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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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ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag) has unveiled the first keynote and featured speakers for the 2025 edition, taking place between 15–18 January in Groningen, the Netherlands.
Sumit Bothra (SB3 Artist Management), Seth Dodson (Pitchfork), Jess Iszatt (BBC), Katie Melua (artist) and Victoria Oakley (IFPI) are among the first confirmed speakers for the European showcase festival and conference.
Other confirmed speakers include tastemakers from Dekmantel, EMMA, Wasserman Music, and many more.
In 2025, the programme focuses 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, activism among artists and festivals, the effect of private equity on business, and the devastating impact of rising costs and lack of personnel in the live music industry.
In her keynote speech at the ESNS Conference, Victoria Oakley (IFPI) will discuss the main challenges the recording industry will face in the upcoming years.
Katie Melua and her manager Sumit Bothra will discuss strategies for balancing parenthood and music industry career demands
Talking about the challenges and strategies for balancing parenthood and music industry career demands, singer and songwriter Katie Melua and her manager Sumit Bothra (SB3 Artist Management) will engage in a conversation with moderator and psychologist Anne Löhr from Music Industry Therapist Collective.
Other featured speakers taking the stage at ESNS 2025 include agent at Wasserman Music Clementine Bunel; Pitchfork’s executive director of festivals and events Seth Dodson; CEO and co-founder of Copyright Delta Daan Archer, who specialises in safeguarding music in new digital, virtual and AI-driven worlds; Radio 1’s flagship BBC Introducing show host Jess Iszatt; music programmer at events company and record label Dekmantel Elisa Luengo; innovator, social change activist, podcast host, and artist Saskhia Menendez.
Also featured on the conference programme is music editor at The Independent Roisin O’Connor; founder and CEO of hybrid virtual conference, bootcamp, and workshop Measures of Music Christine Osazuwa; executive director of the European Music Managers Alliance (EMMA) Jess Partridge; president of Music Managers Forum’s US chapter and International Music Managers Forum advisory board member Neeta Ragoowansi (MMF-US & IMMF); Dave Webster, the head of international at UK’s Musicians’ Union, addressing touring post-Brexit; and Kees van Weijen (Hit4us, IMPALA, STOMP), who will address challenges for the independent music community in creating a level playing field.
The first artists showcasing at ESNS and more panels and speakers will be announced in the coming weeks. ESNS recently announced a new Open Call for ESNS25 and its Focus on Italy.
The full conference programme can be found here and delegate passes can be purchased here.
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The British Music Embassy hosted more than 70 performances at this year’s South By Southwest (SXSW), highlighting the breadth and depth of emerging and established UK music talent.
British Music Embassy @ SXSW serves as the official UK residency at the Texas festival and concluded its eight-day run at its new, bigger home, The Backyard @ Downright Austin.
The 600-capacity space featured two stages on different levels, with this year’s events including showcases hosted by ATC Live, BBC Introducing, CLASH Magazine, Fierce Panda Records, Licks Magazine, Output Belfast, Propaganda and Xtra Mile Recordings.
SXSW 2024, which ran from 8-16 March, was marred by the withdrawal of dozens of acts in protest of the festival’s ties to the US Army and defence industry. Acts such as Squirrel Flower, Gruff Rhys, Rachel Chinouriri, Enola Gay, Kneecap, Lambrini Girls, Sprints, Proper, Eliza McLamb, Mamalarky, Scowl, Gel and Okay Shalom cancelled scheduled sets in response to the military’s support for Israel in the war in Gaza.
Following the cancellations, SXSW said it “welcomes diverse viewpoints”, adding: “We fully respect the decision these artists made to exercise their right to free speech.”
“This year’s line up was probably the most diverse yet representing so many cultures and genres”
“SXSW 2024 was not without its challenges, but for us moving from a single stage nightclub venue to a two stage festival-within-a-festival set up, 2024 has been a resounding success,” says Phil Patterson from the Department of International Trade. “Firstly, fortune favoured the brave and we dodged some epic weather, but more importantly I think it is widely accepted opinion that our hard working production team, over the 70-plus performances of the last ten days, have put together one of the slickest shows at SXSW.”
The BME lineup included The Lottery Winners, Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls, The Manatees, Ash, Skinny Lister, Neon Waltz, Angélica Garcia, Holly Macve, Fabiano Palladino, Divorce, Fat Dog, Porij, Viji, Coach Party, Cosmo Pyke, Bleach Lab, Dry Cleaning, The Manatees, Hotwax, Victoria Canal and Ellie Bleach.
The showcases were presented by lead media partner BBC Music Introducing, UK record labels association the BPI, the Department for Business & Trade (DBT), The Ivors Academy, The British Council and collective management organisations PPL and PRS for Music.
“This year’s lineup was probably the most diverse yet representing so many cultures and genres and it was exciting to witness so many artists absolutely smash their performances, especially when given such a short time to prepare due to unforeseen circumstances,” says host Jasmine Takhar of BBC Introducing. “I’ve been on a journey with some of the acts prior to this event so it was an absolute pleasure to watch their growth and finally bring some of the flavours from the UK over to the US and for it to be embraced by the crowd was just a bucket list moment for me.”
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The 38th edition of ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag) drew 4,000 music professionals from Europe plus delegations from countries such as Canada, India and Mexico, it has been revealed.
The European showcase festival and conference took place between 17–20 January in Groningen, the Netherlands, and featured a total of 40,000 fans and professionals from around the world – around 4,000 less than last year.
More than 500 speakers participated in the conference, including keynote speakers Amy Thomson (formerly Hipgnosis, ATM Artists), John Mulder (MOJO Concerts/Live Nation) and Mark Mulligan (MIDiA Research).
In addition, 280 new European acts showcased their talents, including 12 from the 2024 focus country Poland. ESNS this year expanded its Noorderslag programme this year, showcasing 50 Dutch acts on Saturday.
“ESNS continues to play an indispensable role for the Dutch and European music community”
Elsewhere, the European Festival Awards, which took place on the opening night of ESNS (Wednesday 17 January), honoured executives including Wasserman’s Tom Schroeder, Lowlands promoter Eric van Eerdenburg and Lifetime Achievement honouree Ruud Berends.
“Once again, Groningen was the music capital of Europe and beyond,” says Frans Vreeke, interim director of ESNS.
“Thanks to the dedication and quality of artists, visitors, delegates, and our staff, we had a wonderful week with an amazing atmosphere. ESNS continues to play an indispensable role for the Dutch and European music community, especially for Dutch talent. Eurosonic, Noorderslag, and the conference once again showcased the strength and diversity of European pop culture. We look forward to the year ahead where we will undoubtedly see many acts that have proven themselves at ESNS on the stages of European summer festivals.”
ESNS 2025 will take place from 15–18 January in Groningen, the Netherlands, with Italy as the Focus Country.
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ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag) has appointed Anna van Nunen as the new general manager.
Her appointment is effective from 18 March, succeeding Dago Houben, who announced his departure last June. Frans Vreeke temporarily filled the position in the interim.
Nunen is an experienced executive who places sustainable entrepreneurship at the core of her career. She founded Innofest, a platform where numerous sustainable enterprises can test their innovations at Dutch festivals.
As the commercial director of Greener Power Solutions, a pioneer in clean mobile battery power at events, she was responsible for the startup’s growth into a European scale-up. She is also the founder of the lobbying platform ‘Ikd Lobby’ and actively participates as a keynote speaker, panellist, and moderator at events such as ESNS, Amsterdam Dance Event, and Dutch Design Week.
“ESNS is entering a new phase, one that requires new leadership”
Having grown up frequenting Groningen’s pop venues Vera and Simplon, Anna has ESNS marked in her calendar every year. She eagerly anticipates her new role, stating: “Having grown up in Groningen and with a big heart for the music sector, it is a huge honour to start working as director at Eurosonic Noorderslag. I am eager to strengthen the conference and festival with the team. In the coming years, I want to ensure a future-proof organisation and a rock-solid positioning of ESNS in Europe.”
Jeroen van Erp, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of ESNS adds: “ESNS is entering a new phase, one that requires new leadership. As a Supervisory Board, we are very pleased with the appointment of Anna van Nunen as director. With her background in the festival world, experience in sustainability and the start-up world, she embodies what we stand for: Always looking for new talent, new developments where inclusivity and sustainability are of paramount importance.”
ESNS will take place between 17–20 January 2024 in Groningen, the Netherlands.
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Folk never felt so stylish as the Blogothèque production of Macedonian rising star Zarina Prvasevda’s soaring voice on the stairs of Les Arènes de Lutèce, Paris. It’s all done in authentic arrangement, sprinkled with the natural charm of traditional music and of course Zarina, Best New Talent of 2023 according to the public and industry voters of UPBEAT. Celebrating the rise of her talent, emerging from a relatively unknown corner of Europe as well as marking a growing trend, the video is more than the unaffected allure of its musicians.
In an era of glocalizing markets, local heritage and cultural niches are gaining ground, and industry players are leaning into the trend. As Chris Dalla Riva and Will Page pointed out in a recent article, local, non English-speaking artists are thriving on streaming platforms, and chart-toppers increasingly perform in their native languages. UPBEAT, the European showcase platform for world music counting 14 members – WOMEX, Tallinn Music Week, PIN Music Conference and Budapest Ritmo among them – set out to assist new talent like Zarina, inspired by their own heritage and singing in their native languages; anything but the dated industry standard of English.
Europe is a well-chosen locale for the initiative, with its prism of cultural identities, centrally available resources and legislation. Countering the fear of fractured identities and markets, artists like Zarina are met with increasing interest: authenticity seems to outweigh generic production practices, if they find the right audience. And authentic she is, collecting folk songs from grandmas and standing up publicly for environmental causes, while mesmerising audiences with her singing. Voted best from a pool of 100 showcasers, she will hopefully get to more and more listeners, beyond her native North Macedonia and the Balkan region.
UPBEAT takes the lead in concentrating resources and effort into these segments, finding unity in diversity. The Creative Europe Programme sponsors the project with two million euros, matched by partners; some of the money channeled into the festival infrastructure, some going straight to artists and delegates; strengthening the community of European music professionals. It works on a membership basis, with sustainable criteria set as a benchmark in order to impact the industry as a whole. Hatched by Hangvető, a Budapest-based music firm with rising European relevance, UPBEAT is both setting and riding a trend.
In its first year, 140 bands from 30 countries and 200 delegates were supported by the project, shaping the music business one showcase festival at a time. Blogothèque’s video, reaching millions, is just one way of getting these artists across national borders. UPBEAT weighs in on the side of a better-connected European market, leaving artists’ originality unaffected. The platform, dedicated to new talent, music in original language and sustainability can serve as a model for value-driven business in other sectors and locations, answering the most critical challenges of our time.
UPBEAT stands for support of new talent, support of music in original language, sustainability, and strengthening the European network of industry professionals. World/global music artists and experts based in Europe have much to offer – follow and join UPBEAT for industry news and connections.
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UK showcase festival and conference The Great Escape (TGE) is undergoing a revamp for next year’s instalment, slated for 15–18 May in Brighton.
The event, which is operated by Live Nation’s MAMA, has invited new expert collaborators from across the music industry to help shape and elevate its programming.
The Council of Music Makers, Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), BBC Introducing LIVE and Youth Music will each present a day of the conference using their expertise and networks to “take TGE to the next level”.
The BPI, meanwhile, will host a welcome party on the beach on Wednesday 15 May to kick off proceedings.
“We’re very excited to have these amazing organisations on board as collaborators for our conference,” says Rory Bett, CEO of MAMA Festivals. “They’re all tapped into key areas of the music ecosystem for anyone forging a career in the modern industry, from bedroom artists to experienced professionals and entrepreneurs. Together, we’ll be curating a cutting-edge line-up. Watch this space.”
It has also been announced that Spain is TGE’s Lead Country Partner for 2024, following Italy last year. Led by The Spanish Wave and TGE, they will present a full programme with two showcases, panels on the Spanish music industry and industry receptions.
“These organisations are tapped into key areas of the music ecosystem for anyone forging a career in the modern industry”
Sila Lua, a Galician-born artist creating dance music with an experimental flair, is the first Spanish performer to be announced.
TGE’s first Spanish partners include The Spanish Wave, AIE, Fundaćion SGAE, Instituto Cervantes, Live Nation Spain, Ticketmaster Spain and Mondo Sonoro.
“Everyone is looking at Spain and Latam at the moment,” says César Andión, head of The Spanish Wave. “We are the gateway and bridge to Europe and Latinoamerica. Spain has a thrilling industry in talent and structure, a large and varied roster of festivals, venues, promoters and labels, so we are incredibly happy to coordinate Spain as Lead Country at the most exciting, well-curated showcase festival and conference in the United Kingdom. After years of bringing The Spanish Wave showcase to Brighton, now it’s time to highlight our vibrant industry with receptions, panels and the freshest and hottest music. ¡Nos vemos en Brighton!”
The showcase side of TGE is also taking shape, with the announcement of Faye Webster for the first Spotlight show.
While, earlier this week, TGE held its First Fifty launch, which celebrated the announcement of the first acts playing at next year’s festival.
Sid Sriram, Victoria Canal, Olivia Lunny and Sirens Of Lesbos were among the acts that delivered First Fifty live showcases in and around East London on 15 November.
For more information and tickets, visit https://greatescapefestival.com/.
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