European Music Business Task Force VOL. II

the second edition of a Masterclass in Creative Leadership for the Music Industry

MeeT the 23/24 EMBTF Participants

Yasmina Elkak

Valencia, ES

Neowarras – Editor & Club Night Owner

Timurs Tomsons

Liepāja, LV

Liepāja Concert Hall "Great Amber", CEO

Sam Malik

Manchester, UK

Music Manager

Misia Furtak

Poznań/Warsaw, PL

Musician at Misia Furtak | Music Professional | Keychange | Music Declares Emergency

Marta Sampaio

Porto, PT

Project Manager and co-founder - Pigeon Team; Agent and Press Manager - Monster Jinx

Katharin Ahrend

Berlin, DE

Managing Director Clubcommission Berlin e.V. & Head of Awareness Akademie

Alex Ter Horst

Utrecht, NL

Founder and Artist Manager at Neva Land Music

Dorotėja Būdaitė

Vilnius, LT

Chairperson of Lithuanian Jazz Union board, CEO JJA Music

Erica Romero Pender

Seville, ES

Rocknrolla Productions and Cultural Events

Grace Goodwin

Liverpool, UK

Self-employed PHD researcher, artist mentor, session drummer and percussionist

Julian Krohn

Berlin, DE

Scholz & Friends Sounds - Director Music & Audio

Katarina Julie Madsen

Copenhagen, DK

Creative Manager hos Wise Music / Edition Wilhelm Hansen

We believe the world needs leaders, entrepreneurs, and change-makers who dare to disrupt the status quo! If you agree, do not hesitate to take the next step in your career and apply for the second European Music Business Task Force (EMBTF).

Promus, the Music Community of Aarhus (DK) and the Music Cities Network invite 12 European music business professionals to embark on a transnational European expedition from April 2023 until May 2024. On this journey, they will search for answers to the question: How can we boost the European music market?

Group of people smiling in a recording studio

As the industry continues to face multiple challenges, the programme aims to develop deeper insights, elevate leadership skills, and foster knowledge. Together, we will develop tools and proposals to create a strong and sustainable transnational European music market. The second volume of the EMBTF will build on the already published findings from the first Task Force held in 2021/22 (download the report here).

EMBFT Vol. II offers one crucial aspect that most music professionals don’t have - time. The participants are given the space to get out of their daily work environment to think outside the box and to think big, which is needed to establish a more future-oriented and more healthy European Music Industry.

The Task Force will meet in person and online to engage with various current challenges and opportunities in the music industry. On the basis of this groundwork, we will then actively participate during the following music industry festivals as part of the learning process facilitated by the creative leadership experts KaosPilots (five nights at each event):

Workshop 1: SPOT Festival and the SPOT+ Festival conference in Aarhus, Denmark (5th - 6th of May 2023).
Workshop 2: Reeperbahn Festival and the Reeperbahn Festival Conference in Hamburg, Germany (20th - 23rd of September 2023).
Workshop 3: Iceland Airwaves and the Airwaves Pro Conference in Reykjavik, Iceland (2nd - 4th of November 2023).
Workshop 4: Eurosonic Noorderslag (ESNS) and the ESNS Conference in Groningen, Netherlands (17th - 19th of January 2024).
Workshop 5: Tallinn Music Week and Conference in Tallinn, Estonia (4th - 06th of April 2024)

The program is organised by Promus and the transnationally acting Music Cities Network in collaboration with the City of Reykjavik and the Kaospilots. It is co-funded by the European Commission.

Read more information about the project at www.embtf.org

What is the Music Cities Network?

The Music Cities Network (MCN) is a transnational non-profit association uniting music cities and policy makers around the globe. The network is dedicated to improving communication collaboration, business, arts & policies for all music city stakeholders. The MCN was initiated in 2016 by Sound Diplomacy and Hamburg Music Business and - after five years under the umbrella and support of Hamburg Music - legally established in 2021. Founding members are Aarhus, Bergen, Berlin, Hamburg, Gothenburg, Groningen, Manchester, Nantes, Reykjavik & Sydney. The MCN pursues a holistic approach in its work and includes all stakeholders of the music city ecosystem, including policy makers, music entrepreneurs and artists.
What is a Music City?

Being a Music City is a concept For example, it can be… : A community of any size with a vibrant music economy Beginning with artists and musicians A home to a broad range of professionals who support artist-, and music entrepreneurs in their career development Offering spaces for education, rehearsal, recording and performance Fostering a live scene with an engaged and passionate audience that provides artists with a fertile ground for developing their craft.
Why is MCN needed?

We as Music Cities Network agree that a future-proofed music industry needs to become more diverse, fairer and healthier. That is why we aim to contribute to this mission by intensifying borderless cultural exchange and business opportunities between music cities through enabling platforms empowering innovation. In the light of the ongoing worldwide crises, the existing and emerging challenges of the global music industry have become more vital than ever. We consider city networks to play an even more important role in the future, which is why we already invest into those supportive structures. Last but not least: a worldwide network of music cities, exchanging on a policy level wasn’t existing before - so someone had to do it. :)
Why is a holistic approach necessary?

In order to facilitate sustainable change in the music industry all stakeholders from artists, music entrepreneurs to policy makers need to be equally empowered and connected. Thus, to bring the greatest benefit, music must be assessed, managed and evaluated like all other forms of infrastructure, for example schools, hospitals and roads. Measurement, upkeep and reflection is the foundation of a successful music policy.
What is our vision?

We are a member-based network that actively designs hands-on solutions to bridge the gaps between all music city stakeholders: music policy makers, music entrepreneurs, artists and city marketing strategists. Our actions are aiming towards our vision to get decision makers and politicians to sustainably acknowledge music as an integrated part of city development.
What are our key missions?

1. Connect We connect with music cities, policy makers, music entrepreneurs and music artists around the globe. We jointly explore and live common transnational values, similarities and differences. 2. Learn We learn from a diverse and experienced team of music cities experts gathered within the network. We get and give advice and insights on good practices and possibilities for music cities policies. 3. Share We share and exchange knowledge on a professional music policy level. We understand ourselves as advocates for a more fair and diverse future in our cities and within the global music industry. 4. Shape We actively shape hands-on solutions to bridge the gaps between music scenes, city marketing and music policy makers. Our joint transnational activities are paving the way for Music Cities prioritizing music and culture policy actively.
What are Key Strategies of a Music City?

.. that both larger and smaller music cities can use to grow and strengthen their music economy: Music and musician-friendly policies; Music Offices; Music Advisory Boards; Engaging the broader community; Providing access to spaces and places; Diverse audience development; and, Music Tourism.
How much does it cost to join the network?

The cost to join the network is 6.500€ net per year for a full member city, which is contributing to the general financing of the Music Cities Network association (such as staff, events, projects, visibility). If you are interested in joining our network, please contact Lena or one of our board members for more information.
How can you join the network?

For more information on how to join please look at ‘Become a Member Section’.
What does member-based mean?

Member-based means that the aims and agenda are actively shaped by the members and their respective music scenes and stakeholders. Every contact person we work with serves as a doorway into and out of the music scene in every city.
Where can I learn more about the concept of Music Cities?

There are a lot of options but for example you can ready more here: The Mastering of a Music City, by Music Canada 2015, here The Music Cities Manual by Sound Diplomacy, 2019, here

About the Kaospilots & Training Program

The Kaospilot is an education program based in Aarhus, Denmark that was founded in 1991.

It is a 3-year programme focusing on Enterprising Leadership. People are educated to drive results and to create transformation as changemakers, entrepreneurs, and leaders.

The Kaospilots offer a wide range of programs for professionals in Denmark and abroad. The school has been a partner in the program “Music Management” by the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus. The Kaospilots will also be a partner of the second EMBTF edition and take care of the workshop program.

The overall schedule for the program

Workshop Discover Spot Festival Aarhus Denmark

Workshop 1 - “Discover”: SPOT Festival, Aarhus (DK)

The aim is to onboard the Task Force candidates in the program. We share expectations and start research projects across countries and disciplines. Problems shall be defined, experts can be consulted.

Actions performed:

Build a learning community, gather information, and exchange knowledge.
Clarify expectations and needs for the program.
Define areas of work.
Distribute the first tasks among the participants.

Workshop 2 - “Define”: Reeperbahn Festival, Hamburg (DE)

Observations will be analysed and synthesised to define the core problems identified up to this point. The purpose is to interpret and reframe the research and map it into activities.

Actions performed:

Share collected information and work results.
Test ideas and define projects based on the research, formulate questions.
Consider/include relevant inputs from invited keynote speakers.

Workshop 3 - “Design”: Iceland Airwaves, Reykjavik (IS)

With this solid background the Task Force can now start to “think outside the box”. They will look for alternative ways of viewing the problems and find solutions. The purpose is to develop and design a final project which should be implemented before the last module.

Actions performed:+ what skills do you bring yourself?

Design the concept for the project.
Plan the management of the project.
Consider/include relevant input from invited keynote speakers.

Workshop 4 - “Deliver”: Eurosonic, Groningen (NL)

The final workshop will deliver and present some of the findings in a workshop held by the participants in the Masterclass.

Actions performed:

Test of the project in a real-world setting.
Inclusion of feedback.

MeeT the 23/24 EMBTF JURY

Alexandra Ampofo Nine Elms, UK Employee Resource Group leader at Live Nation UK, Promoter at Metropolis Music, Founder of Acoustic Live & Women Connect	Debra King Manchester, UK Director Brighter Sound Chair of the Board Music Cities NetworK	Oskar Strajn Amsterdam, NL Project manager and Booker at ESNS	Josh Greenberg Copenhagen, DK Start-Up Founder / Strategy Consultant / Creative Advisor / Ex Spotify & Red Bull Music
Ralph Christoph Cologne, DE Director c/o pop Convention	Anne Meldal Nørgaard Copenhagen, DK Rektor at Danish Songwriting Academy	Sandra Perens Tallinn, EE Event Manager at Music Cities Events, A&R Manager/partner at Tier Music Publishing, Partnership Manager at Arvo Pärt Centre	Nina Finnerud Oslo, NO Head of UK & Nordics