Folkert Koopmans knows what makes Ed Sheeran tick

A new episode of our podcast “Was mit Musik” is here! This time it’s about the development of festivals in Germany, the perfect line-up, missed opportunities, but also about seizing opportunities at the right moment and, last but not least, a lot about Ed Sheeran.

Folkert Koopmans, founder of FKP Scorpio, is a guest at ROLLING STONE’s inside talk. Having grown up in the countryside, he initially organized small gigs in the neighborhood before founding the live event company FKP Scorpio from Hamburg in 1990. At that time still with the focus on blues and reggae shows, seven years later for the first time with the Hurricane Festival in the portfolio. Deichbrand and Southside Festival followed, as well as tours for acts like The Rolling Stones and Ed Sheeran. His company is now one of the largest concert organizers in Europe.

Among other things, he talks to us about his idea of ​​a perfect festival day (“Everything has to be right from the stage to the toilet”), but also about his worst open-air experience ever – at the Southside Festival in 1999. Folkert Koopmans tells us that he believes he has “actually done everything” and that “life is too short to work with assholes”. And last but not least, he also shares the moment of the one unused opportunity. Keyword: radiohead….

The hosts of the ROLLING STONE Inside Talk are social media boss Hella Wittenberg and editor-in-chief Sebastian Zabel. Your podcast is about people who do “something with music”. To be more precise: from the people in the music industry, the people who make things possible and the decision-makers, the label bosses and the organizers. We talk about topics that move you and the scene. Vinyl shortage and streaming remuneration, tour disaster and surprise successes, diversity and sustainability, backstage stories and favorite records.

Watch the previous episode with Columbia Records Vice President Alexandra Falken here.