Country Profile: Norway

Economically, Norway may be thriving, but its position outside the eurozone remains problematic.

“The Norwegian currency is at a historical low – or rather, we’ve gotten used to it being abnormally strong – so now’s the time to get creative, as our ability to pay isn’t what it used to be,” says Agnes Steen Eckersberg, promoter at All Things Live. “We have to be mindful when pricing tickets, as we can’t place the burden of higher costs on fans. Being smart with tiered pricing and scaling while ensuring we don’t make concerts an experience limited to elite ticket-buyers is important.”

It’s a sentiment echoed by the territory’s other leading promoters, Live Nation and FKP Scorpio, as well as smaller operators such as Bergen Live, a regional promoter now majority owned by Live Nation, and specialist operators such as A Comic Soul (Jimmy Carr, Trevor Noah, and Anthony Jeselnik are a few of their upcoming bookings). In addition, there are several independent promoters who book significant acts and events, such as Sky Agency and Nordic Beats.

A further challenge is a lack of suitable stadiums and venues for the largest touring productions – Trondheim’s Lerkendal Stadion holds around 20,000, while Oslo’s Ullevaal Stadion can take around 31,000 – and the need for more regional indoor arenas to enable year-round shows. “We have a great open-air arena of up to 23,000-cap at Bergenhus Fortress in the city centre (we are the licence holder) but the need for bigger capacities, and a modern indoor arena, is definitely a major factor if we are to be able to compete with other cities,” says Bergen Live’s managing director Frank Nes.

While musicians have a wide variety to choose from, there is a definite lack of smaller seated rooms and comedy clubs”

There are issues with smaller venues, too. “While musicians have a wide variety to choose from, there is a definite lack of smaller seated rooms and comedy clubs,” says A Comic Soul’s general manager Erik Andreas Uppstrøm. In Oslo, Latter [comedy club] has a 200-cap, and that’s about it. The situation is similar or worse in the other cities.”

That being said, Bergen Live was the local promoter for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band this summer at a new 45,000-capacity site at Bergen harbour, and Ed Sheeran will perform at Ullevaal next year, promoted by FKP Scorpio.

“Ticket sales have been fantastic and setting new records at Ullevaal Stadium,” says Stian Pride, the company’s head promoter in Norway. “And it’s definitely our high-water mark, too – we’re extremely grateful to get the opportunity to present this singular artist in Norway.”

In other venue-related news, Oslo’s Spektrum Arena – a staple on the touring circuit – is closing for renovations and a 14-month rebuild next summer; shows will be shifted to 25,000-cap Unity Arena, previously the Telenor Arena.

“It’s an exciting change that will allow us to scale these types of shows differently and contribute to healthy competition between the two venues once they both open up”

“It’s a larger arena but not as centrally located, so it will be very interesting to see how this will impact arena touring in Norway,” says Pride. “It’s an exciting change that will allow us to scale these types of shows differently and contribute to healthy competition between the two venues once they both open up,” adds Eckersberg.

And, as part of the renovation, the addition of a new room/ venue at Spektrum will, says Uppstrøm, “give us an alternative between the 1,400-cap theatres and the arenas. That should enable us to bring a wider variety of acts to the market.”

Artist building here comes down to the age-old strategy of playing well, playing often, and playing outside the capital.

“Don’t underestimate playing smaller shows,” says Eckersberg.

“Don’t underestimate playing smaller shows”

“Having more intimate concerts for fans who were there first will build a stronger foundation for future tours.” Targeting showcase festivals with a view to getting festival plays the following summer is another good strategy, as is targeting festivals that still prioritise presenting new international artists. “Events like Øya, Pstereo, Parken, Bergenfest, Bukta, and Malakoff all have a good track record in that regard,” adds Pride.

Overall, the outlook is positive, with growth set to continue. There remains a surprisingly high number of festivals, both independent and run by bigger companies. “We’re particularly proud of Oslo’s Tons of Rock, which is now Norway’s largest festival,” says John Reid, Live Nation’s president of concerts for Europe.

“We’ve been really happy with the outcome of the two festivals Bergen Live produces, namely Bergenfest in June and newcomer Feelings Festival in August, which we promote along
with partner Live Nation, Sky Agency, and Momentium,” says Nes.