Market Report: Finland
Long a heartland for hard rock, tastes in the market are diversifying, opening up new opportunities for a wider variety of genres.
Primary ticketing
Despite its relatively small size in European terms, Finland has a multitude of local ticketing players, among them market leader Lippupiste (owned by CTS Eventim), Tiketti, and Ticketmaster.
Venues outside of Helsinki may use local ticketing firms or even run their own box offices.
Distribution of sales
Aino-Maria Paasivirta, head promoter at Fullsteam Agency, estimates that 90% of tickets sold are done so digitally but suggests that physical tickets will not be eradicated completely.
“I don’t see this percentage getting any smaller,” she says. Ticketmaster, however, says it is now approaching 100% digital sales.
Value of market
Based on Statista numbers, the music events market in Finland will be worth $125.5m in 2024, increasing to $133.7m by 2028. As in other major markets, ticket pricing is rising steadily as touring costs increase (and, as a result, artist fees are becoming larger).
“Finland has historically had quite high ticket prices so customers are used to paying a fair price.”
“Finland has historically had quite high ticket prices so customers are used to paying a fair price,” says Paasivirta. “It is also important to keep ticket prices on a level where shows are accessible,” she adds.
Secondary ticketing
“The secondary market is not really as organised in Finland as it seems to be in many other markets,” notes Paasivirta. The Face-value European Alliance for Ticketing (FEAT) notes that there are “no laws specifically relating to secondary ticketing” in Finland.
Juhana Stenbäck, CEO of Lippupiste, says, “We have recently focused on two major initiatives. Firstly, we relaunched fanSALE together with EVENTIM.Pass, which has received a fantastic response from users. FanSALE is our fan-to-fan resale website, which gives protection for both buyer and seller. With EVENTIM.Pass, you manage your tickets on your smartphone, you can easily resell tickets, and you are protected from the black market.”
International/domestic splits & genres
Paasivirta says that the domestic/international split is difficult to generalise because it shifts depending on which international acts include Finland on their tours.
“The domestic market is very healthy, and domestic shows account for a big portion of ticket sales,” she says.
“The domestic market is very healthy, and domestic shows account for a big portion of ticket sales.”
Metal and hard rock have been core to the Finnish live market for decades, and it’s not surprising that it over-indexes in the country in terms of number of acts touring and total tickets sold.
National tastes, however, are changing. “Finland has always been a big market for heavier music,” explains Paasivirta. “[But] a lot of domestic hip-hop and rap is also doing very well and moving tickets.”
Cultural analysis
While the secondary market in Finland is not as mature as it is elsewhere in Europe, the primary market is also lagging behind a little bit in terms of its evolution and how it is responding to (or influencing) shifting consumer demands.
“The market is not yet used to ticket pricing where you pay extra for instance for an aisle seat,” notes Paasivirta.
“The market is not yet used to ticket pricing where you pay extra for instance for an aisle seat.”
Kristian Seljeset, Ticketmaster’s regional vice president, Northern Europe, and MD of Norway, Sweden & Finland, argues the recent closure of Helsinki Halli (formerly Hartwall Arena) has “created a noticeable gap of a year-round touring venue.”
Taxes & charges
The current VAT rate for tickets is 10%, but the government is seeking to raise this to 14% in 2025. “This will, of course, have a huge effect on income and pricing and is not a great way to support the live industry that is still in some ways recovering from the ramifications of Covid,” says Paasivirta.
Country Profile: Finland
With the exception of some agencies such as Internationaali Säätö Oy (ISO), Finland’s promoting scene is dominated by international companies such as Live Nation, Eventim (which owns Fullsteam Agency through FKP Scorpio), and All Things Live.
The UK-based Superstruct Entertainment, now purchased by American equity firm KKR, is also a major player in Finland’s festival economy, owning major festivals such as Flow (15,000) and Tuska (21,000). Flow Festival attracted the likes of Fred again.., Janelle Monae, and Raye, whereas the metal festival Tuska saw headliners such as Bring Me The Horizon, Opeth, and Pendulum this year.
“Finland is known to have a very high level of production. We have good venues and amazing production professionals,” says Aino-Maria Paasivirta, head promoter at Fullsteam Agency. Despite the sanctioning and closing of the Helsinki- based and Russian-owned Hartwell Arena in 2022, the live market is still buzzing.
From Live Nation working with Coldplay, who made their debut selling out four shows in a row at the 36,200-cap Helsinki Olympic Stadium, to Fullsteam’s yearly rock festival Provinssi, which featured Bring Me The Horizon and Nothing But Thieves, it’s clear even from the past year alone that the professionals in the Finnish market strive to create high-quality experiences for international acts and their audiences.
“Finland is known to have a very high level of production. We have good venues and amazing production professionals”
However, like many promoters, Paasivirta acknowledges the challenges that arise when artists abroad consider performing in Finland, such as high expenses, which often mean that tours end in Stockholm. Richie Mattila, promoter at ISO, with 45 years’ experience in the industry, notices a trend. “Big headliners who used to pick up one or two shows in Finland in the past, [now] concentrate on bigger markets where they can do multiple shows in one big city.”
Hardi Loog, CEO at All Things Live, adds that because of the ever-increasing costs and low purchasing power amongst Finnish consumers, many promoters find themselves having to weigh up cost-efficiency with the overall quality of live events, festivals in particular. “You have to step up your game and figure out how to make it cost-efficient without sacrificing the quality of the festival,” he says.
Loog is also the founder of the annual WKND Festival, which now specialises in EDM. Over the years, the festival has seen Deadmau5, Stormzy, and Calvin Harris perform at the Helsinki event. When reflecting on successful partnerships, Loog cites the relationship established with Dutch DJ and music producer Tiësto and the importance of WKND Festival in connecting him to his fanbase.
“There is a lack of big headliners and lots of festivals in Finland, so you need to rely on domestic names”
“[Tiësto] decided to do a different festival in 2023. [That festival sold] 3,000-5,000 tickets maximum. A year later, [he] did my festival and played to more than 15,000 people. So, I guess, if you put the artist on the right platform, WKND Festival, that introduces these artists to the masses, the outcome will be successful. For some agents and managers, money is important, but I think for the artist’s long-term career, it’s important to play at the right places.”
Domestic artists are Finland’s bread and butter, particularly when it comes to summer festivals, claims Mattila. He suggests that if a promoter does not specialise in booking specific genres, booking Finnish artists is the way to go. “There is a lack of big headliners and lots of festivals in Finland, so you need to rely on domestic names,” he says.
Considering the popularity of Finnish rap and music in general, it’s clear why booking domestic bands is met with such openness. Paasivirta says that the domestic band KUUMAA is now part of their touring roster and is set to perform in November this year.
Arena Market: Finland
Putin’s sabre-rattling and the war in Ukraine have caused headaches for Finland, which has a long land border with Russia. Sanctions and trade restrictions, along with a general increased military threat, have upended the Finns’ previously sleepy and happy lives. One of the issues has been the Russian ownership of the Helsinki Halle, the city’s largest venue.
This prompted a closure of the venue, which has caused some problems. Nevertheless, in the face of adversity, this country famed for its great design and architecture, as well as its penchant for metal, will soldier on. There are few other countries in the world where a 30-something, hipster prime minister would attend music festivals wearing a leather jacket and looking like the kind of politician we can only dream about in most countries. Former PM Sanna Marin’s appearances at Ruisrock and Flow epitomised the coolness of this Nordic nation.
Finland’s arenas include the Gatorade Center in Turku (11,820), Nokia Arena in Tampere (5,000-15,500), Lappi Areena in Rovaniemi (5,500), Espoo Metro Areena (8,582), and the Helsinki Ice Hall (7,000).
“We are doing well. We have approximately 140 events per year.”
“We are doing well. We have approximately 140 events per year,” says Marko Hurme of the Nokia Arena in Tampere. “We have missed a few artists as we have had no room for the days enquired about. And it looks like 2025 will be even better.” Rockers Bryan Adams, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and Bocelli have passed through recently.
Sport is big here, too. Which brings benefits and challenges. “We will be busy for the next 18 months,” says Hurme. “There is a division of the Eurobasket basketball 2025 played at the Nokia Arena. We have two professional teams playing ice hockey at the same time in our arena (approximately 85 games per year), which is taking a lot of days out of our calendar.
We have to be really fast and flexible with our conversion capabilities to be able to have more concerts, galas, and other events in between the games played.” In terms of improvements, Hurme says: “We have been working with our web store trying to decrease lines and make more profit at the same time.”
“The live entertainment market at the moment is good, and the next 12-18 months look busy”
In Espoo, near Helsinki, which is very closely connected to the capital by road and rail, there is the Metro Areena. “The live entertainment market at the moment is good, and the next 12-18 months look busy,” says CEO Katariina Järveläinen. She also points out that pricing and taxes are relevant here in Finland.
“The ticket prices cannot go too high, so people still have the possibility to buy tickets. Also, the general tax is going to get higher in Finland during autumn 2024.” Much of Finland’s entire market is situated here in the south in the Greater Helsinki-Espoo area, so although the country is huge and stretches a long way north, many concerts and events stay down south, nearer to big population centres.
Improvements-wise in Espoo, Järveläinen outlines: “The new Mediacube will be available in August, improvements for the skyboxes, and also we have a new restaurant.” She adds: “We’ve recently had shows by the likes of Manowar, Bryan Adams, the Emma Gaala (annual music gala), and also Mestarit (a top Finnish artist).”
Although things are not easy in Finland at the moment, there are also clearly plenty of reasons to look on the bright side, and the plucky Finns are certainly always up for a challenge.