By:Larm Sells Out

Norway’s By:Larm showcase conference has sold out in advance for the first time in its 16-year history.

All 1,000 of its delegate passes were sold nearly two weeks before this year’s edition (Feb. 13-16) was due to open.

Last year it sold out on the opening day and organizer Bureau Storm opted to stick with the same capacity to avoid making the conference at the Royal Christiania Clarion Hotel too crowded.

More importantly from an international perspective, there’s been a 172 percent rise in the number of delegates coming from outside Norway. This year there will be more than 700 of them.

There are still a few tickets for the Oslo gathering’s showcase gigs, which take place in 16 club or dance hall venues dotted around the Norwegian capital, including Two Tent, Rockefeller and Sentrum Scene. There will be over 250 (mainly Nordic) acts.

By:Larm and Oslo host the Nordic Music Prize, an award given annually to composers or musicians that have expanded the reach of Scandinavian music. This year’s prize-giving is at the city’s Norwegian Centre for Design and Architecture Feb. 14.