All Things Live makes second purchase this week
All Things Live has announced its second acquisition this week, taking a majority stake in Belgium’s Ostend Beach Festival.
Established in 2010, the festival has grown from a one-day event focused mainly on dance and techno to a three-day affair with more than 100 artists performing across four stages.
The festival’s two founders, Jan Mortelmans and Kevin Beirens, will maintain a minority stake and continue to lead the festival while building a strong cooperation with the All Things Live team in Belgium led by Marcus Deblaere.
“We have worked hard to build a fantastic festival over the years, and we are thrilled to welcome All Things Live as co-owners and partners on the exciting journey ahead. We will continue to tweak and improve the festival and look forward to drawing on the vast experience of the entire All Things Live team to bring even better experiences to our audience,” says Mortelmans.
Beirens adds: “All Things Live is a leading and respected European live entertainment player with a strong footprint and team in Belgium and the Netherlands, and we consider them the perfect match for us as we set out to realise the ambitions for Ostend Beach. We will cooperate with the strong organisation in All Things Live and look forward to becoming part of the family.”
“We consider All Things Live the perfect match for us as we set out to realise the ambitions for Ostend Beach”
Kim Worsøe, member of the executive board of All Things Live Group, comments: “Jan and Kevin have put in a tremendous effort to establish Ostend Beach as a widely acclaimed festival considered the best in the world by many visitors and artists. We are pleased to welcome the team as part of All Things Live in Belgium and look forward to cooperating closely in the years ahead to develop the festival and our Belgian business together.”
In the last 12 months, the All Things Live group has acquired All-In (Norway), HES (Norway), Agents After All (the Netherlands), Musickness (Belgium), Radar Concerti (Italy) and Amaze Festival (Sweden).
Since the Nordic group was founded by Waterland Private Equity in 2018, it has expanded to seven European countries and 19 companies, with offices in Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Brussels, Milan and Amsterdam.
The company’s portfolio ranges from musical productions to music festivals and standup events to stadium concerts, with The Rolling Stones, Eminem, Katy Perry and Rammstein among its clients.
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All Things Live continues acquisition spree in Norway
All Things Live is strengthening its foothold in Norway with the acquisition of Oslo-based event agency All-In.
The deal comes weeks after All Things Live purchased one of Norway’s largest independent festival organisers, HES.
The group’s Norwegian business already spans booking, promotion, events, comedy and festival activities via subsidiaries Stageway, Komon Stageway, Latter and Stand Up Norge.
All-In was founded in 2017 by Jens Nesse, Jan Fredrik Karlsen and Petter Stordalen and now employs 10 people to work with corporate events, concerts and conferences for Norwegian and international customers.
In 2022, All-In had revenues of NOK 133 million (€9.9m) and NOK 15 million (€1.3m) in profits.
“We are proud of what we have achieved in All-In,” says Jens Nesse, co-founder and CEO of All-In. “After founding the company in 2017, the business has grown to become what we dreamt of. Becoming part of a family as ambitious as All Things Live will provide us with even more fuel to accelerate in the coming years.”
“We will gain a stronger foothold in an important market, enabling us to create even more unique experiences”
“We have found everything we were looking for in All Things Live. Loads of experience, great enthusiasm and a wide range of competencies. It is a powerful team with great resources within our field. What is not to like?” adds co-founder of All-In, Jens Fredrik Karlsen.
Gry Mølleskog, CEO of All Things Live Norway and the All Things Live Group: “The acquisition of All-In strengthens All Things Live’s position in the event market in Norway. In combination with our ownership of Komon-Stageway, we will gain a stronger foothold in an important market, enabling us to create even more unique experiences for our customers.
“The competencies in these two great event companies combined with the strong teams in Latter and Stand Up Norge, Komon-Stageway and HES will make All Things Live an even more attractive partner in the Norwegian event industry.”
In the last 12 months, the All Things Live group has acquired Agents After All (the Netherlands), Musickness (Belgium), Radar Concerti (Italy) and Amaze Festival (Sweden), alongside HES and All-In.
Since the Nordic group was founded by Waterland Private Equity in 2018, it has expanded to seven European countries and 19 companies, with offices in Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Brussels, Milan and Amsterdam.
The company’s portfolio ranges from musical productions to music festivals and standup events to stadium concerts, with The Rolling Stones, Eminem, Katy Perry and Rammstein among its clients.
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All Things Live buys Norwegian promoter HES
All Things Live has acquired one of the largest independent festival organisers in Norway, HES.
Founded in 2010, the Oslo-based company is a full-service provider of festival organisation and operations.
HES’s 13-strong team is involved in festivals including Verket, Drøbakfestivalen, Hvalstrandfestivalen, Sarpsborgfestivalen, Lillehammer Live and Haikjeften, as well as music venue Verket Scene.
The acquisition sees All Things Live’s footprint in Norway expand to cover booking, promotion, events, comedy and festival activities via subsidiaries Stageway, Komon Stageway, Latter and Stand Up Norge.
“The HES team has built a strong business with clear growth prospects on the back of proven capabilities within festival organisation and operations,” says Gry Mølleskog, CEO of All Things Live Group.
“Since 2010, the team has established several successful festivals entertaining thousands of people every year, and we are pleased to welcome HES as part of All Things Live in Norway with a view to developing the business and accelerating the positive developments in the years ahead.”
“The HES team has built a strong business with clear growth prospects”
The management team – consisting of CEO Hans Petter Haaland and head of market Erle Strøm – and the organisation of HES remain unchanged, and existing contracts and customer relationships are not affected by the transaction. The current owners of HES become partners and co-owners of All Things Live.
“We are thrilled to team up with All Things Live and look forward to collaborating closely with a leading and respected European live entertainment player to build on our successes in Norway and create even greater live experiences for our audiences together,” says Hans Petter Haaland, CEO of HES.
“For more than a decade, we have organized and run more than 50 festivals and promoted many of Scandinavia’s best artists, and we will continue to do so with an even stronger organization as part of the All Things Live partnership.”
In the last 12 months, the All Things Live group has acquired Agents After All (the Netherlands), Musickness (Belgium), Radar Concerti (Italy) and Amaze Festival (Sweden).
Since the Nordic group was founded by Waterland Private Equity in 2018, it has expanded to seven European countries and 19 companies, with offices in Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Brussels, Milan and Amsterdam.
The company’s portfolio ranges from musical productions to music festivals and standup events to stadium concerts, with The Rolling Stones, Eminem, Katy Perry and Rammstein among its clients.
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All Things Live adds Swedish festival to portfolio
All Things Live is continuing its acquisition spree with the purchase of Sweden’s Amaze Festival.
Founded in 2018, the two-day festival takes place on the picturesque island of Smögen, on the west coast of Sweden, with both international and domestic acts.
Previous headliners include Veronica Maggio, Salvatore Ganacci, Newkid, Otto Knows, Sebastian Ingrosso and Molly Sandén.
The next edition of Amaze Festival is scheduled for 28 July with pop group Bolaget as the first confirmed artist.
“It’s incredibly exciting to take this step together” says Henrik Berndtson, CEO of All Things Live Sweden. “Great live experiences have a home in every corner of our country, we fully share that philosophy. Can’t wait to see what kind of magic we will create together.”
Christian Öster, co-founder of Amaze Festival adds: “Partnering up with All Things Live is a dream come true for us. Our combined passion and experience is a match made in heaven.
“We’ll be able to max out the experience for everyone involved, and us joining forces makes it possible to keep welcoming some of the best artists to Smögen for years to come.”
“Our combined passion and experience is a match made in heaven”
The Stockholm-headquartered All Things Live Sweden represents more than 80 domestic artists, and owns festivals including BigSlap, Summer On and The Sabaton Open Air.
In the last 12 months, the All Things Live group has acquired Dutch independent Agents After All, Antwerp-based management company Musickness and Italian promoter and agency Radar Concerti – which yesterday announced its first new festival since the ATL acquisition.
Since the Nordic group was founded by Waterland Private Equity in 2018, it has expanded to seven European countries and 19 companies, with offices in Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Brussels, Milan and Amsterdam.
The company’s portfolio ranges from musical productions to music festivals and standup events to stadium concerts, with The Rolling Stones, Eminem, Katy Perry and Rammstein among its clients.
The group, which largely consists of promoters, also includes ICO Concerts and ICO Management & Touring (Denmark), Friction, Atomic Soul Booking and Stand Up Norge (Norway), Maloney Concerts, Monkfish and ROA (Sweden) and Busker Agency in Belgium.
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Italy’s Radar Concerti launches first festival
Italy’s Radar Concerti has planned a new two-day summer festival, headlined by British rock band IDLES.
The 7,000-capacity Fake Fest will take place at Beky Bay Beach in Rimini, a city on the Adriatic coast in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region.
A total of 10 acts – nine of which are yet to be announced – will perform at the beach festival on the 13 and 14 July, with tickets priced at €40.25.
Radar’s Fabrizio Pompeo told IQ that the festival is part of a strategy to “develop new events in Italy” under the All Things Live umbrella.
The Italian agency and promoter was bought by All Things Live in July 2022
The Italian agency and promoter was bought by All Things Live in July 2022, marking the Nordic live entertainment giant’s first foray into the region.
Radar, which has offices in Milan and Rome was founded in 2014 by Giorgio Riccitelli, who brought ex-Live Nation Finland senior promoter Pompeo on board as a partner in 2018.
The company has worked with international artists such as Idles, BadBadNotGood, Central Cee, Future Islands, FKA Twigs, the Libertines, The xx, Masego, M83, Kamasis Washington, Saint Jhn and Slowthai.
Radar also partners with festivals including Cinzella festival, Ypsigrock festival, Flowers festival, Todays festival, Spring attitude festival, Frac festival, Mengo festival and Farm festival.
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All Things Live acquires Agents After All
Nordic live entertainment giant All Things Live is continuing its expansion in Benelux with the acquisition of Agents After All.
Amsterdam-based Agents After All is one of the largest independent companies in the Dutch live entertainment market.
Founded in 2004 by Coen ter Wolbeek, Henkjan Onnink and Lesley Grieten, the 30-strong team is involved in 1,500 concerts annually in the Netherlands.
This includes shows at AFAS Live, Ziggo Dome, Rotterdam Ahoy and Olympic Stadium as well as festivals such as Royal Park Live, HIER Festival and Concert at SEA with 135,000 visitors annually.
Following the purchase, the current owners of Agents After All become partners and co-owners of All Things Live.
“We are excited about joining forces with All Things Live to accelerate our business development and growth as part of a respected partnership with an increasingly strong presence in Europe,” says Norbert Plantinga, managing director of Agents After All. “We look forward to the cooperation and delivering stellar experiences to the artists we have the honour to represent and their audiences.
“We are impressed with the entrepreneurial mindset and business acumen of the Agents After All team”
Kim Worsøe, member of the executive board of All Things Live Group, says: “We are impressed with the entrepreneurial mindset and business acumen of the Agents After All team and look forward to welcoming everyone as part of the All Things Live partnership as we continue to build a stronger platform in Benelux and the European live entertainment market. This expansion of our footprint establishes All Things Live as a leading European player, and we will continue to build our business together.”
All Things Live has been on an acquisition spree in 2022, buying up Antwerp-based management company Musickness and Italian promoter and agency Radar Concerti.
Also in 2022, the group announced the signing of international management firm Then We Take The World and launched an intimate three-day music festival in Copenhagen, Denmark, called Common Ground Festival.
Founded by Waterland Private Equity in 2018, All Things Live’s stable of festivals includes Big Slap in Malmö, Sweden and Weekend Festival in Hämeenlinna, Finland.
The All Things Live group, which mainly consists of promoters, also includes ICO Concerts and ICO Management & Touring (Denmark), Friction, Atomic Soul Booking and Stand Up Norge (Norway), Maloney Concerts, Monkfish and ROA (Sweden) and Busker Agency in Belgium.
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All Things Live promotes Norway’s biggest-ever gig
All Things Live has smashed the attendance record for a concert on Norwegian soil, hosting 60,000 fans at a Rammstein show.
The event took place on Sunday 24 June at Bjerke Travbane in Oslo and was the first-ever concert held at the horse racing track.
The previous attendance record was set by All Things Live subsidiary Atomic Soul with Eminem’s 2018 performance at Oslo Sommertid festival.
The rapper drew around 55,000 fans to the capital’s Voldsløkka sports stadium after tickets sold out in just six minutes.
Commenting on the Rammstein show, All Things Live Norway promoter Mark Vaughan says: “Bjerke Travbane was a fantastic venue to present this massive show. It doesn’t come any bigger than Rammstein and both band and crew were extremely happy after the show.”
All Things Live Norway has secured an exclusive agreement with Bjerke Travbane going forward, which will be the largest capacity arena in Norway.
“We have worked and invested a lot to make this venue compatible for the biggest artists in the world, now we have proved it works and we are looking forward to bringing stadium artists to Norway going forwards!” says Peer Osmundsvaag, All Things Live Norway.
“We are looking forward to bringing stadium artists to Norway going forwards”
News of the record-breaking concert comes as All Things Live announces yet another acquisition.
The private-equity-backed live entertainment group has sealed the deal with Stageway, a leading Norwegian live entertainment group that deals in artist management, booking and promoting.
The Bergen-based group’s activities are conducted via three companies: Stageway Talent, Komon Stageway and Stageway Teater.
Stageway Talent provides booking and promotion services across genres for a roster of more than 30 artists; Komon-Stageway delivers turnkey event solutions for large corporate customers and Stageway Teater produces comedy shows and acts as a management service provider for renowned Norwegian comedy duo Ylvis, among others.
Arne Svare, co-founder and CEO of Stageway, says: “We are so pleased to announce that we are joining forces with All Things Live to accelerate our joint business in Norway, the Nordics and beyond in the coming years. We have been part of the bustling live entertainment industry for four decades and known and respected the team behind All Things Live for years. Together, we will strengthen our offering to artists and customers while delivering even greater experiences for the audience.”
Knut Meiner, chairman and senior consultant of Komon-Stageway, adds: “Everyone in our companies have worked hard to build a strong reputation in the Norwegian market. We are absolutely thrilled to become part of a partnership, which is well-respected and shares our aspiration to grow the business based on deep understanding of the local market and a clear focus on bringing great live entertainment and fantastic corporate events to more people.”
“Stageway is a great business with fantastic talent, strong growth prospects and a perfect fit with our existing operations”
The management team and organisation of Stageway will remain unchanged, and existing contracts and customer relationships will not be affected by All Things Live’s acquisition of Stageway Talent, Komon-Stageway and Stageway Teater. In connection with the transaction, the current owners of the three companies become partners and co-owners of All Things Live.
“Stageway is a great business with fantastic talent, strong growth prospects and a perfect fit with our existing operations in All Things Live Norway. We are very pleased to welcome the great people behind Stageway who will contribute greatly to the development of our partnership in Norway and internationally,” says Kim Worsøe, member of the executive board of All Things Live Group.
Completion of the transaction is subject to regulatory approval by the Norwegian Competition Authority. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.
All Things Live has been on an acquisition spree in the past fortnight, this week enhancing its presence in Belgium with the addition of management company Musickness.
Last week, All Things Live signalled its expansion into the Italian market with the acquisition of promoter and agency Radar Concerti and also recently announced the signing of international management firm Then We Take The World.
All Things Live was established in 2018 as “the new independent market leader in Nordic live entertainment” following Waterland Private Equity’s acquisition of six leading Scandinavian promoters and agencies.
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All Things Live seals Musickness acquisition
Nordic live entertainment giant All Things Live has continued its acquisition spree, enhancing its presence in Belgium with the addition of management company Musickness.
Antwerp-based Musickness was founded in 1992 and has a team of eight people representing 24 artists including Tamino, Deus, Balthazar, Eefje De Visser and Tourist LeMC.
The company, which is led by co-founder Christian Pierre, expanded into the Netherlands in 2020 with the opening of a Rotterdam office.
“Our team is excited to be joining All Things Live and eager to contribute to the continued growth of the group based on our 30 years of experience in the music management industry,” says Pierre. “We will build an even stronger business in our existing markets and expand our reach as part of the partnership.”
“We continue to expand the footprint of All Things Live and deepen our local presence and network”
The acquisition strengthens All Things Live’s management business and will contribute to its continued international expansion.
“We continue to expand the footprint of All Things Live and deepen our local presence and network with the acquisition of Musickness and the outstanding team and artists,” adds All Things Live Group executive board member Kim Worsøe. “We look forward to welcoming everyone to the All Things Live family and working together to grow the partnership together.”
Last week, All Things Live signalled its expansion into the Italian market with the acquisition of promoter and agency Radar Concerti and also recently announced the signing of international management firm Then We Take The World.
All Things Live was established in 2018 as “the new independent market leader in Nordic live entertainment” following Waterland Private Equity’s acquisition of six leading Scandinavian promoters and agencies.
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All Things Live links with Danish management firm
Leading Nordic live entertainment company All Things Live has strengthened its roster with the signing of international management firm Then We Take The World (TWTTW).
Founded in Copenhagen in 2010 by Lasse Siegismund and Kasper Faerk, TWTTW is home to clients such as Danish pop band Lukas Graham.
Faerk will continue as manager of all artists currently on the firm’s roster in the wake of the All Things Live deal, while Siegismund will head TWTTW Songs, an independent song and publishing management company.
“I am excited to join the All Things Live partnership and become part of the leading live entertainment company in the Nordics, growing at a rapid pace and exuding positive energy and ambition,” says Frank.
“Then We Take The World will surely bring a lot of valuable experience from the past 12 years and contribute to the continued development of All Things Live, and I look forward to working closely with a lot of great new colleagues while maintaining a strong relationship with Lasse in the years ahead.”
“We are pleased to welcome Then We Take The World and their artists to our partnership as we continue to grow the business and provide people with great live experiences”
Waterland Private Equity-backed All Things Live represents artists and promotes events in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Belgium.
“We are pleased to welcome Then We Take The World and their artists to our partnership as we continue to grow the business and provide people with great live experiences by talented artists,” adds All Things Live Group executive board member Kim Worsøe.
As announced earlier this year, Gry Mølleskog is set to take over as All Thing Live Group CEO from 1 August. She will also take on the role of country CEO for the All Things Live companies in Norway.
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Gry Mølleskog named Group CEO of All Things Live
Leading Nordic live entertainment company All Things Live has appointed Gry Mølleskog as group CEO, effective from 1 August.
In addition, she will also take on the role of country CEO for the All Things Live companies in Norway.
The Waterland Private Equity-backed company represents artists and promotes events in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Belgium.
“All Things Live is one of the most exciting companies in live entertainment in Europe,” says Mølleskog. “The group is well-positioned for further growth, and I look forward to building on this strong foundation together with the ambitious owners.”
Mølleskog boasts more than 30 years of experience, which includes management and board positions in Nordic and international companies.
“All Things Live is one of the most exciting companies in live entertainment in Europe”
She currently serves as Lord Chamberlain (CEO) of the Royal Court of Norway where she previously worked in chief of staff positions for a total of seven years.
Other former positions include senior client partner with recruiter Korn/Ferry International and various management roles at SAS where she was senior vice president and part of the executive management team from 1998 to 2003.
Current group CEO Kim Worsøe will continue as a member of the All Things Live Group board of directors and will focus on the company’s expansion in Europe including acquisitions and artist relations across the group.
“All Things Live has seen tremendous growth over the last three years and is today in a great position to continue this positive development,” says Worsøe. “I am confident that Gry Mølleskog will be a strong addition to the organisation and able to support our future growth journey and I look very much forward to working together with her.”
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