Swedish press in Britney Spears boycott

Sweden’s four national newspapers plan to boycott Britney Spears' upcoming concert in Stockholm to protest what they see as unreasonable demands for the use of pictures taken at the concert.

• Swedes join public King of Pop dance tribute (9 Jul 09)
• From Britpop to India with Maia Hirasawa (8 Jul 09)
• The Local's Swedish summer festival guide (26 Jun 09)

“If they don’t rip up the contract, we’re not going to take any pictures,” Roger Turesson, the photo editor at Dagens Nyhter (DN), told the newspaper.

Turesson’s counterparts at Svenska Dagbladet (SvD), Expressen, and Aftonbladet have also agreed to keep their photographers away from the concert, set to take place at Stockholm’s Ericsson Globe Arena on July 13th.

In the contract presented to media outlets wishing to take pictures of the concert, arrangers included a number of extraordinary restrictions.

Among other things, they demand that pictures from the concert not be published after 30 days and that no pictures be offered for resale.

In addition, the contract prohibits papers from publishing pictures of Spears which arrangers deem unflattering and states that the US pop star be given ownership rights to the pictures her management finds favourable.

“We never agree to give up ownership rights to our own material,” said SvD photo editor Joakim Ståhl.

Concert arrangers AEG Live claim they are merely passing along a contract which originated from Spears' management and that it is the blonde pop diva herself who sets the conditions.

“I think it’s equally frustrating every time I have to send out a contract like this,” said AEG Live spokesperson Louise Vanerell.

According to DN’s Turesson, it’s possible a solution may be reached in the last minute, but only if concert arrangers change the contract.

Upon learning of the actions of the Swedish colleagues, photographers in Denmark on Friday said they were ready to boycott the Britney Spears concert due to take place this Saturday in Copenhagen in a display of Scandinavian solidarity.

“On behalf of the Danish press as we have chosen the same procedure,” Claus Lunde, photo editor of Denmark's Ekstra Bladet newspaper, told The Local.

Lunde said the action applies to all publications which fall under the Berlingske Media group, one of Denmark's largest,

“We will boycott coverage of Britney Spears if the organizers don't change the photo contract for the concert on Saturday.”

According to Ekstra Bladet, the Danish concert arrangers, ICO Concerts, are looking at whether the contract for photographers in Denmark contains similar clauses to the one received by press photographers in Sweden.