“The structure of the festival network makes it possible for one brand to support four festivals at once,” says Marcus Fitzgerald, CEO of the Berlin-based digital company gigmit and project leader of the Innovation Network of European Showcases initiated jointly by gigmit and eight European showcase festivals. The deal is the result of a brand partnership between gigmit and YAMAHA.
The network, co-financed by Creative Europe, which is dedicated to the promotion of talent, cultural exchange and international synergies, benefits from the digital infrastructure provided by the matchmaking platform gigmit to bring musicians and event organisers together. Since its foundation in 2017, INES has grown rapidly and today connects 20 showcase festivals in 19 European countries.
Showcase Festivals are national events of the music industry that provide a platform for the discovery of artists, business contacts and education. They combine live music performances, conference programmes and trade fairs. The complete list of participating showcase festivals and countries is available at ines-festivals.eu.
“We are very happy to have gained a partner that underlines the relevance of promoting young talents the way YAMAHA does,” says Fitzgerald. “We have already worked successfully together on other projects – for example, on a crash course on how artists mix good live sound themselves or a guide on how to successfully set up and market live music streams“.
For the Japanese conglomerate it is the first partnership of this decentralised type in different countries. It includes masterclasses at all four festivals, and a separate stage is also being provided at Linecheck. The first masterclass, which will take place on September 10th at Waves Festival with PA Application Engineer Andy Cooper, is entitled: “Techniques for Streaming Live Music From Home”.
Dates of showcase festivals supported by YAMAHA:
- 10 – 12 September 2020 – Waves Festival, Austria
- 8 – 10 October 2020 – Budapest Showcase Hub, Hungary
- 16 – 22 November 2020 – Linecheck, Italy
- 19 – 21 November 2020 – Monkey Week, Spain
Further information about the Innovation Network of European Showcases is available at ines-festivals.eu, in the gigmit blog and on the official social channels:
Facebook | Instagram | Spotify | Twitter | YouTube
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