Country Profile: The Netherlands

For as long as shows keep coming through Europe, they’ll be coming through the Netherlands, which has a strong claim to being the continent’s crossroads: next door to Germany, a short hop from the UK, adjacent to Belgium and its neighbour France, and no distance from the Nordics.

Mojo Concerts pioneered the market and remains very much the dominant player, though competition has increased greatly over the last few decades, as rivals including FKP Scorpio’s Friendly Fire, the independent Greenhouse Talent, and the All Things Live-owned Agents After All have scaled up.

Nonetheless, the Live Nation promoter – under the management triumvirate of Kim Bloem, Ruben Brouwer, and Ronny Hooch Antink since the departure of CEO John Mulder at the start of this year – reports that conditions remain good.

“Business for international, as well as domestic artists, has again been great,” says Bloem. “North Sea Jazz, Down the Rabbit Hole, and Lowlands have all sold out way in advance. R&B from the ’90s is having a real comeback, with the success of Usher (five shows at Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam), and Janet Jackson selling out [the same venue], as well as Ms. Lauryn Hill & The Fugees.”

“Business for international, as well as domestic artists, has again been great”

Mojo has made a priority of building its domestic business in recent years, and it is seeing the difference, says Bloem. “For domestic acts on our roster, we see that they are growing from clubs to AFAS Live (6,000) as well as to arena level. The last couple of years, we have really been building our roster and with hiring a new promoter in that area, we are very proud that this is bearing fruit.”

Greenhouse Talent is the biggest independent promoter in Benelux, its headline successes in 2024 include Taylor Swift at Johan Cruijff ArenA in Amsterdam and two Rammstein shows.

“I think it’s actually one of the biggest years we have had,” says COO and head promoter Wouter de Wilde, whose slate has also included the summer Zuiderpark Live show series in The Hague and the returning C2C: Country to Country festival in Rotterdam in March, with arena shows for Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds and Bryan Adams coming up.

“And then we launched Spoorpark LIVE Festival in Tilburg, with Massive Attack headlining a day, and we ended up selling 22,500 tickets, which was great for the first year, and it’s looking great for next year as well,” says De Wilde.

Spoorpark Live teamed Greenhouse with another leading independent, the Schijndel-based This Is Live Group, which draws more than 600,000 visitors annually across 80 festivals and other events, including Paaspop, Extrema, Solar Weekend, WiSH Outdoor, SMÈRRIG, and Elektrum.

“I think it’s actually one of the biggest years we have had”

Of the other key promoters, Friendly Fire was founded in 2009 and became part of FKP Scorpio three years later. Like its Dutch competitors, it operates across the board, from clubs to stadiums, also operating in booking and management. Its festivals include Indian Summer in Geestmerambacht, Hit The City in Eindhoven, and Best Kept Secret in Hilvarenbeek.

Double Vee Concerts is another busy indie, promoting/ booking/co-promoting 400 to 500 mostly club shows per year.

New on the scene, meanwhile, is booker and promoter Echo Live, founded by Hugo Berends and Bart van Haare, formerly of rock and metal agency Doomstar Bookings.

“We saw a gap in the market for an independent agency that could truly cater to the evolving needs of artists and fans alike,” Berends recently told IQ. “The Dutch live music industry is thriving, with over 1,200 large- and mid-scale festivals, countless arena shows, and a robust network of grassroots venues. We wanted to create an agency that could navigate this landscape effectively while maintaining a personal touch.”

And in the touring entertainment space, global giant Feld has its European base in the country. Denis Sullivan, vice president of international tours, says: “The Netherlands is a key market for us. We play Utrecht for multiple weeks each year with Disney on Ice in the Christmas time period, which is our busiest time of year. Additionally, we have a long history of playing Monster Jam at the GelreDome in Arnhem. We’re fortunate to have great, long-standing venue partners in both those markets.”