Nielsen Sells Skandinavian

The Viking saga that’s rumbled on since German promoter FKP Scorpio announced it was setting up a Danish festival added another chapter with the news that Brian Nielsen has sold his agency business.

Celebrating a sold-out Northside Festival are (L-R): Mads Sörensen (Beatbox), Folkert Koopmans (FKP Scorpio), Flemming Myllerup ,Brian Nielsen (Skandinavian), Stephan Thanscheidt (FKP Scorpio) John Fodge (Northside), and Leif Skov.

Nielsen and Flemming Myllerup, his partner in Skandinavian, have let the company go to former employees Morten Elley, Sarah Norlund, Silver Steen and Theis Smedegaard.

“It was time to step down, as our success on the festival market in Denmark was beginning to obstruct the free role of our agents as other festivals were uncomfortable buying bands from a competitor,” Nielsen told Pollstar.

Skandinavian, along with Copenhagen-based Beatbox, was one of the agencies boycotted by major Danish festivals Roskilde, Skanderborg, Nibe and Jelling because of their involvement with Scorpio and Tinderbox.

Nielsen and Myllerup’s selling of Skandinavian, which represents such Danish acts as Aqua, DJ Static, Kashmir, Mø, Nephew, Poul Krebs, and TV-2, could mean it’s the second time the Danish festivals’ ban has missed its target.

Beatbox chief Mads Sørensen sold his half of the company to partner Peter Sørensen before letting his concerts business go to Scorpio. Peter Sørensen has since complained that he’s been hit with a ban over a matter that has nothing to do with him.

He told Danish paper Politiken he’s the victim of a “completely unfair attack.”

News of the sale of Skandinavian came via a Facebook message that Nielsen posted Oct. 9, which began: “Flemming and I have yesterday sold our business.”

The festivals are understood to be meeting Oct. 27 to further discuss their boycott of Beatbox and Skandinavian.