Filmed at MENT Ljubljana 2020 as part of the INES – Innovation Network of European Showcases project, watch now 8 INES conference panel videos…
Streaming For Underdogs
In the past few years, we have been constantly reminded that streaming is the saviour of the music industry and that landing on important playlists represents a key factor to propel your career and break into the public sphere. But which are the real options for up-and-coming singers, musicians and producers, especially those from smaller, non-Western countries who release their music on independent labels or even by themselves? Which strategies to employ when we don’t have access to the most influential playlists or we don’t know how to outsmart algorithms? Are there any side doors for the underdogs? These and other useful tips and tricks on how to break onto the streaming market…
Speakers: Peter Åstedt (MusicHelp, Live at Heart, SE), Victor Conradsson (Believe Digital, FR), Hannes Tschürtz (InkMusic, AT)
Dissecting The Digital Dollar: How You Get Paid For Your Streams
Streaming is now the single biggest revenue stream for the recorded music business worldwide. It has enabled the record industry to return to growth. On the other hand, many artists are still unhappy with their own streaming income. This speed briefing with the author of the ‘Dissecting The Digital Dollar’ reports, published by the Music Managers Forum UK, will offer an explanation on how the streaming business works, how the music industry licensed digital platforms and how each month digital royalties flow through the system to artists and songwriters.
Speaker: Chris Cooke (CMU, UK)
Music PR in 2020+
The transition into the digital era has shaken the definitions and effectiveness of traditional promotional tools for the placement of new music. At the same time, new doors have been open, offering more innovative and creative approaches to the discovery and communication with new audiences. What is the current state of affairs? What is at our disposal when we talk about music PR? Where and how to channel our energy, time and money into the building of new audiences?
Speakers: Bee Adamic (Liberty Music PR, UK), Adam Al-Hilali (Liberty Music PR, UK)
Music Media in Central and Eastern Europe
When we talk about music media, we always think about Anglo-American giants. Due to language barriers and fragmented music markets, Central and Eastern European music media outlets struggle to reach wider audiences. Nevertheless, there are many diverse cutting-edge cases that have had an immense impact on individual music markets. Let’s meet Radio Študent, one of Europe’s oldest and strongest non-commercial, alternative radio stations, Muzika.hr, the most popular music site in the Balkans, Full Moon Magazine, one of the few printed music magazines in the region, and the Russian online magazine Storona, which presents new, yet undiscovered acts.
Host: Gordon Masson (IQ Magazine, UK)
Speakers: Edo Plovanić (Muzika.hr, HR), Michal Parizek (Full Moon Magazine, CZ), Nadya Samodurova (Storona, Lucidvox, RU), Žiga Pucelj (Radio Študent, SI)
Touring Brotherhood And Unity Highway
The individual presentations of national markets of ex-Yugoslavi (Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina) will be followed by a debate that will unify and contextualize all the presented information, offering an even more insightful perspective on touring potentials in the former Yugoslavia region. In addition, you will get some practical advice and learn about individual cultural features – useful knowledge when you plan a tour abroad. Get in the van and tour the Brotherhood and Unity Highway!
Speakers: Miran Rusjan (Moonlee Records, MENT, SI), Tejka Vasiljević (Password Production, MK), Jovana Coka Stanković (Odličan Hrčak, Kontakt, RS), Monika Marušić (The Garden, LAA, Cereal Booking, HR)
Festivals Between the Alps and the Urals
In the last decade, there has been an observable growth in the number of festivals in Central and Eastern Europe – small and big ones, niche and unique. Which are the challenges organisers face in countries with less developed festival traditions and a lower consumer buying power? How to attract festival headliners? How to compete with other festivals? How to satisfy the needs and address the specifics of local audiences? Are there perhaps any advantages in comparison with festivals in the West?
Host: Vasil Gjuroski (RakettNatt, Winterland, NO)
Speakers: Ivana Jelača (INmusic Festival, HR), Filip Košťálek (Colors of Ostrava, CZ), Stefan Kazaryan (Bol Festival, Moscow Music Week, RU), Titus Carole (Electric Castle, RO)
Venues. Challenges. Solutions.
At the first MENT, we described venues as the main constituent of concert activities with the term FundaMENT. What is the current situation in clubland? How venues create their identity? Which is the best curatorial strategy and what role does long-term audience education play in it? How to sell out a venue with promising lesser-known acts? Where to look for such acts in a sea of offers? What is the function of the various international networks and platforms in terms of artists’ exchange between various markets? How important are the relationships with the city and local community, and how to tackle gentrification?
Host: Marjan Dewulf (4AD, BE)
Speakers: Ben Kamsma (Paradiso, NL), Katarina Deskovič (Gala Hala, SI), Balázs Soós (A38, HU), Frank Dietrich (Gleis 22, DE)
Agents’ Panel – The Day After moMENT
Let’s kick off the last conference day with an overview of the best MENT performances of the first two days – who are the artists that left the best impression on the present booking agents? Do agents have a specific A&R process? Where do they look for new talents? Which are the fundamental criteria when they choose? How long do they observe their potential protégées? And finally, what’s the first thing they do in the morning after a night out that unexpectedly brought them into contact with an extraordinary new talent?
Host: Rok Košir (R.O.K. booking & management, SI)
Speakers: Clémence Renaut (ATC Live, FR), Lucy Atkinson (Earth Agency, UK), Marijn Westerlaken (BLiP Agency, NL), Christian Kirmes Kühr (Powerline Agency, DE)
Many other INES conference panel videos are available for streaming on YouTube and on the INES website at #conference, including Sonic Visions 2019.
Check out how coronavirus affects the live music industry HERE.
The story continues! Post corona crisis booking on gigmit:
for artists | for promoters