IQ New Music playlist spotlights ILMC 33 showcase artists

The latest edition of IQ’s New Music playlist goes live today, showcasing the exciting new acts, handpicked by major international agencies and music export offices, that are set to perform at this week’s 33rd International Live Music Conference (ILMC).

Launched last summer, the playlist complements IQ Magazine’s popular New Signings page, which keeps the live industry updated about which new, emerging and re-emerging artists are being signed by agents.

The March playlist features contributions from ITB, ATC Live, Paradigm, UTA and Primary Talent, as well as UK Sounds, Hots (Hungarian Oncoming Tunes), Soundczech and Why Portugal, each of which have picked up to 12 tracks apiece showcasing some of their hottest touring artists.

Listen to the latest selection using the Spotify playlist below – or click here to catch up on the February 2021 edition first.

Separated by agency/export office, the full track list for the March playlist is:

The full ILMC showcase schedule is available from the ILMC 33 website.

ILMC 33 takes place this week, from 3 to 5 March. A limited number of tickets are still available – click here for more information.

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Hots announces IQ Focus and artist showcase live stream

IQ and Hungarian Oncoming Tunes (Hots) will launch the next phase of the partnership by shining a spotlight on the best of the Hungarian market with a special IQ Focus session and a livestreamed gig showcasing the hottest domestic talent.

The hour-long panel, dubbed ‘Hungarian music: In the Hots seat’, will be broadcast live this Thursday (28 January) at 4 pm GMT featuring an all-star cast cherrypicked from all corners of the Hungarian music industry.

Saya Noé (artist), Szonja Ferenczi (manager), Zoltan Jakab (agent at Doomstar Bookings, The Devil’s Trade), Máté Horváth (promoter at New Beat, Dürer Kert, 3S Music Management) and Lucia Nagyova from Hots will make up this Thursday’s panel.

Set a reminder for Hungarian music: In the Hots seat on Facebook or Youtube.

In the meantime, a slate of Hungary’s most promising rising artists will take to the virtual stage for the showcase, Hots Presents, which will broadcast live this Tuesday (26th January) at 4 pm GMT.

Hots Presents will showcase performances from Saya Noé, Deva, The Devil’s Trade and OIEE

Hots Presents will showcase performances from Saya Noé, Deva, The Devil’s Trade and OIEE. Set a reminder for Hots Presents on Facebook.

The partnership with the Hungarian music export office launched last October with a Spotify playlist presenting some of the most promising domestic artists including Platon Karataev (pictured), The Devil’s Trade, Deva, Mongooz and the Magnet, Fran Palermo and more. Listen to the Hots x IQ playlist below:

The Hots playlist was complemented by a feature on the Hungarian market in IQ94, titled Magyar Choice: What’s hot in Hungary.

Since launching 2016, Hots has brought Hungarian acts to festivals including Eurosonic Noorderslag in the Netherlands, Primavera Sound in Spain, Liverpool Sound City in the UK, Tallinn Music Week in Estonia, Zandari Festa in Seoul, and Reeperbahn Festival in Germany.

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Magyar choice: What’s HOT in Hungary

With pioneers such as Laszlo Hegedus, Hungary arguably led the way when it came to introducing international artists to eastern Europe, with iconic events including Queen’s 1986 stadium show five years before the end of the Cold War, putting Budapest, in particular, firmly on the map.

As one of the continent’s most central nations, Hungary has since become a regular destination on European tours, while festivals like Sziget, Balaton Sound, Strand, B my Lake and many more, attract numerous international artists to visit the country each year. Those events also provide a fantastic platform for local talent to grow their audiences, as the likes of Sziget Festival brings in tens of thousands of visiting fans from other countries, eager to soak up the atmosphere, while discovering new artists to add to their playlists and concert plans.

Helping the country’s domestic acts take their music to other territories is Hungarian Oncoming Tunes (HOTS), the Hungarian music export office, which was established in 2017 by the National Cultural Fund’s Hangfoglaló Programme – initially aimed at organising delegations to attend showcase events Eurosonic, Tallinn Music Week and MENT.

“After this goal was fulfilled, HOTS was incorporated into the Hangfoglaló Programme and has since gradually been transformed into an official music export office,” explains HOTS international relations executive, Lucia Nagyová. The HOTS initiative came about as a direct result of Hungary’s fight against online piracy, as the Cultural Fund is funded by royalty income from the sale of blank CDs and other media storage platforms. Local law dictates that 25% of that taxation has to be invested into cultural exposure.

“This law was aimed at helping authors and performers at the peak of online piracy to compensate the losses of the industry,” states Nagyová. The funding is paying off: last year, HOTS supported 103 Hungarian artists and 47 professional delegates in 42 countries. The money is also used by HOTS to organise a scheme comprising workshops; showcase appearances; an international mentor and art camp (Outbreakers’ Lab); and a songwriting camp where internationally acclaimed producers can collaborate with artists (SongLab).

“Covid forced us to completely redesign our activities”

“HOTS aims to promote up-and-coming Hungarian music on an international scale,” Nagyová continues. “We focus on stimulating the presence of Hungarian music in key markets by encouraging international touring, supporting PR campaigns, educational activities and providing professionals and newcomer managers with opportunities to participate at international music business events.”

Through a questionnaire, completed by more than 300 relevant stakeholders, HOTS keeps an up-to-date shortlist of the most export-ready artists to whom it can offer guidance and support, tailored to their respective needs. “The Hangfoglaló Programme board of trustees selects four internationally experienced acts each year to receive strategic support to bolster their presence on the markets or sectors essential to them,” says Nagyová, noting that this year’s chosen acts for the showcase are Дeva (Deva), The Devil’s Trade, OIEE and Saya Noé.

HOTS has compiled a Spotify playlist for IQ, featuring these acts and others that appear on the shortlist, which can be accessed by clicking here. As with many organisations in 2020, HOTS has had to continually reassess its plans, as the pandemic and associated restrictions forced event cancellations and effectively shut down most opportunities for artists to showcase their music.

“Covid forced us to completely redesign our activities,” says Nagyová. “Throughout the year, we carried on cooperating with our partners on international PR campaigns and added various online educational programmes aimed to make it easier for Hungarian stakeholders to adapt to the new situation and its challenges. Instead of contributing to the acts’ physical presence at international showcase festivals, we support them by creating digital content they can use in the future.”

Subscribe to IQ Magazine here, or read the full feature in the digital edition of IQ 94:

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