FKP Scorpio Sweden partners Niklas Lundell and Joel Borg have left the company after six years to launch their own promoting brand Rush Entertainment, IQ can exclusively reveal.

Joining them from FKP Scorpio Sweden are veteran promoter Johanna Beckman, Magnus Olsson (partnerships), Dino Vulic (projects) and Agneta Edgren (finance).

Operating out of Gothenburg and Stockholm, Rush (a name chosen for its “forward movement, high tempo and that rush that we create in people with live music, festivals and clubs”) will promote domestic and international artists, as well as festivals including Rosendal Garden Party in Stockholm and Natura Festival, a new boutique event in Gotland.

Lundell and Borg have worked together for almost two decades, having launched their careers at Luger (now a division of Live Nation) in 2006. After 10 years at the company, the pair left to launch their own firm Woah Dad Live AB, which was acquired by FKP Scorpio Sweden in 2019.

As part of the deal, Lundell and Borg became shareholders and board members of the Hamburg-based group’s Swedish operation, which has been active since 2011.

“I’m hoping that we can maybe soften some of the power balances a little bit and create a more collaborative environment”

“We felt it was time to go back to our roots as boutique promoters,” Borg tells IQ. “We worked at FKP for six years and it’s been very good – we built the company up to half a billion euros and have organised hundreds of concerts but it’s time now to fly with our own wings.

“We saw a good opportunity for a company working internationally with many different promoters or booking agencies. In the Swedish industry, like elsewhere in Europe, major companies have a big share of the market but we could see that there’s a need for someone who can work with all of them. We don’t want to close any doors to anyone but we do want to challenge some of the old structures.”

Beckman, who is a partner in Rush, adds: “I’m hoping that we can maybe soften some of the power balances a little bit and create a more collaborative environment.”

While Rush is excited to embrace the advantages of independence, their split from FKP is amicable.

“We don’t leave FKP in bad blood,” says Borg. “It’s not always like that in our business. We are good friends and we will work on many projects together. We are here whenever they need help with bigger stuff [and vice versa].”

“Rosendal is a big part of who we are and what we want to do”

In fact, FKP has agreed to hand over the reins for Rosendal Garden Party in Stockholm – a three-day festival at the heart of Stockholm’s green areas, as it’s close to Rush’s heart.

Launched in 2022 after the pandemic, Rosendal has taken place on the Djurgården island in Stockholm with acts such as Tyler, The Creator, The Strokes, Florence + The Machine, The National Aphex Twin, Grace Jones, Massive Attack and Fever Ray.

“Rosendal is a big part of who we are and what we want to do,” explains Borg. “When [Niklas and I] built Way Out West in 2007 together with the team at Luger, it took us years and years to come to the position it’s in today but after just two or three years we have found Rosendal in a very good position. We want to continue building the festival in our way.”

Beckman, who has been instrumental in the organisation of Rosendal, adds: “It’s exactly what Stockholm needs as a festival. And we know the Stockholm mindset – the type of artists and music people in our city like. So I really feel that we can’t leave that behind.”

Rush will continue to promote concerts for a roster of international artists, which has included Robyn, Smash (Post Malone, ASAP Rocky), Tyler, The Creator, The Strokes, Florence + The Machine, Keinemusik, The Smile and Fever Ray. It will also continue with the successful electronic queer club Kind People Club that Beckman has been building in collaboration with the Swedish indie promotor Studio Sven.

“I think everyone can agree, the industry is not that healthy”

At the same time, the team will continue to work with acts in the increasingly important domestic scene such as the record-breaking star Håkan Hellström and Victor Leksell, one of the most streamed artists in Sweden.

Rush is currently securing the “best possible partners” for each project from club shows to stadium concerts to festivals.

Looking to the future, Borg says the company’s ambition is to develop new business models in the live music industry that attempt to tackle ongoing challenges.

“I think everyone can agree, the industry is not that healthy,” says Borg. “The costs, the structures, the sustainability, the ecosystem, ticket prices – there must be a better way to approach these things. That’s our vision.”

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Rosendal Garden Party has secured the final ever festival performance in Sweden by hardcore punk band Refused.

The Swedish group will perform on the opening night of the FKP Scorpio Sweden-promoted event, which returns from 14-16 June, alongside M.I.A. and Turnstile.

Refused, who last toured in 2020, are returning to the stage for the first time in four years in what is billed as: “Their only gig and their last festival gig in Sweden. Ever.”

“Rosendal Garden Party has always been about breaking patterns and transforming the old festival concept into something new”

“Rosendal Garden Party has always been about breaking patterns and transforming the old festival concept into something new,” says promoter Johanna Beckman of FKP Scorpio Sweden. “We’ve sought inspiration in art, activism, subcultures, and artists we love for their ability to shatter rigid structures. Both M.I.A. and Refused belong there. They have inspired us, and it feels fantastic that we can welcome both of them to Rosendal this year.”

The festival will also be headlined by fellow Swedish act The Cardigans, as well as Massive Attack. Other acts on the bill include Raye, Saint Levant, Grace Jones and The Heavy.

Three-day tickets are priced SEK1,995 (€178), while one-day tickets, which went on sale today, cost SEK995 (€89). Premium tickets are also available for SEK3,995 (€356) and SEK1,695 (€151), respectively.

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The LGBTIQ+ List 2023 – IQ Magazine’s third annual celebration of queer professionals who make an immense impact in the international live music business – has been revealed.

The ever-popular list is the centrepiece of IQ’s third Pride edition, sponsored by Ticketmaster, which is now available to read online and in print for subscribers.

To get to know this year’s queer pioneers a little better, we interviewed each of them on the development of the industry, the challenges that are keeping them up at night and more.

Throughout the next month, IQ will publish a new interview each day. Check out yesterday’s profile with Hila Aviran, director of entertainment & tours at PixMob in the US. The series continues with Johanna Beckman (she/her), senior creative curator & promotor at FKP Scorpio Sweden.

Johanna Beckman has worked for 20 years in the Swedish music and club scene, as a manager, a festival organiser, DJ, and promoter. “It has been a DIY process; the first 10-15 years taught me a lot and gave me grounding in what I know and who I am. Since September 2020, I have worked at FKP Scorpio, and I have never felt so at home anywhere. It is a company that is open and trusts us promoters when it comes to our skills and knowledge. My biggest strengths are developing new concepts and booking diverse lineups.”

Tell us about the professional feat you’re most PROUD of in 2023 so far.
The full Saturday lineup for our Rosendal Garden Party is definitely the one. Aphex Twin came to play live for the first time ever in Sweden. The combination of him and Fever Ray when we first announced [the lineup] was just the perfect match and sold a lot of tickets. The day started with fantastic experimental folk singer Sara Parkman and avantgarde saxophone player Bendik Giske, then UK DJ and producer Sherelle got the party in full swing before Fever Ray and Aphex Twin. The afterparty was at Kind People Club, which I started last year with the promoters at Studio Sven. It’s a club concept with the aim of being just that: a kind people club. I want it to feel like a big hug and a totally free space to love, dance, and be yourself.

Name one queer act you’re itching to see live this year.
Saucy Santana. Wanted to see him for a year or so now. Time to come to Sweden. I missed Grove at Great Escape this year. Biggest mistake. When it comes to DJs, I tried booking Saoirse for our last Kind People Club. I will invite her soon, and I can’t wait to dance to one of her sets – not only in my living room. I am definitely going to her festival Body Movements this year.

What advice could you give to young queer professionals?
Make sure to link with other queer people in the industry in other countries; that global network is truly valuable for your growth. Don’t think you have to do everything all at once when young; do not get stressed by not achieving everything from the beginning. Trust the process, and if you are not feeling good about a job, working with certain people that don’t allow you to be who you are or where you don’t feel good, do not be afraid of letting something go or moving on. My experience is that saying no or letting something go will open up possibilities you never would have imagined.

“More people will go for the smaller boutique festivals and events that match their own tastes and where they feel at home”

What’s the best mistake you’ve ever made?
Not embracing my pansexuality earlier. I have been part of the queer scene since an early age, and my big mission as a promoter has always been improving diversity in my bookings. But I have often forgotten myself and my own wellbeing. This has now ended, and I feel happier and freer than ever.

In terms of challenges in the industry, what’s currently keeping you up at night?
That we, in 2023, still have festivals, promotors etc that book cis-white-male artists only and that use the same old “we book talent rather than gender” or “females don’t sell” excuses. There are no excuses like that anymore.

How do you see the live music business developing in the next few years?
The big stadium shows and festivals will still live their life. But I think more and more people will go for the smaller boutique festivals and events that match their own tastes and where they feel at home and build their own community more. Something that feels more close and also more sustainable. With the climate crisis, we will have to change the way we travel and be more local.

“We are supposed to entertain all parts of society, not just the broader masses”

Name one thing you’d like to see the live music business change.
There is still a lot of homophobia and racism in the live industry. We have to continue educating and learning as much as we can and should be the forerunners for change; that is a role music should have in society.

Name one thing the industry could do to be a more equitable place.
Be better at supporting diversity. Make sure to book diverse but also make sure to have a diverse workplace. Thrive to make sure we elevate artists that comes from minorities. We are supposed to entertain all parts of society, not just the broader masses.

Shout out your biggest ally in the live music industry.
Rauha Kyyrö – who I have had the privilege of working closely with as she is the owner of our Finnish company, Fullsteam. I learned so much from her and admire her.

Do you support any LGBTIQ+ causes?
I recently donated to OutRight International’s work in Uganda. I am continuously learning about the struggles for trans people and supporting the movement for trans rights.

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IQ Magazine has revealed the LGBTIQ+ List 2023 – the third annual celebration of queer professionals who make an immense impact in the international live music business.

The ever-popular list is the centrepiece of IQ’s third Pride edition, sponsored by Ticketmaster, which is now available to read online and in print for subscribers.

The 20 individuals comprising the LGBTIQ+ List 2023 – as nominated by our readers and verified by our esteemed steering committee – are individuals that have gone above and beyond to wave the flag for an industry that we can all be proud of.

The third instalment comprises agents, promoters, tour managers, marketing executives, consultants, founders and more – all of whom identify as LGBTIQ+ and, in the face of adversity, have made enormous contributions to their respective sectors.

In alphabetical order, the LGBTIQ+ List 2023 is:

Christina Austin, music agent, United Talent Agency (UK)
Hila Aviran, director of entertainment & tours, PixMob (US)
Johanna Beckman, senior creative curator and promoter, FKP Scorpio Sweden (SE)
Amy Greig, booking agent, Runway Artists (UK)
Adem Holness, head of contemporary music, Southbank Centre (UK)
Kane Kete, client development manager, Ticketmaster (AU)
Ippei Kimura, booking/marketing/tour manager, Creativeman Productions (JP)
Katherine Koranteng, marketing & campaigns manager, Festival Republic (UK)
Stefan Lehmkuhl, freelance curator & live entertainment consultant, BMG/Ruined My Rainbow (DE)
Lucy Mackenzie McNae, tour manager (Josef, Twin Atlantic), Two and a Half TMs (UK)
Saskhia Menendez, innovator at Keychange, board of directors at F-List Music (UK)
Dev Mistry, global internal comms manager, DICE (UK)
Frederik Diness Ove, founder, Queer Music Agency (DK)
Boyan Pinter (Boiadjiev), founder/director, SPIKE Bulgarian Music Showcase (BG)
Scott Robson, event manager, ASM Global (UK)
Roman Samotný, director, Queer Slovakia (SK)
Marie-Christine Scheffold, senior booking agent manager, Selective Artists (DE)
Karim Siddiqui, senior booking manager, Live Nation (US)
Areti Tziorta, marketing manager, TEG Europe (UK)
João Pedro Viana, music agent, WME (UK)

Throughout the next month, IQ will be publishing full-length interviews with each person on the LGBTIQ+ List 2023.

Subscribers can read the full Pride edition now. Click here to subscribe to IQ from less than £8 a month – or see what you’re missing out on with the limited preview below.

Check out 2022’s cohort of queer pioneers here, and 2021’s cohort here.