FKPE: Why we’re investing in touring entertainment
We have to admit, when we first opened Jurassic World: The Exhibition at London’s ExCeL Centre in 2022, we weren’t quite expecting the huge response it got. But it was so successful (selling 314,000 tickets in just over four months) that it cemented our confidence in the exhibition, family entertainment, comedy, and special projects business.
In fact, we’re so excited by the potential for this segment that we’re launching a business division dedicated to it: FKP Scorpio Entertainment (FKPE).
Headquartered in London, FKPE will be led by James Cassidy and Barry Campbell, who launched FKP UK in 2018 with BBC Studios’ very successful Blue Planet II Live In Concert arena tour.
We are now investing significantly, including acquiring exhibition companies, adding staff, and developing new venues across Europe to accommodate the content we will be promoting in the coming years.
Currently, we have Semmel Exhibitions’ Disney 100: The Exhibition at ExCeL (it’s sold over 250,000 tickets so far). We are delighted with the venue, so confirmed an exclusive tenancy deal until 2027 and have many major IP exhibitions and events in the pipeline. Up next, will be London and multi-territory European presentations of Formula 1: The Exhibition (opening doors at ExCeL later this year), plus we are collaborating on a new experiential project with a major global gaming IP, details to be announced soon.
We plan to not only promote experiences but invest in producing content, too ,and will be making some major announcements later this year.
“In addition to our long-term agreement with ExCeL in London, we’re on schedule to complete the renovation and build of our own 8,000sqm exhibition venue”
While there are some crossover skills, promoting exhibitions is a completely different ballgame to concerts. That’s why, alongside James, Barry, and the team, we’re expanding our portfolio through the acquisition of Sweden- based Nordic Exhibitions & Events Ltd. The company was founded by promoter Stefan Papengelis in 2016 and has to date sold approximately 700,000 tickets in the Scandinavian market. Papengelis and his team of six will not only work closely with FKP Sweden managing director Bozo Rasic but will report directly into FKPE London and be responsible for developing the growth of exhibitions and special events in all Nordic markets. As part of the acquisition, FKPE now owns promotion rights to Jurassic World by Brickman, Titanic: The Exhibition, and Van Gogh Alive, which opens in Örebro this summer.
As anyone working in this sector knows, a lack of venue availability is a sticking point across Europe. So, in addition to our long-term agreement with ExCeL in London, we’re on schedule to complete the renovation and build of our own 8,000sqm exhibition venue in Oberhausen, Germany. The new venue will host separate but adaptable exhibition spaces in one location, close to transport links and smack bang in the middle of the Rhine/Ruhr catchment area, which is home to over 15m people. It is our intention for this to become the ultimate German destination for exhibitions and immersive events in years to come. IPs are lining up, there are so many great producers and excellent content out there, but we tend to find that there just aren’t enough venues. Our approach in Oberhausen will be to offer that balance between the tier-one IP and mid-portfolio exhibitions in a fully serviced one-stop venue destination.
In addition to Oberhausen, we also have a touring portable structure in Stockholm, which will be put to use for future exhibitions across Europe, something we are very keen to develop further.
Comedy is another key part of our strategy. In Germany alone, we’ve promoted over 365 shows in the last two years, selling more than 250,000 tickets. To support this German success, we’ve recruited top UK comedy promoter Ollie Catchpole (ex Robomagic/ATG) to join the FKPE international team – he will be working closely with all our offices to bring great comedy tours into UK & Europe.
As you can probably tell from our activities, we’re extremely confident about the future. There are now so many more exhibitions and special project events for people to go to these days, and FKPE can’t wait to be at the heart of it!
This article was first published in the Touring Entertainment Report 2024, which is available exclusively to IQ subscribers in print or as a digital magazine. Subscribe now and view the full report. A preview version is below.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
FKP Scorpio Ent announces major expansion plans
FKP Scorpio is expanding its exhibition, family entertainment, comedy, spoken word and special projects business under the newly upgraded FKP Scorpio Entertainment (FKPE) umbrella.
The company structure includes a rebranding of its German FKP Scorpio Show Creations company, which will become part of the new wider FKPE business model moving forward. It has also announced the acquisition of Sweden’s Nordic Exhibitions.
Headquartered in London, the international operation will be led by president James Cassidy and senior promoter Barry Campbell, who launched FKP Scorpio UK in 2018 with the BBC Studios Blue Planet II Live in Concert arena tour.
“Under James and Barry’s fantastic leadership, our FKP Entertainment company has had an amazing start in this exciting new growth sector,” says FKP owner and CEO Folkert Koopmans. “We are not only acquiring great partners and content but are delivering results which we aim to emulate in all our key European markets. We will be investing heavily into this space and have also just acquired experienced events promoter Nordic Exhibitions & Events AB to add to our growing portfolio”
Formed in 2022, FKPE’s first project, in partnership with the Luna Entertainment Group, was the 2023 Jurassic World: The Exhibition at London ExCeL Centre, which sold 314,000 tickets in just over four months. Working in partnership with the ExCeL team, FKPE have secured an exclusive tenancy deal to 2027.
“We hope that FKPE will become the first call for any global IP or event producers”
FKPE is currently promoting Semmel Exhibition Disney 100: The Exhibition, which has shifted more than 240,000 tickets to dates and will run until 23 June. It will follow D100 with both London and multi-territory European presentations of Formula 1: The Exhibition, as well as investing in and promoting a new experiential exhibition with a major global gaming IP, with details to be announced later this year.
“Barry and I love what we do, if it’s a quality exhibition, family event or special project, then we are prepared to put our necks on the line to deliver results,” says Cassidy. “We hope that FKPE will become the first call for any global IP or event producers. Our FKP European teams have a wonderful network of offices and talented staff, so we hold no fear in presenting FKPE as the ultimate one stop UK and European solution for quality projects”
Also joining the FKPE London team are Nathan Birch as head of ticketing, Daisy Parry as special events co-ordinator, Suzy Bryant as marketing consultant and promoter Ollie Catchpole. Other hires will be announced soon.
Norrköping-based Nordic Exhibitions, founded by promoter and CEO Stefan Papangelis in 2016, will now be part of the FKP Scorpio Group and renamed FKP Scorpio Entertainment Nordic. The company has sold approximately 700,000 exhibition tickets in the Scandinavian markets.
Under the new operation, Papangelis and his team will work closely with Bozo Rasic, MD of FKP Scorpio Sweden, as well as reporting directly into FKPE London and responsible for developing the growth of exhibitions and special events in all Nordic markets.
“We really look forward to combining forces to make great successes in the Nordic markets and beyond”
“It’s truly fantastic to be part of the FKPE family, a perfect fit for us and we really look forward to combining forces to make great successes in the Nordic markets and beyond,” says Papangelis.
The development of the non-music economy has also been fuelled in Germany by FKP’s recent successes in the German comedy market. Headed by promoter Thilo Elsner, FKP has staged over 365 comedy shows in the last two years with more than 250,000 tickets sold.
In addition, FKPE is on schedule to complete the renovation and build of its own 8,000 square metre exhibition venue in Oberhausen, Germany.
Earlier this year, live music promoters FKP Scorpio UK and Communion Presents merged to form Communion ONE.
Koopmans, Cassidy and Campbell share more details on FKPE’s expansion plans in the 2024 Touring Entertainment Report (TER), which comes out next week.
“As you can probably tell from our activities, we’re extremely confident about the future,” they tell TER. “There are now so many more exhibitions and special project events for people to go to these days, and FKPE can’t wait to be at the heart of it.”
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
FKP Scorpio UK to merge with Communion Events
UK promoters FKP Scorpio UK and Communion Presents have announced they are merging with immediate effect to form Communion ONE.
Communion ONE’s team has promoted artists such as Ed Sheeran, Noah Kahan, Sam Fender, Lewis Capaldi, Phoebe Bridgers, Mitski, TEMS, The War on Drugs and Laufey.
The merged firm will be led by a board including managing directors Daniel Ealam, Mazin Tappuni and Scott O’Neill. The non-executive leadership team is formed by Communion Music’s MD Jamie Emsell, Communion co-founders Kevin Jones and Ben Lovett, FKP Scorpio CEO and founder Folkert Koopmans, and promoter Carlo Scarampi as a partner.
In addition, the Communion ONE team will include Carly Rocket as head of operations, and Julie Morgan, Olly Goddard, Rich Cheetham, Mike Werbowy and Jack Dedman as heads of marketing, ticketing, production, finance and venue programming, respectively.
“We believe that Communion ONE is creating an even more compelling proposition for our existing and future clients”
“Bringing our two brilliant teams together and combining our shared experience, resources and perspectives, is the most natural thing in the world,” says a joint statement by Ealam, Tappuni and O’Neill. “In doing so, we believe that Communion ONE is creating an even more compelling proposition for our existing and future clients. We’ve all had amazing success so far, but in many ways, we’re only just getting started.”
Sam Laurence’s promoter imprint, Dollop, also joins the newly unified company, with Eve Thomas and Hayley Moss completing the promoter team.
Other acts to have worked with the two companies or Dollop include Michael Kiwanuka, Self Esteem, Maggie Rogers, Holly Humberstone, Ben Howard, Olivia Dean, Dermot Kennedy, Jamie xx, The Lumineers, Bastille, Maisie Peters, George Ezra, Gabriels, Hauser, Greentea Peng, Jungle, The Reytons, Kelela and Calum Scott.
Hamburg-headquartered FKP Scorpio, which sold four million tickets across Europe in 2023, hired concert promoters Ealam and O’Neill from DHP Family in 2020 to head up and grow its then nascent UK touring business.
Communion ONE will also produce a new three-night night event series at Bristol’s 15,000-cap Queen Square
Communion ONE will plug into FKP Scorpio’s European touring network, with offices in 11 European countries, and will also produce a new three-night night event series at Bristol’s 15,000-cap Queen Square from 2025.
It will also continue to book TVG Hospitality’s UK portfolio and affiliates Lafayette, Omeara, The Social, along with its new partnerships with Village Underground and EartH. The firm also plans to expand its outdoor portfolio over the coming year.
Exhibitions specialist FKP Scorpio Entertainment, led by James Cassidy and Barry Campbell, and Communion Presents’ sister companies, Communion Records and Communion Publishing, will continue to operate independently of Communion ONE.
PHOTO (L-R): Daniel Ealam, Mazin Tappuni, Scott O’Neill & Carlo Scarampi
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
FKP Scorpio appoints tour leadership team
FKP Scorpio has promoted company veterans Inga Esseling and Ben Rodenberg to lead its tour department.
The two experienced employees will both serve as director touring, tasked with continuing to drive forward the portfolio and strategic direction of the division both internally and externally.
Esseling has been working at German-headquartered FKP since 2010. Starting as an assistant promoter, she now coordinates the core team around MD and founder Folkert Koopmans and is responsible for tours by artists including Ed Sheeran, Foo Fighters and the Rolling Stones.
“I am looking forward to continuing the successful work of the tour department together with Ben and to setting new trends in the future,” says Esseling. “We are part of a great team that we are both only too happy to be responsible for.”
“With Inga and Ben at the helm, we are ideally positioned for the future”
Rodenberg, who joined the group in 2017 when his Gastspielreisen agency became part of FKP Scorpio, will retain the management of Gastspielreisen and his roster of acts such as Moka Efti Orchestra, Kat Frankie, Betterov and Bulgarian Cartrader in his new role.
“We would like to thank our managing directors Folkert and Stephan [Thanscheidt] for their successful and cordial cooperation, and of course for the trust they have placed in us for this new role,” says Rodenberg.
Koopmans adds: “With Inga and Ben at the helm, we are ideally positioned for the future. Both have often proven that they can provide new impetus and meet the high demands of this industry. I am personally very pleased that many employees have been with us for such a long time and have the opportunity to develop further as a part of our team.”
Last week, it was revealed that FKP Scorpio UK has applied for a premise licence to stage a series of 15,000-cap live music events in Bristol’s Queen Square.
PHOTO (L-R): Stephan Thanscheidt, Ben Rodenberg, Inga Esseling and Folkert Koopmans.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
FKP Scorpio boss: ‘We partly play for an elite’
FKP Scorpio boss Folkert Koopmans discussed rising ticket prices, future acquisitions and competing with Live Nation in a keynote interview at the Reeperbahn Festival.
The European conference and showcase festival is taking place this week (20 and 23 September) across Hamburg, Germany.
The opening day of the event saw the FKP Boss sit down with MusikWoche journalist Manfred Tari in the Schmidt Theater, proclaiming “If you want to become an event organiser and expect a work-life balance, all I can say is: Don’t do it!”
On the subject of rising ticket prices, and the possibility that more and more fans will be priced out of concerts, Koopmans said: “Yes, we partly play for an elite who can afford such prices. The live business is not a social business. But as long as there are people who pay such high prices, the system will not change.”
Discussing market power and competition, Koopmans explained that although FKP cannot compete with Live Nation worldwide, they can in Europe, where the company is represented in eleven markets.
“As long as there are people who pay such high prices, the system will not change”
He also emphasised that he doesn’t work with companies but with people. “The music business is still a people’s business,” he said, revealing that a strong relationship with AEG Presents is how FKP has come to promote Taylor Swift’s German stadium concerts in 2024.
Koopmans also told delegates how investing in emerging talent has paid off for the company. “We don’t make any money at events in halls with a capacity of less than 1,000 people,” he said.
“For us, it’s more about building up artists with club gigs like this, who at some point might be able to fill stadiums like Ed Sheeran. Ed Sheeran has always remained loyal to FKP Scorpio and is also one of the artists who insist on a price cap for tickets.”
Rounding off the keynote, Koopmans told the audience that further acquisitions could be on the cards. “If the opportunity is right and I like the people we have there, we’ll take the opportunity,” he said, adding that his mantra for M&A is “no risk no fun”.
Reeperbahn organisers revealed that around 50,000 visitors and 4,000 delegates will have visited the four-day festival, by the time it closes tomorrow. While 475 concerts by 400 acts from 46 nations have taken place.
This year’s conference programme revolved around the theme of social sustainability, with discussions on monopolisation, AI, abuse of power and discrimination-free spaces, diversity, transformation processes, tomorrow’s perspectives, challenging a growth mentality and overcoming upheavals.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
FKP sees roaring presales after successful summer
FKP Scorpio boss Folkert Koopmans says the company is enjoying strong presales for its German festivals next year, despite price increases across the board.
The promoter wrapped up a successful 2023 festival summer with the Highfield Festival, organised with Semmel Concerts, which attracted 35,000 fans from 18-20 August.
Highfield featured acts such as Die Ärzte, K.I.Z, Marteria, SDP, RIN, Enter Shikari and Beatsteaks at the Störmthaler lake, just outside Leipzig. The presale has just begun for the 2024 edition, which will be held from 16-18 August.
The previous week saw the M’era Luna Festival take place before 25,000 fans in Hildesheim, featuring artists including Within Temptation and VV (Ville Valo). More than 60% of tickets for next year’s event, set for 10-11 August 2024, have already been sold. Acts will include ASP, Front 242, Saltatio Mortis, Lord of the Lost, Schandmaul, Die Krupps, Suicide Commando and Oomph!
Back in June, over 50,000 tickets were purchased on the first day of the presale for FKPs flagship Hurricane and Southside festivals, setting a new bar in the 20-plus-year history of the twin festivals in Scheeßel and Neuhausen ob Eck, respectively, which have a combined capacity of 143,000.
“We are still feeling the after-effects of the two pandemic years in many areas”
“The enormous popularity is the nicest confirmation for us,” says Koopmans. “We are still feeling the after-effects of the two pandemic years in many areas, especially in terms of price increases in all areas. And part of these costs, unfortunately, we have to pass on to the guests, even if we try to reduce this burden to a minimum.
“The fact that we have now organised successful festivals all around in the second year after the pandemic and that people have had a good time and trust us to offer them very special festival experiences again in 2024 makes us very happy.”
In addition, the 60,000-cap Deichbrand Festival sold out in 2023, and advance sales for next year have got off to a record-breaking start. The event will take place near Cuxhaven from 18-21 July.
“In a year in which many festivals and events have problems with advance ticket sales, to be completely sold out even before the festival begins is a terrific confirmation for us of the months of work and passion that everyone involved puts into the festival,” says festival MD Marc Engelke. “And after current record advance sales, more than 15,000 tickets have already gone through the store, which makes us extremely optimistic for the upcoming edition.”
“The positive feedback from our guests and the sensational advance sales inspire us”
FKP Scorpio CEO and head of festival booking Stephan Thanscheidt says further line-up details for next year will be revealed soon.
“My team and I are working flat out on the line-ups for 2024 and are sure we will be able to sign up great acts again and also reveal the first ones soon,” he adds. “The positive feedback from our guests and the sensational advance sales inspire us. We are very grateful for this appreciation and are already looking forward to the festival summer 2024!”
Speaking to IQ last month, Thanscheidt suggested the success of FKP’s festivals bucked the trend seen elsewhere in the country.
“Rising costs for virtually everything continue to take their toll,” he says. “Because of this, less demand and purchasing power, a lot of festivals are struggling, and we suspect their number to further decrease in the future. We consider ourselves very lucky that the demand for our remaining festivals such as Highfield and M’era Luna is stable, with the latter probably being sold-out shortly before the festival weekend.”
The company has tours later in the year with acts including The National and Queens of the Stone Age, and will also promote Taylor Swift’s Eras stadium dates in Germany next year.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
Reeperbahn secures keynote with FKP Scorpio boss
European conference and showcase festival Reeperbahn has announced a keynote speech with FKP Scorpio boss Folkert Koopmans on the current state of the festival market.
The news comes as Reepberbahn announces the first wave of names for this year’s event, taking place between 20 and 23 September across Hamburg, Germany.
This year’s conference programme will revolve around the theme of social sustainability, with discussions on monopolisation, AI, abuse of power and discrimination-free spaces, diversity, transformation processes, tomorrow’s perspectives, challenging a growth mentality and overcoming upheavals.
This year’s conference programme will revolve around the theme of social sustainability
Under that banner, Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion’s CEO Ben Mitha will be exploring the market power of the music industry’s stars, while digital transformation expert Charlotte Stahl (head of music operations DACH, TikTok) will talk about the best ways musicians can exploit the opportunities of TikTok.
Kiki Ressler (CEO, KKT), e-commerce expert Iris Bögenholz (COO, white label eCommerce) and Rembert Stiewe (festival director, OBS, Glitterhouse) will be discussing the impact of models, such as dynamic pricing or social ticketing, on the ticket market.
Elsewhere, mental health will be the main theme covered by songwriter Clueso in conversation with his manager Dr. Olaf Meinking. The pair will discuss the challenges faced by artists dealing with the highs and lows of their careers as well as the special relationship that exists between artists and their managers.
A rundown of all the speakers confirmed so far for the conference programme at Reeperbahn Festival is available here.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
Arcadia Live hails ‘successful’ debut of Lido Sounds
Austria’s Arcadia Live has reflected on the successful premiere of open-air concert series Lido Sounds.
More than 66,000 fans flocked to Austria’s third-largest city, Linz, between 16 and 18 June to watch performances from 35 artists, across two stages.
International stars Florence + the Machine, Alt-J, Phoenix, Arlo Parks, Interpol, Anna Calvi, Ashnikko and Sleaford Mods topped the bill, with support from German-speaking acts.
FKP Scorpio, parent company of Vienna-based Arcadia Live, hailed Lido Sounds as “an exciting addition to our festival cosmos”.
“I see the potential to firmly establish this event as a prominent highlight in the city’s cultural calendar”
“I am happy that Lido Sounds’ first edition was such a great success and that our concept for a city festival in Linz is working out,” says Folkert Koopmans, CEO of FKP Scorpio. “The team has done a great job and I see the potential to firmly establish this event as a prominent highlight in the city’s cultural calendar.”
Arcadia Live managing director Filip Potocki added: “I see people’s faces and it seems that a lot of people liked it. We got great feedback from the artists. A lot of them couldn’t believe that this was the first time Lido Sounds was happening, because a lot of things already worked so smoothly and were well thought out.”
Potocki says that Arcadia Live will use the coming days and weeks to assess areas of improvement and discuss the future of the festival with city officials.
“The following weeks will decide how Lido Sounds can be constantly integrated into the FKP festival program and establish itself within the European cultural scene,” he adds.
In addition to music, Lido Sounds featured culinary offerings, emerging domestic talents and afterparties at the nearby concert hall Brucknerhaus.
The event’s location, on the left bank of the Danube river (Urfahrmarkt), was easily reachable from neighbouring Germany and the Czech Republic.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
FKP chief Folkert Koopmans talks supply and demand
FKP Scorpio chief Folkert Koopmans has given a new interview ahead of the promoter’s flagship Southside and Hurricane festivals in Germany this weekend.
Southside and Hurricane take place in Neuhausen ob Eck and the Eichenring motorcycle speedway in Scheessel, respectively, today until Sunday (16-18 June). Artists on the bill for the twin events include Muse, Die Ärzte, Placebo, Queens of the Stone Age, The 1975 and Loyle Carner.
Speaking to NDR, Koopmans says that ticket sales for the 78,000-cap Hurricane picked up strongly over the past few weeks.
“Friday will be sold out and Saturday and Sunday will be a little weaker,” he says. “But we’re talking about 1,000 to 2,000 tickets that are still missing. Compared to previous years, it was a bit unusual that we have still been able to sell very well, especially in the last few weeks. We didn’t expect that at the beginning of May.”
Koopmans defends the increase in ticket prices for Hurricane by €30 to €249 (Southside tickets have also gone up €10 to €259), pointing to rising production costs.
“The prices should be even higher if we look at the cost development”
“Actually, the prices should be even higher if we look at the cost development,” he argues. “But we’re also finding that people just don’t have more money, and it would probably hurt sales significantly if we took any more money. We always try to find a balance between income and expenses, and that becomes more difficult from year to year.
“I believe that with the Hurricane Festival we have a very strong brand that is also well established. But I believe that many smaller festivals in particular will suffer from this.”
He continues: “Ultimately, it is a supply-demand relationship. The ticket buyer ultimately has to decide what to spend on a ticket and must be very careful where to buy the tickets and at what premium. We will go on sale again next Tuesday with a price of €199 for a certain contingent and I believe that buyers will have quite an opportunity to buy these tickets at regular prices.”
Koopmans also doubles down on his recent claim that only 20% of festivals are still profitable, post-pandemic, partly attributing that forecast to artist fees.
“That partly has to do with the artists’ fees,” he says. “But you have to say that there was actually a relatively large turnaround about 10 years ago, because the artists no longer live on their [German performance rights organisation] GEMA income or the income they generate from record sales. Now it’s all the costs around it that make it up.”
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.
FKP boss laments ‘exploding’ festival costs
FKP Scorpio CEO Folkert Koopmans has laid bare the post-pandemic financial struggles faced by festivals, estimating that only 20% are still profitable.
The company’s flagship Hurricane festival returns to the Eichenring motorcycle speedway in Scheessel, Germany for its landmark 25th edition from 16-18 June with acts such as Muse, Die Ärzte, Placebo, Queens of the Stone Age, The 1975 and Loyle Carner.
But in an interview with Kreiszeitung, Koopmans says the event lost money in 2022 despite selling out – and warns the sector is being “overwhelmed” by spiralling costs.
“The fact that we didn’t make any money with a sold-out Hurricane in 2022, but actually lost it, was of course also due to the fact that we had basically sold the tickets three years earlier,” he points out. “But since all festivals are now being overwhelmed by the costs, I believe that in the end only 20% of them will still be making money. This problem was already indicated in 2016/17, but after corona it got particularly bad.
“Of course, like our other festivals, we don’t want to give up the Hurricane, because ultimately they are important, they’re part of the portfolio and, in addition, they’re building up a lot of bands. But as I said, it’s a problem, and we’re monitoring further developments very closely in view of the growing demands everywhere.
“We’re struggling with it, trying to keep the costs under control. But it’s incredibly difficult. Of course, we also have an extremely high break-even point. And my company now earns money primarily from the big concerts, for example from the Rolling Stones or Ed Sheeran.”
“On average, we have a cost increase of 30% across the board – this also applies to groceries, leases and stages”
He adds that the days of top acts being able to generate more income from festivals than their own headline shows are over.
“It was just very interesting for a band to play at festivals,” he says. “That was the business where you made money. For example, the band played their own shows for €10,000, but then got €50,000 at the festival. Today it’s the other way around – we have to fight at the festivals while they make more money at their own shows.”
And while organisers have raised average ticket price to €249 for this year’s event, Koopmans says that was cancelled out by other factors.
“The price should have been much higher – and not just because of the more expensive bands,” he says. “On average, we have a cost increase of 30% across the board – this also applies to groceries, leases and stages.”
Koopmans says there is no chance of the 78,000-cap festival growing further, and was more likely to become smaller due to the diversification of the festival landscape.
“But of course I also have the cost pressure,” he adds. “Let’s assume that I would limit the festival to 70,000 visitors and thus sell 8,000 fewer tickets – then I would have the problem that I would lose 8,000 times the income. So it’s not that simple. So we’ll have to see where this all goes, whether, for example, more people are willing to spend even more money for more luxury and comfort. That might be the way.”
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.