According to Desiree Perez and the entire team at Roc Nation, the Made in America Festival will be back for this upcoming Labor Day weekend. Many artists typically perform at the festival from Nicki Minaj and Jay-Z. Last year’s event was canceled due to COVID-19 and state regulations. Desiree Perez reported in 2018 that the event brought in a lot of money for the local economy, about $102 million annually. This is simply because featured artists will eat out, buy products and services, and stay at accommodating hotels in the area. Money is also generated from ticket sales and refreshments sold at the event. Another reason for people liking the festival is the team’s contribution to national causes from helping foster children and fighting for criminal justice reform. This year’s Made in America Festival will feature musical artists such as Philly’s Lil Uzi Vert, Lizzo, and many others. Desiree Perez currently serves as the CEO for Roc Nation and has worked in her career as a music industry executive.
Prior to being promoted to CEO, she was the chief operating officer. Perez is regarded as the glue of Roc Nation, helping set up and put everything together. According to Desiree Perez’s Medium blog post, several mayors praised the festival, however, in the past, some city officials and organizers did not support it but were unable to stop it from happening after Roc Nation reached out with no replies. The CEO has been in full support of the event because of how much money it brings in and how it helps the city of Philadelphia. Some hurdles the music label had to overcome were higher fees and some lack of communication by the city. Regardless, Desiree Perez has been able to run the previous festivals smoothly through excellent communication, something the label loves about her. Several mayors have grown to be behind the festival after previously expressing small concerns over cleaning and putting away the stages, which ended up not being an issue.