FKP Scorpio Sweden partners Niklas Lundell and Joel Borg have left the company after six years to launch their own promoting brand Rush Entertainment, IQ can exclusively reveal.

Joining them from FKP Scorpio Sweden are veteran promoter Johanna Beckman, Magnus Olsson (partnerships), Dino Vulic (projects) and Agneta Edgren (finance).

Operating out of Gothenburg and Stockholm, Rush (a name chosen for its “forward movement, high tempo and that rush that we create in people with live music, festivals and clubs”) will promote domestic and international artists, as well as festivals including Rosendal Garden Party in Stockholm and Natura Festival, a new boutique event in Gotland.

Lundell and Borg have worked together for almost two decades, having launched their careers at Luger (now a division of Live Nation) in 2006. After 10 years at the company, the pair left to launch their own firm Woah Dad Live AB, which was acquired by FKP Scorpio Sweden in 2019.

As part of the deal, Lundell and Borg became shareholders and board members of the Hamburg-based group’s Swedish operation, which has been active since 2011.

“I’m hoping that we can maybe soften some of the power balances a little bit and create a more collaborative environment”

“We felt it was time to go back to our roots as boutique promoters,” Borg tells IQ. “We worked at FKP for six years and it’s been very good – we built the company up to half a billion euros and have organised hundreds of concerts but it’s time now to fly with our own wings.

“We saw a good opportunity for a company working internationally with many different promoters or booking agencies. In the Swedish industry, like elsewhere in Europe, major companies have a big share of the market but we could see that there’s a need for someone who can work with all of them. We don’t want to close any doors to anyone but we do want to challenge some of the old structures.”

Beckman, who is a partner in Rush, adds: “I’m hoping that we can maybe soften some of the power balances a little bit and create a more collaborative environment.”

While Rush is excited to embrace the advantages of independence, their split from FKP is amicable.

“We don’t leave FKP in bad blood,” says Borg. “It’s not always like that in our business. We are good friends and we will work on many projects together. We are here whenever they need help with bigger stuff [and vice versa].”

“Rosendal is a big part of who we are and what we want to do”

In fact, FKP has agreed to hand over the reins for Rosendal Garden Party in Stockholm – a three-day festival at the heart of Stockholm’s green areas, as it’s close to Rush’s heart.

Launched in 2022 after the pandemic, Rosendal has taken place on the Djurgården island in Stockholm with acts such as Tyler, The Creator, The Strokes, Florence + The Machine, The National Aphex Twin, Grace Jones, Massive Attack and Fever Ray.

“Rosendal is a big part of who we are and what we want to do,” explains Borg. “When [Niklas and I] built Way Out West in 2007 together with the team at Luger, it took us years and years to come to the position it’s in today but after just two or three years we have found Rosendal in a very good position. We want to continue building the festival in our way.”

Beckman, who has been instrumental in the organisation of Rosendal, adds: “It’s exactly what Stockholm needs as a festival. And we know the Stockholm mindset – the type of artists and music people in our city like. So I really feel that we can’t leave that behind.”

Rush will continue to promote concerts for a roster of international artists, which has included Robyn, Smash (Post Malone, ASAP Rocky), Tyler, The Creator, The Strokes, Florence + The Machine, Keinemusik, The Smile and Fever Ray. It will also continue with the successful electronic queer club Kind People Club that Beckman has been building in collaboration with the Swedish indie promotor Studio Sven.

“I think everyone can agree, the industry is not that healthy”

At the same time, the team will continue to work with acts in the increasingly important domestic scene such as the record-breaking star Håkan Hellström and Victor Leksell, one of the most streamed artists in Sweden.

Rush is currently securing the “best possible partners” for each project from club shows to stadium concerts to festivals.

Looking to the future, Borg says the company’s ambition is to develop new business models in the live music industry that attempt to tackle ongoing challenges.

“I think everyone can agree, the industry is not that healthy,” says Borg. “The costs, the structures, the sustainability, the ecosystem, ticket prices – there must be a better way to approach these things. That’s our vision.”

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International promoting giant FKP Scorpio has invested in a Swedish castle with a view to utilising it as a concert venue.

The company plans to host live music events at Drottningskär’s castle, which is part of the World Heritage Site of the naval city of Karlskrona, from this summer, with the opening lineup soon to be announced.

“This is a first step for us to develop the music and cultural offer in Karlskrona,” says Niklas Lundell of FKP Scorpio. “We see great potential in the city’s arenas combined with aggressive municipal destination work. This creates good conditions for us to invest.”

Work is currently underway to develop Drottningskär’s castle as a visitor destination over the long term with new content following the signing of an agreement between the municipality and the Statens Fastighetsverk (national property board) last spring.

“FKP Scorpio’s presence in the future will mean a lot for the city’s attractiveness”

“We are working on developing different parts of Drottningskär’s castle and quality concerts during the summer are an important step,” explains Pär Israelsson, Karlskrona director of tourism.

“Of course, we are incredibly proud that FKP Scorpio chooses Karlskrona and this unique concert arena. Karlskrona needs more cultural and musical events spread throughout the year. FKP Scorpio’s presence in the future will mean a lot for the city’s attractiveness.”

Other highlights for FKP Scorpio Sverige, which is part of the Hamburg-based FKP Scorpio group, include a warm-up gig by Massive Attack at Filmstudio in Gothenburg on 5 June and NE-YO’s first Swedish concert since 2010 at Hovet in Stockholm on June 29.

The firm is also organising Chris Isaak’s first performance in Sweden in 12 years at the Waterfront in Stockholm on 17 August and the only Swedish date on Girl in Red’s upcoming tour at Annexet, Stockholm, on 2 October.

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