FKP Steams Into Finland

The German promoter broke the news Sept. 19, a day after Pollstar exclusively revealed FKP had also bought an interest in Danish promoter Beatbox. With already a foot in the door in Sweden, where Hamburg-based FKP has a concert promoting business and a couple of festivals including the country’s biggest, the 60,000-capacity Bråvalla Festival at Norkopping, it only needs to move into Norway to have a substantial presence throughout the Scandinavian region.

Scorpio chief Folkert Koopmans is known to be in talks with potential Norwegian partners or acquisition targets, but the territory is more difficult because its biggest festival – given festivals are FKP’s forte – doesn’t pull as many as 20,000 people. It’s still unlikely that Koopmans, who clearly has the backing for European expansion from parent company CTS Eventim, will pass on Norway.

Of all the promoters in Eventim’s Medusa Group, FKP is the only one to have followed the giant ticketing firm by expanding beyond the home market. Apart from being one of Germany’s major festival and tour promoters, FKP also has a presence in two neighbouring countries, The Netherlands and Switzerland. A move into Norway would give Koopmans’ company an operation in seven territories, the only firm to mount any sort of challenge to Live Nation’s grasp on northern and western Europe.

The move into Finland may not be as controversial as the recent expansion in Denmark, where some national papers are questioning the legality of FKP getting over $4 million from the local Odense council to site its new Tinderbox Festival in the city, but it’ll likely ruffle a few feathers in the Nordic region. Some in Denmark are already claiming the public money being pumped into Tinderbox hugely disadvantages such established festivals as Roskilde, now others will likely claim FKP’s interest in Provinssirock is further threat to the famous Danish fest.

Tinderbox and Bråvalla, which are twinned and scheduled for June 25-27, one week before Roskilde, now have a triplet as Provinssirock will be on the same weekend. Provinssirock is 30 years old and has always been among the top two or three festivals in Finland. At Hamburg’s Reeperbahn Conference Sept.17-20, delegates with an interest in the Scandinavian market were questioning how Roskilde can offer fees to match those of the three-pronged rivalry of Tinderbox, Bråvalla and Provinssirock.

The purchase of Fullsteam may also raise some eyebrows at LN, whose Finnish office in Helsinki recently cut staff. Sources say the cuts were to compensate for losses of $1.5 million last year. Fullsteam chief Juha Kyyrö has established his company as the leading independent promoter in Finland, promoting 1,100 concerts and turning over $10.9 million in 2013. His company has collected a tranche of awards in recent years and he’ll now be in charge of Scorpio’s Scandinavian business.

“I am extremely happy and proud of the opportunity to get to manage and develop the best European festival and concert company’s operations in the Nordic region,” Kyyrö explained, saying the move was also a good one for Fullsteam’s staff and partners. Although his promoting and booking agency businesses are now FKP-owned, Kyyrö’s hanging on to his record label, management, publishing and merchandising companies, as well as his rehearsal studio. A year ago he sold his 50 percent share in his venues business to his partner.

“The experience we have gained in the Swedish and Danish event market in recent years have been very positive and has not only revealed the size of the market potential in these music-loving countries, but also the numerous synergies afforded by the presence on the live markets in several Nordic countries at the same time,” Koopmans said of his recent Nordic activity. While carrying out its expansion, Scorpio has increased its share capital from $32,800 to $1.3 million.