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.