Who is Desiree Perez? What are Her Contributions to the Success of Made in America Festival?

Starting a brand new music festival carries with it a heavy burden. There are challenges associated with pulling large crowds on a single venue; there is the burden of maintaining peace, health protocols, and transportation challenges. The Made in America Festival, which was launched a decade ago by Desiree Perez alongside Jay-Z, beat all the odds to emerge as one of the best music festivals in America.

Every year, the music festival features a wide range of musical activities from hip hop, pop, rock, and electronica acts. In 2020 however, the corona pandemic halted the event. It returned this year with a boom, breaking record sales and registering approximately 50,000—60,000 attendees daily. The performances were led by musical stars like Justin Bieber, Megan Thee Stallion, Roddy Rich, Lil Baby, and many more.

The story of how Made in America Festival came into being is far from humble. It started when Desiree Perez, the CEO of Roc Nation and Jay-Z, decided to start a celebration recognizing all music genres in a historic city. The primary goal was to bring people together. Jay-Z proposed the name Festival while Desiree decided that the ideal location was in Philadelphia.

While both Jay-Z and Perez are from New York, many factors led them to Philadelphia. Its central location meant that those living in the city and its neighborhoods could make it to the Festival with much ease. Second, Philadelphia was not yet the home to many large music festivals. This decision made them select Benjamin Franklin Parkway as the venue to host the event.

Despite the vast success of Made in America Festival, Desiree Perez is always on her toes to improve the event. She noted that they are looking forward to taking the event in other locales like Washington D.C., Detroit, and Los Angeles.