish themselves on the musical scene, with some few exceptions. Globalization brought new stuff, and nationals are finding tough to succeed. Moreover, it’s very hard to get out of the national dimension and fly into other European charts, because of the poor support by music labels. Yes, we could talk about quality, but also about taste. Remembering what a well known Portuguese musical
