Ricardo Bonadio, born on June 21, 1969, is a multifaceted figure in the Brazilian music industry, serving as a producer, composer, musician, music entrepreneur, and presenter. With extensive experience in the Brazilian phonographic market, Bonadio has been instrumental in discovering and producing numerous prominent artists, including Mamonas Assassinas, Charlie Brown Jr., Tihuana, CPM22, Los Hermanos, Ultraje a Rigor, Planta & Raiz, Luiza Possi, Rouge, Br'oz, IRA!, NX Zero, Fresno, Titãs, Mr. Catra, Biel, Sérgio Reis, and Roberta Miranda, among others.
From January 1997 to April 2001, he held the position of general director at Virgin Records Brasil, overseeing both Artistic/National Marketing and International Marketing. During his tenure, he contributed to the development of international artists such as the Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls, Britney Spears, Manu Chao, Lenny Kravitz, and The Rolling Stones in the Brazilian market. Following his departure from Virgin, Bonadio focused on record production and artist management, founding Arsenal Music and Arsenal Eventos. He later sold the label to Universal Music and currently operates Midas Music, along with Midas Studios, one of the largest recording studios in Latin America, located in São Paulo (www.midasstudios.com.br).
Bonadio has served as a judge in two editions of the Popstars program (SBT), where he produced the albums for the successful groups Rouge (2002) and Br'oz (2003), both of which achieved significant sales, with Rouge's debut album surpassing one million copies sold in 2002—making it the only release in Brazil to reach that milestone that year. Additionally, he participated as a judge and musical artistic director for the Country Star (BAND) project, which produced Nathália, who gained fame with her single "Você Me Ensinou a Amar," written by Rick and Eric Silver.
In television, Bonadio hosted the segment "Olha a Minha Banda" on Caldeirão do Huck on TV Globo and created Fábrica de Estrelas, the first reality show set inside a recording studio, which aired on Multishow in 2013. The show provided a glimpse into his daily operations as a businessman and producer at Midas Studios, while also showcasing the selection process for a new girl group called Girls.
His contributions to music have been recognized with five Latin Grammy awards for his production work on albums such as "Estamos Aqui na Atividade" by Charlie Brown Jr., "Cidade Cinza" by CPM22, "Bolsa Plástica" by Titãs, "Agora" by NX Zero, and "Camisa 10 Joga Bola Até no Jogo" by Charlie Brown Jr. As a composer, he achieved the top position in copyright collections according to ECAD in the second half of 2007, and he continues to rank among the top ten.
In 2016, marking three decades in the industry, Bonadio was invited to be a producer judge on X-Factor, co-produced by Band, TNT, and FremantleMedia, and he released his biography in collaboration with music journalist Luiz Cesar Pimentel. He also produced Vitor Kley's EP that year. In 2017, he produced Kell Smith's album "Marcianos" and the self-titled debut album of Cristopher Clark, the winner of X-Factor. Additionally, he produced the EP "Maravilhosa" by the girl group formed by Jackie Oliveira, Julia Rezende, and Lais Bianchessi, all former X-Factor participants.
In early 2018, Bonadio launched "Música na Band," a program that features concerts and interviews with various artists, allowing for a deeper exploration of the music world. By the end of 2018, he produced albums for two artists: Vitor Kley's "Adrenalizou" and De Maria's self-titled EP. Notably, he made his debut as a music video director with De Maria's song "Ela," released in March 2019.
In addition to his production work, Bonadio teaches online courses (www.midasclass.com.br), having launched "Music, Business and Success" in late 2017, followed by courses on "Launch, Marketing and Promotion" and "Dominating Spotify" in 2018. He also conducts monthly onsite workshops (www.rickbonadio.com.br/workshop), providing personalized feedback to participants on their music and artistic concepts.