Sunderland will become the first UK city to host the Music Cities Network (MCN) Summer Summit, taking place from 18–20 June 2026, with a full week of wraparound activity across the city. The Summit arrives in the final week of Sunderland’s Year of Music, marking a key moment for the city and bringing together international delegates to explore music ecosystem policy, cross-sector collaboration, and innovation. As part of this, ‘Summit Week Sunderland’ will extend the programm

Some moments feel like a natural next step – this was one of them. For the first time at Tallinn Music Week, the Music Cities Network and the UNESCO Creative Cities Network – Cities of Music came together in a shared format. What began as early conversations in 2023 has now taken a tangible step forward: creating a space to exchange, compare, and begin aligning towards a more connected future for music cities. When networks begin to align In a landscape where cities face simi

In December 2025, Valencia hosted the Music Cities Network (MCN) Summit, bringing together international city representatives, policymakers, and local stakeholders for an intensive working exchange. As one of Europe’s most forward-thinking Music Cities, Valencia used this moment to connect its independently driven Music City strategy and dedicated Music City Office - working alongside the Mayor’s Office - with MCN’s global network, reinforcing its position on a highly inno

Hi MCN friends, Spring is here, and with it comes that familiar momentum across our cities. New projects are taking shape, festivals are preparing their programmes, and our MCN calendar is slowly filling up again. Today we will dive into: • MCN at Tallinn Music Week and c/o pop Convention • Gothenburg’s upcoming Viva Summer Sounds live event • València’s new ecosystem tool: València Music Map MCN at Tallinn Music Week (9–12 April) MCN will be back in Tallinn for Tallinn

Bydgoszcz City of Music UNESCO has launched BPM DUO - a brand-new residency programme designed for musicians who are ready to take creative collaboration to the next level. BPM DUO invites two mid-career musicians based in the European Union (outside of Poland) who have never worked together before to develop a new artistic project - side by side, in real time, in Bydgoszcz. The programme gives selected artists three weeks of dedicated time and space to create, experiment, an

Together with 23 organisations from across Europe’s music ecosystem, MCN joins a joint call urging EU institutions to ensure a strong budget and an ambitious sector-specific approach for music within the future AgoraEU programme. While we welcome the proposed increase in the programme’s budget, the current AgoraEU proposal fails to include dedicated measures for music, despite the sector facing major challenges related to cross-border mobility, access to sustainable funding,

Europe’s music ecosystem is often discussed at a strategic level - in policies, funding lines, and frameworks designed to operate across borders. Yet the ecosystem itself does not exist on paper. It exists in places. In cities, towns, and regions where artists develop, venues anchor cultural life, and policy decisions are felt immediately. This reality shaped Music Cities Network’s full-day programme at Eurosonic Noorderslag 2026 in Groningen . As part of the 8th Music Move

Many of you already know, but we’re happy to officially share that Music Cities Network will be back at ESNS this year - and with a strong role in shaping the conversation.

As promised, here comes our annual walk down memory lane. Get cozy and top up your mug with another gløgg, hot cocoa, or coffee . You ready? Most importantly, as we look back on 2025 , we’re filled with gratitude - for the people we met, the cities we visited, and the many moments where music once again proved its power to connect, challenge, and inspire . It was a year of expansion, shared learning, and collective momentum , and a reminder of why this network exists: to str

How do you build meaningful international opportunities for artists without relying on centralized programming? Through empowered partnerships. That’s exactly what happened between Musicboard Berlin and Promus Aarhus - two members of the Music Cities Network (MCN) - who initiated an independent artist exchange between their respective festivals: Pop-Kultur Berlin and SPOT Festival. This two-way collaboration demonstrates how MCN doesn’t just facilitate conversations - it crea

We’re also thrilled to share exciting developments from one of our member cities. València has just launched its Music City 2030 strategy...

Calling all emerging composers, songwriters, and music professionals: Aarhus is calling. From November 4–6 , our member city Aarhus ...

We’re still buzzing from an unforgettable evening with our MCN Reception & Showcase at Reeperbahnfestival - and it’s all thanks to this...

A wide coalition of organisations from across Europe’s music ecosystem stands united. We call on the EU to ensure that music is not only...

We’re excited to share the highlights of this year’s presence of our network at the Reeperbahn Festival 2025 in Hamburg (17–20 September).

What's new, you ask? Well, Manchester Music City has NOT been sleeping, let us tell you this! So first, the news is that the famous ...

MCN member city, Sunderland, just dropped something special, introducing Music Sippy, a brand-new pale ale brewed in partnership with...

When it comes to tackling green sustainability in the music ecosystem, the initiative GROENN Groene Evenementen Noord-Nederland ...

After just a year of having become a member, our dear colleague Gabija Liaugminaitė has joined the MCN Board! Happy and excited to...

In this edition, we’re keeping that energy flowing with a look at what’s next — from an exciting new project out of Hamburg that’s bridging music, innovation, and sustainability, to big festival news coming from our friends in Gothenburg.