Life was not easy. The soldiers had inherited serious economic problems, but the early days of the military regime were not as repressive as many on the left had feared. And there was a new form of mass entertainment, television. In the '60s, sales of TV sets in Brazil boomed, and the most popular programmes included live music contests. These festivals were organised by rival TV companies in Rio and Sao Paulo and were very different to Eurovision, for they featured the very best new singers in the country.

 

  They were also important, because they coincided with a period when the military government in Brazil was trying to open up Brazil to outside investments. The military wanted to provide an image of Brazil that was progressive, that Brazil could take its part amongst the nations of the world. 

 

  For the moment at least, there was no censorship. The festivals included protest singers along with pop stars. And a new wave of singer-songwriters, who were given the uninspired title MPB, Popular Brazilian Music, and included musicians who would dominate the Brazilian music scene for the next three decades. For the TV companies, the festivals were a massive success.

 

  People used to gather around, in bars, on street corners, and watch the festivals in groups, because not everybody had television sets. They were still quite expensive. But people would gather and they would support their own particular performer. They would support in much the same way that they would support a football team.