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ESNS concludes ‘phenomenal’ 39th edition

The annual showcase festival and conference returned to the Dutch city of Groningen last week with 40,000 people in attendance

By Lisa Henderson on 20 Jan 2025


Organisers of ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag) have hailed a “phenomenal” 39th edition of the annual showcase festival and conference, which wrapped up on Saturday (18 January).

The four-day event returned to the Dutch city of Groningen last week with 40,000 professionals and music fans in attendance.

More than 300 European acts from 33 countries demonstrated their talents during the sold-out showcase festival, while 500+ industry professionals took part in panel discussions, workshops and keynotes.

Though the festival programme has traditionally been staged in venues across the city, this year’s edition saw showcases in de Oosterpoort, the main conference centre, for the first time on Wednesday (15 January).

Oosterpoort also hosted the 14th edition of the European Festival Awards, which honoured the likes of Open’er, Hellfest, EXIT and Montreux Jazz.

“The diversity of European music was brilliantly showcased at ESNS25”

Elsewhere, the conference programme focused on topics such as the impact of AI on the music industry, the future of streaming, achieving sustainability goals for festivals by 2030, the fairness of dynamic pricing, tech innovations, the effect of private equity on business, and the devastating impact of rising costs and lack of personnel in the live music industry.

Keynote sessions saw Wasserman Music’s Alex Hardee discuss his illustrious 33-year career and Katie Melua and her manager Sumit Bothra (SB3 Artist Management) tackle parenthood in the music industry.

“ESNS25 has once again proved that music is both our cultural heartbeat and an investment that pays dividends,” says Anna van Nunen, managing director of ESNS.

“Across Groningen this week, from intimate venue showcases to major performances at De Oosterpoort’s main stage, and through inspiring sessions at the ESNS Conference, we’ve seen how our European music ecosystem thrives when properly supported – connecting grassroots venues with international talent agents, major festivals with sustainability experts, and emerging talent with industry professionals. To maintain this momentum, we must support the fundamentals: the rehearsal spaces, the small venues, and the talent development programmes across Europe. ESNS continues to show that when we invest in music’s foundations, we create both cultural and economic prosperity.”

Programme director Robert Meijerink adds: “The diversity of European music was brilliantly showcased at ESNS25. We witnessed outstanding performances from Daniela Pes, Big Mama and Bassolino from our Focus country Italy, MRCY (uk), Sylvie Kreusch (be), Maquina (pt), Meule (fr), CVC (uk), Personal Trainer (nl) and Kosmonauci (pl) among many others. It’s especially exciting to see artists like Music Moves Europe Awards winners YAMÊ (France), Judeline (Spain) Kingfishr (ire), Naomi Sharon (nl), Night Tapes (ee), Uche Yara and nominees like Loverman (be), Woomb (bg) and Zimmer 90 (de) breaking through internationally.”

 


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