Norway Live Income Grows

Total income from concerts was NOK 1.9 billion (about $227.9 million) in 2015 – a 4 percent increase compared with the year before.  

“The amount is generated from tickets sales in Norway and artist fees from concerts outside of Norway,” reads the annual “Music In Numbers” report, which is commissioned by the Norwegian Arts Council. Export income from concerts dropped 6 percent year-on-year to NOK 114 million ($13.7 million).

The report suggests lower artist fees were the reason. Overall live income amounts to 52 percent of total music industry revenues.

The entire market, including recorded music, streaming – excluding ad-supported services – and copyright income, was worth NOK 3.7 billion ($440.3 million) in 2015.

This marks an all-time high since tracking began in 2012. Music export office Music Norway said it was especially pleased “to see a 9 percent growth in sales of recorded music” to NOK 884 million ($104.4 million), as it “shows an increasing demand for Norwegian artists and bands both domestically and globally.”

“Yet there are some challenges,” Music Norway director Kathrine Synnes Finnskog told Pollstar. “The analysis doesn’t include some of the biggest artists we have today. Kygo, for instance, who has signed with a foreign management, label, publisher and agent abroad, because he didn’t find any suitable partners in Norway at the time.

“It’s important that we focus on building a stronger industry at home that can manage artists and their careers from Norway.”