Joe GallopThe 38th edition of Dutch music festival and conference ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag) saw 280 grassroots acts from 40 countries showcase their talents to around 40,000 music fans and professionals in Groningen.
With more than 500 speakers participating in the music industry conference, the topics addressed included the widely covered report from Taskforce GO! on misconduct in the music industry, while multiple sessions explored the impact of climate change on the music industry.
A Sustainability Desk was set up during ESNS, with all delegates invited to provide comments on how the European music industry can become more environmentally sustainable. All responses will be presented to the European Commission on 31 January. The opportunity remains open, and attendees have been asked to email sustainabilitydesk@esns.nl or to fill in this form.
The international music industry was well-represented in Groningen, with more than 4,000 music professionals from Europe, plus delegations from countries such as Canada, India, and Mexico.
At the conference ESNS and Soundcharts announced EMERGE; a new AI project for the European music industry connecting European music with sync professionals. ESNS also presented the latest The State of European Music report.
ESNS included the The Music Moves Europe Awards, organised in partnership with Reeperbahn Festival and supported by Liveurope, Yourope, Live DMA, IMPALA, Digital Music Europe, ICMP-CIEM, International Music Managers Forum and European Music Exporters Exchange.
The MME award winners were Yunè Pinku (Ireland), Ralphie Choo (Spain), Freekind. (Slovenia), Giift (Denmark), and Bulgarian Cartrader (Bulgaria). The Grand Jury Prize was awarded to Zaho de Sagazan (France), who also won the Public Choice award.
ESNS and Music Export Poland partnered on the Focus on Poland program, with the country being represented by 12 upcoming acts. At the music conference, various current and music-related topics from Poland were discussed by speakers and delegates.
ESNS interim director Frans Vreeke said, “Once again, Groningen was the music capital of Europe and beyond. 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, in collaboration with Italia Music Lab, has announced that Italy will be the focus country for 2025.