TRAIN

What TRAIN does

TRAIN is a live music venue in Aarhus, Denmark, founded in April 1998 by Chris Anker-Petersen and operated since 2018 by TRAIN-Fonden, a non-profit cultural foundation without private commercial interests. The venue programs concerts across rock, pop, metal, jazz, folk, electronic, urban, and world music, serving a broad general audience alongside dedicated school and youth programming. TRAIN has held the Regionalt Spillested (Regional Venue) and Kulturelt Vækstcenter designation jointly awarded by Aarhus Kommune and Statens Kunstfond since 2000, most recently renewed for 2025-2028, anchoring its role as a central cultural institution for Aarhus and the broader Central Denmark Region. Operations are supported by 51-100 staff, supplemented by a volunteer program coordinated through a dedicated role.

TRAIN's operations are built on two physical assets: its legacy venue at Toldbodgade 6C, and a new purpose-built facility at Kalkværksvej 13 in the Sydhavnen urban renewal district, scheduled to open September 2026 at an estimated ~40 million DKK total build cost. The new facility houses two halls — the main TRAIN hall with 1,650 standing capacity and the secondary TRACK hall with 350 standing capacity — equipped with state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems funded by a 10.3 million DKK philanthropic donation from Salling Fondene. The platform supports a multi-format offering: ticketed concerts priced 180-520 DKK depending on hall and artist tier, on-site food and beverage service, venue rental for private and corporate events, and merchandise operations for touring artists. Ticketing is executed through Ticketmaster DK as the primary distribution channel.

TRAIN's revenue model blends transactional income with public-sector co-funding tied to its Regional Venue status and targeted philanthropy. Beyond concerts, the venue generates revenue via private event rentals, operates the 4LIVE educational program in collaboration with Aarhus University and municipal schools, and maintains an extensive partner network with festivals such as SPOT, NorthSide, Tinderbox, Aarhus Festuge, Sydhavnens Festival, and PLAZA, as well as cultural actors like Kulbroen, Frontløberne, and LMS — Levende Musik i Skolen. Governance is provided by a five-member foundation board drawing on music industry (Universal Music Group / United Stage Group), legal, public-sector, and academic expertise.

Name

TRAIN

Legal name

TRAIN-Fonden

Website

https://train.dk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

TRAIN is a non-profit live music venue in Aarhus, Denmark, hosting diverse concerts across genres. It operates a 1,650-capacity main hall and a 350-capacity TRACK hall, serves as a designated Regional Venue, and runs educational and festival partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Music Venue

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Venues & Venue Operators (Clubs, Theaters, Arenas) (MPAIAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Live Music Clubs & Venues (MPAGAIAB), Event Operations & Venue Services (Box Office, FOH/BOH, Concessions) (MPAIAFAL)

Keywords

• Live music venue
• Concert hall operations
• Event ticketing services
• Venue rental services
• Music education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Aarhus

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream through concert ticket sales via Ticketmaster DK. Ticket prices range from approximately 180-520 DKK depending on the artist and venue (TRAIN main hall or TRACK secondary hall).
2. Food and Beverage: On-site bar and refreshment sales during concerts and events. The venue operates bars at both TRAIN and TRACK locations.
3. Venue Rental: The venue offers rental opportunities for external events and private functions at both TRAIN and TRACK facilities.
4. Merchandise Sales: Merchandise sales at concerts where bands and artists bring their own merchandise, sold through a merchandise booth located outside the concert halls.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

TRAIN is a live music venue in Aarhus, Denmark, operating two concert halls (TRAIN main hall with 1,650 standing capacity and TRACK secondary hall with 350 standing capacity) that host concerts across genres such as rock, pop, metal, jazz, folk, electronic, and world music. The venue sells tickets to consumers through Ticketmaster DK, operates on-site food and beverage service, offers venue rental for private and corporate events, and runs educational programs such as 4LIVE in partnership with schools and Aarhus University.

Product overview

TRAIN is a live music venue in Aarhus, Denmark, operating as a platform with two distinct concert halls: TRAIN (main hall, capacity 1,650) and TRACK (secondary hall, capacity 350). Originally located in Toldbodgade since 1998, the venue is relocating to Sydhavnen in September 2026 with upgraded facilities. The venue serves as a Regional Scene (Regionalt Spillested) designated by Aarhus Municipality and Statens Kunstfond, presenting a diverse range of musical genres from established international artists to emerging local talent. Beyond concerts, TRAIN offers educational programs like 4LIVE and venue rental services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TRACK: The smaller concert hall at TRAIN's new Sydhavnen venue with a capacity of 350 standing guests.

Products and services

• TRAIN (Main Concert Hall)
• TRACK (Secondary Concert Hall)
• Venue Rental

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

24 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LMS - Levende Musik i SkolencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration with LMS to present concerts at TRAIN and develop educational materials for schools and individual projects.
• Kultur & Æstetik, AU (Aarhus University)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with students from Kultur & Æstetik at AU on the 4LIVE educational project, designed according to primary school learning objectives.
• SPOT FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with SPOT Festival, one of Denmark's premier music festivals, on concert events and programming.
• Kulbroen / Kulbroens VennercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural partner in Sydhavnen area collaboration. Jointly developing Sydhavnens Festival and PLAZA electronic music hybrid festival.
• A. Enggaard A/ScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConstruction and development partner for the Sydhavnen venue project. Have been in close dialogue since 2018 on developing the new music venue.
• NorthSide FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with NorthSide Festival on events and cultural programming in Aarhus.
• Tinderbox FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Tinderbox Festival on events and programming.
• Aarhus Festuge (Festugen)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Aarhus Festuge on cultural events and programming.
• Sydhavnens FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJointly developing and presenting Sydhavnens Festival, a new urban hybrid festival focused on electronic music.
• Aarhus VolumecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Aarhus Volume on local music scene development and events.
• Aarhus Jazz FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Aarhus Jazz Festival on jazz music events and programming.
• VinterjazzcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipation in Vinterjazz festival programming.
• MUXminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with MUX on events and cultural programming.
• HULminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with HUL on events and cultural initiatives.
• ToldermaniaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Toldermania on events and programming.
• Black Star MusicminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Black Star Music on events and cultural programming.
• Culture WorksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Culture Works on cultural initiatives.
• GrimFestminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with GrimFest on events and programming.
• GløgglichminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Gløgglich on cultural events.
• PLAZAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint development of PLAZA, a new urban hybrid festival with focus on electronic music, in collaboration with Kulbroen and others.
• FrontløbernecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural partner in Sydhavnen area development. Part of the planned creative and cultural ecosystem in the new neighborhood.
• Det Jyske KunstakademicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner in Sydhavnen area. Part of the planned creative ecosystem with cultural and educational institutions.
• Aarhus KommunecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner that designated TRAIN as Regional Venue and Cultural Growth Center. Ongoing collaboration on regional music development.
• Statens KunstfondcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational arts council that co-designated TRAIN as Regional Venue with Aarhus Kommune. Provides ongoing support for regional music development.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• DR Koncerthuset: Copenhagen's principal purpose-built concert hall operated by Danmarks Radio, hosting major touring acts and orchestral programming. Larger seated-format incumbent; comparable in scale tier and public-broadcaster funding model that underwrites programming.
• Live Nation Entertainment: Global live-entertainment conglomerate owning Ticketmaster and operating venues worldwide. The parent of TRAIN's primary ticketing partner and a structural counterparty/competitor in international artist routing that flows through Aarhus.
• AEG Presents: Global live-entertainment promoter and venue operator competing with Live Nation for international touring acts that reach Danish venues. Adjacent incumbent relevant to TRAIN's artist-routing competitive context.

Others

• ASM Global: Largest global venue-management and facility-services operator. Relevant adjacent infrastructure player that could plausibly partner with or compete against regional Danish venues at scale, particularly as Sydhavnen's urban-renewal ecosystem develops.

Direct peers

• VoxHall: Musikhuset-affiliated concert hall in Aarhus offering rock/pop programming with ~700 standing capacity. Local Aarhus competitor for touring Danish and international acts; highly comparable audience demographics and booking overlap.
• VEGA (København): Iconic Copenhagen music venue operating multi-hall format (Store Vega 1,500 + Ideal Bar/Lille Vega 500 + Ideal Bar) with comparable standing-room rock/pop/electronic programming. Closest functional twin to TRAIN's TRAIN/TRACK two-hall model and the most directly comparable Danish live-music venue operator.

Emerging players

• SPOT Festival: Aarhus-based annual showcase festival that is also an active TRAIN programming partner. Comparable mission around emerging Nordic artist development and regional music ecosystem support; structurally adjacent rather than head-to-head competition.
• Tinderbox Festival: Odense festival partnered with TRAIN. Adjacent operator in the Danish live-music festival space, helping frame TRAIN's positioning between single-night venue shows and multi-day festival bookings.
• NorthSide Festival: Major Aarhus-based music festival partnered with TRAIN. Adjacent live-music operator sharing the same talent pipeline and Aarhus audience, useful for benchmarking festival-vs-venue artist curation and ticketing dynamics in the region.

Regional players

• Posten (Odense): Regional Danish live music venue in Odense (capacity ~900) programming similar genre mix. Comparable tier of Danish municipal/regional venue serving an adjacent Jutland-Fyn market, useful for reading cross-city touring and ticketing benchmarks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/trainaarhus
• Facebookfacebook.com/trainlive
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/train
• Instagraminstagram.com/trainaarhus
• TikToktiktok.com/@trainaarhus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about TRAIN