Market Report: Sweden
Business is brisk in Sweden, a country that’s typically been a powerhouse in terms of pop and dance music, as well as nurturing healthy indie and metal scenes. Post-Covid, attendances are back to normal, both for smaller domestic shows and A-list superstars.
“In general, the Scandinavian markets experienced an increased interest in high-quality live entertainment,” says Jens B. Arnesen, CEO of Eventim Scandinavia. “That includes a broad spectrum, from upcoming artists at minor venues to well- established artists doing stadium tours.”
“Festivals and summer concerts are booming, with more overseas fans coming to join the fun,” adds Kristian Seljeset, Ticketmaster regional vice president, Northern Europe, and managing director, Norway, Sweden, and Finland.
Primary ticketing
In Sweden, venues have their preferred ticketing provider, giving the market a somewhat fractured look. AEG’s AXS is a strong player, supplying ticketing services to, among others, the seven venues of ASM Global’s Stockholm Live and smaller venues such as Annexet, Södra Teatern, and Kägelbanan. But Ticketmaster and Eventim also have a significant share of the market and operate across music, sport, exhibitions, theatre, opera, and other entertainment.
“There are at least eight ticketing companies in Sweden, and all are important in different ways”
“There are at least eight ticketing companies in Sweden, and all are important in different ways,” says Julius Malmström, managing director of promoter Julius Production. Nortic and Tickster are also well established, and there are a number of smaller companies operating as SaaS providers or in niche markets, such as Tixy (NFT ticketing), Ticketbird, and Showtic.
Distribution of sales
Unsurprisingly for a country that is virtually cashless, digital has become the norm. Some companies still offer the option of physical tickets sent to your home, although at a price. “99% of the market is digital,” says Seljeset.
The adoption of other technology, such as digitisation, data-driven marketing, and enhanced security measures, also continues to grow at a fast pace in the Nordics, with more and more promoters and ticket companies exploring flexible ticketing options to assuage consumer demands and preferences.
“Our marketing agency services are used by more and more organisers, who appreciate help with optimising usage of data to reach improved ROI on joint marketing activities,” says Arnesen.
Value of market
According to statista.com, revenue in the event tickets market is projected to reach $805.1m in 2024.
Secondary ticketing
Sweden does not have the same resale laws as Norway and Denmark, so the market is more advanced – there are now several options for fans looking to buy or sell tickets for in-demand events on a regulated secondary market.
Ticketmaster Resale was launched last year, while Eventim has both its EVENTIM.Pass and fanSALE platforms. “EVENTIM.Pass and fanSALE have increasing relevance in all of Scandinavia to ensure ticket-buyers get a fair and safe experience to reduce secondary ticketing,” says Arnesen. “This gives peace of mind to both the promoters and the genuine fans.”
Ticketmaster Resale was launched last year, while Eventim has both its EVENTIM.Pass and fanSALE platforms.
TicketSwap also operates in Sweden (and other Nordic markets), and state that their research shows that “the resale rate is higher in Sweden for certain events compared to other markets in the Nordics – partner events with electronic music have around 10-20% resale, while for festivals, it’s around 3-5% resale.”
International/domestic splits & genres
When it comes to A-list megastars, most will make a stop somewhere in Sweden. Certainly, bigger shows tend to feature international artists, but there’s a healthy domestic scene of all genres – Håkan Hellström is a legend, and Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö host all sorts of diverse, contemporary shows and smaller festivals.
Country Profile: Sweden
Even a market as prosperous as Sweden occasionally has to reckon with a modest dip in its fortunes, and 2024 represents a mild kind of comedown after the knees-up of 2023.
“Basically, we are having a good year. We have a fair number of international tours – not as many as last year, but that’s understood,” said Thomas Johansson, Live Nation’s venerable chairman of international music and of the Nordics and Baltics, speaking in IQ’s Sweden market report this summer.
“But the business on some shows – not just Live Nation shows – reflects the fact that people are more aware of ticket prices; basically, because the Swedish krona, not dissimilar to the Norwegian currency, has been at an all-time low versus the pound and the euro and the dollar, so prices are relatively high.”
Building from ABBA through Europe and Roxette, Live Nation Sweden sits at the heart of the live giant’s Nordic and Baltic network, housing nearly half of the region’s 200 staff.
“We are having a good year. We have a fair number of international tours – not as many as last year, but that’s understood”
Swedish talent remains a priority, from Ghost to the newly rebooted Roxette to Benjamin Ingrosso, who played nine outdoor shows over the summer, including a sold-out Olympic stadium in Stockholm, in addition to a headline spot at Way Out West.
Luger, Live Nation’s ‘indie’ division, also remains busy, masterminding Way Out West and delivering a heavy slate of
gigs, with Bright Eyes, Headie One, and The Soundtrack of Our Lives among those doing the rounds this year.
FKP Scorpio has been active in Sweden since 2011, absorbing local indie Woah Dad Live in 2019. Recent shows have included a Massive Attack tour warm-up at Gothenburg’s Film Studios and Ne-Yo’s first Swedish concert since 2010 at Hovet in Stockholm, as well as Ed Sheeran shows at Strawberry Arena next summer, and Rosendal Garden Party.
“Sweden is still a small country,” FKP’s director, Joel Borg, told IQ in September. “The krona has been weak, and the market has struggled with post-pandemic bottlenecks. Prices have gone up, yada yada – same for everyone. But one thing is always certain: people will always want to attend a great concert or experience a world-class festival.”
All Things Live Sweden was behind three Taylor Swift shows in May in which each night broke the previous night’s record for attendance at the then Friends Arena, ultimately drawing 178,679 people in total and making a large contribution to a 3% spike in Sweden’s core inflation rate that month. Meanwhile, domestic acts are also strong, having been given space to thrive during Covid.
“The domestic market in Sweden now is bigger than it’s ever been”
“The domestic market in Sweden now is bigger than it’s ever been,” All Things Live’s David Maloney told IQ. “All the Swedish tours we have done have done amazing business. That’s something we are really concentrating on now.”
Festivals, however, have seen less success. All Things Live’s Big Slap in Malmö had its final edition last year, and Live Nation’s Lollapalooza Stockholm opted for a year out in 2024.
In the end, Sweden, whilst prosperous, remains a market of a certain size. “A normal year in Sweden, you could have between five and 15 stadium shows, and then you add in all the big festivals, but we are still only 9m people,” Maloney said. “If you look at it that way, it makes sense that those big festivals will struggle.”
Based in Alnarp near Malmö, Julius Production is 52 years old, and its projects this year included a Tina Turner tribute tour; shows in Stockholm, Malmö, and Helsingborg by the Soweto Gospel Choir; and a range of family entertainment productions.
Operating in Malmö and Gothenburg, promoter and venue operator Kulturbolaget is a prominent promoter across southern and western Sweden, including many shows at Malmö’s Slagthuset, co-owned by KB’s Totte Lundgren. Brit Floyd, Johnossi, 10cc, and Swedish poetry rock star Bruno K. Öijer are all coming through one or both cities this autumn.
Arena Market: Sweden
In the land of ABBA, Eurovision returned to the country in 2024, 50 years after the superstar group claimed victory. The annual song contest took over the 12,600-capacity Malmö Arena in the south of the country.
A plethora of 10,000+ capacity venues can be found across the expansive Nordic country, from Gothenburg’s Scandinavium (14,000) to Linköping’s Saab Arena (11,500) to Karlstad’s Löfbergs Arena (10,300) to Sandviken’s Göransson Arena (10,000). Hockey is a mainstay in these venues, which also host regional and international artists.
ASM Global’s Stockholm Live presides over the country’s capital city, with a portfolio of five arena- and stadium-sized venues.
The 60,000-capacity Friends Arena, to be renamed Strawberry Arena in July, and the 38,000-capacity Tele2 Arena are the largest in the group. They’re followed by the Avicii Arena (16,500), which is set to wrap up renovations in early 2025, and the ice hockey palace Hovet (8,700). And lastly, Annexet (3,400), a multipurpose space used for concerts, galas, and conventions.
ASM Global’s Stockholm Live presides over the country’s capital city, with a portfolio of five arena- and stadium-sized venues.
Sweden’s most iconic venue, Avicii Arena, is currently closed while undergoing refurbishment projects. The largest spherical building in Europe is due to reopen in early 2025 with “fan experience and flexibility” at the forefront of the venue’s changes, says Anna Sjölund, ASM Global’s European programming manager.
With all spectator seats being stripped out, updates will include a restructured lower bowl to bring fans closer to the action, overhanging ‘gondola seating’ upgrades for premium experiences, and a retractable ceiling concept, according to the project’s lead architects HOK.
“A ring-like structure will hover above the seating bowl, with automated, movable panels that can transform the building and optimise the reverberation time according to the type of event. When not in use, panels can be parked out of sight to allow unobstructed views of the spherical building,” they shared last year.
In the meantime, ASM’s other venues are picking up the slack from the shuttered venue.
“We are doing more shows at Tele2 Arena, where we have created a set-up more compatible with Avicii Arena,” Sjölund says. “Tele2 Arena has been transformed into a more intimate version for some shows, and it shows the incredible flexibility we have with football stadiums that have a closeable roof. This is something we will continue with in the future as well.”
Roofing is a key benefit to the Stockholm Live portfolio, as the protection overhead “weatherproofs the shows, which is great in the Nordic climate,” she adds.
“2024 is another year that we see people travelling more and more to Stockholm for events”
The country has been heating up on the entertainment front, with Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen, Pink, Justin Timberlake, Nicki Minaj, and Tool set to make their way north this year. And with these international stars set to play, audiences from around the world are making Sweden a destination to visit.
“2024 is another year that we see people travelling more and more to Stockholm for events,” Sjölund says. “For some of the shows at stadium level, we have more than 40% international visitors, which shows what a destination Stockholm has become.”
Next year, Hovet is expected to be demolished following the reopening of Avicii Arena, according to a 2022 statement from Stockholm Municipality. Whilst local media have reported that a new underground hockey rink would be erected to replace the arena. The other ASM Global venues could also absorb some of Hovet’s programming, as the 2025 Ice Hockey World Cup finals are destined for Avicii Arena next May.
Nonetheless, Stockholm Live boasts a range of venues that can transform to serve almost any need, for events of any kind. “There is room for everything, and if there is not, we’ll find a way to make room! And it’s not only music and sports – there are so many other types of events in our venues, and that’s how we like it!” Sjölund says.