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Country Profile: Sweden

The world’s leading promoters & the 55 top markets they operate in.
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As in most European markets, one of the defining characteristics of 2023 in Sweden has been an explosion of stadium concerts, and like in many places, the
protagonist has largely been one company.

Live Nation’s Swedish stadium summer took in shows by Coldplay, Volbeat, Bruce Springsteen, The Weeknd, Gyllene Tider, Beyoncé, and Depeche Mode – variously at Gothenburg’s Ullevi Stadium and Stockholm’s Friends Arena.

Throw in arena shows this year for Elton John, Wu-Tang Clan & Nas, Lewis Capaldi, The Chicks, Roger Waters, and others, not to mention festivals including Lollapalooza Stockholm, Way Out West, and Melodifestivalen (EDM event Summerburst was cancelled this year), and such a blur of activity inevitably has a powerful effect on a country of 10.5m.

“If you look at the stadium shows throughout the summer, it’s been non-stop since May.”

“If you look at the stadium shows throughout the summer, it’s been non-stop since May,” says All Things Live Sweden’s David Maloney. “It’s hard to even think you can sell more tickets in a country like Sweden. So, for obvious reasons, a lot of bands that under normal circumstances would do 10,000 tickets end up doing 5,000 because there’s not enough people in the country.”

Powered by shifting consumer habits, finite spending power, and a thirst for spectacle, this has been the story of 2023 in many markets, meaning that the winners – besides the touring giants themselves – have been those with the shrewdest sense of what else is compelling enough to fit into a top-heavy market.

“I think it’s like this,” says Maloney. “Right now, quality is what’s selling. You know if you go to a Metallica show, they will deliver 100%. You are safe. That’s why Taylor Swift is sold out everywhere – it’s a unique thing to see, and it’s a safe investment for the audience to go to.”

All Things Live will promote Swift’s three Friends Arena shows with MTG and AEG next May. This year, its shows have included Andrea Bocelli at Stockholm’s Avicii Arena, an exhaustive Sabaton tour of small and large venues that moved 100,000 tickets, and Big Slap Festival in Malmö, which drew 52,000 with Burna Boy and Swedish House Mafia among the headliners.

“Right now, quality is what’s selling. You know if you go to a Metallica show, they will deliver 100%. You are safe. That’s why Taylor Swift is sold out everywhere – it’s a unique thing to see, and it’s a safe investment for the audience to go to.”

FKP Scorpio is another competitive player in Sweden, its busy 2023 crowned by local superstar Håkan Hellström at Stockholms Stadion and a 15-date November and December tour by Albin Lee Meldau. FKP also rescued the Gefle Metal Festival, in limbo after the collapse of promoter TADC last year, though after a valedictory 2023 edition that featured Amon Amarth, Watain, and Kreator, it was announced that the festival would not take place in 2024, with its future undecided beyond that point.

Meanwhile, market leader Live Nation Sweden in September tweaked its structure with the appointment of Adam Börjesson as head of agency across both Live Nation and sister company Luger, working alongside Luger CEO and founder Ola Broquist.

“We have the luxury of having two strong, differentiated, and clearly profiled agencies under the same roof – something we are very keen to maintain and strengthen,” said Mattias Behrer, CEO of Live Nation Sweden. “Through an increased focus on collaboration and pooling of forces, we see that we can have positive effects for our entire business.”

Luger has been part of the Live Nation stable since 2008 and maintains its indie focus, with Arctic Monkeys and Hozier among its arena acts this year, as well as numerous smaller shows, from Billy Bragg to Idles to Jungle – while maintaining its central role in Way Out West in Gothenburg, this year starring Blur, Wizkid, Tove Lo, and Hellström.

Live Nation and Luger this year introduced a “shuffle ticket,” which offers fans a pair of tickets to a randomly selected concert in Stockholm, Gothenburg ,or Malmö for SEK300, with the show revealed via a scratch card.

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