Unlike many other music festivals in Sweden, which have had to face the financial grave, Sweden Rock is the exception that confirms the rule. It is possible to organize a festival for the 30th time – and it is possible to get rich from a music festival.
The pandemic years hit the big million-dollar ship hard – but despite two losing years in a row, the company has survived thanks to a buffer. Sweden Rock is unlike many other festivals a limited company and not a non-profit association.
– There is a skewed idea that you must not make a profit from culture, but cultural activities are a balance where you can never know how it will go, says Martin Forssman, who now lives in Portugal but is active in the festival's booking group with, among other things, remote scheduling.
If you take big risks, which you have to do, if you run an event of this size, you automatically take a very big risk.
That he became wealthy at the hard rock festival in Blekinge is nothing he denies.
Building your brand
The Sweden Rock brand has a turnover of SEK 200 million per year. The largest revenue comes mainly from ticket purchases, followed by beverage sales and merchandise.
Tickets have been sold out since April. This year, a 1-day ticket has been SEK 1,598 and a 4-day ticket at SEK 3,798.
Forssman believes that the high prices go to the safety buffer.
"It makes us a lot less vulnerable.
40 million in dividends
Sweden Rock Festival AB is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Live Nation, since the group took over in 2016. Therefore, a large part of the profit now goes there.
But there is another limited company to which parts of the festival's revenue are moved, SRF Holding. The financial year for 2022 shows that this company had a profit of SEK 40.9 million and 40.7 million of them were then distributed to the shareholders.
Among them are the CEO and Chairman of the company, Mats Natvig, and Deputy CEO Martin Forssman. Jon Bergsjö, CEO of Sweden Rock, is also deputy CEO of SRF Holding.