Helsingin Sanomat reached a representative of Maustettyttöjen’s record company, who commented on the reasons for the cancellation.
The spice girls, i.e. Anna and Kaisa Karjalainen, photographed in Ruisrock in 2023. Roni Lehti
The concerts of the Maustetytöt band at next summer’s Suomipop festivals were cancelled. The cancellation took place after Nelonen Media, which organizes the festival, had announced a new collaboration with Warner Music Live. Tells about it Helsingin Sanomat.
At the end of October, it was announced that, with the new contract, Warner Music Live will handle Nelonen Media’s festival program planning, artist procurement and contract negotiations in the future.
– When acquiring artists, we naturally cooperate with all actors and program agencies, the press release said.
HS previously wrote how the collaboration news has raised concerns in the industry. The players in the industry are thinking about how power is concentrated and how dangerous it is that the program of several festivals would be filled only with artists from Warner and the Kaiku record company. Consequently, artists from other record companies would not have a foothold in the festival programs.
In HS’s article, the CEO of Warner Music Finland Ramona Forsstrom and business director of Nelonen Media Kari Laakso assured that this would not happen.
– We commit to work with all operators, commented Kari Laakso to HS.
Laakso’s statement was picked up by the artistic director of the Lördag record company Aki Roukala, who told about the canceled concerts of the Maustettyttö on his Instagram account.
Roukala commented on the matter to Helsingin Sanomat. He said he received an email from Warner’s representative after the collaboration was announced. In the message, it was said that the Maustattyttö’s gigs at the Suomipop festival scheduled for next summer will be cancelled.
– We were told that they would be canceled for cost-saving reasons, says Roukala.
HS reached Forsström and Laakso, who had previously commented on the topic, by text message. In their messages, they comment on the topic on a general level.
According to Forsström, some changes have been made to Sanoma’s festivals since the collaboration began, but more artists from outside Warner have been added to the festival than have been canceled.
Likewise, Laakso confirmed that with the changes, the share of Warner Music Live artists has not increased. According to him, in the new operating model, the target groups of the events are re-evaluated, which is why some reservations are canceled and new ones are made.
Suomipop festivals will be organized in the traditional way in Jyväskylä and Oulu in July next year. The festival performers have not yet been announced.