Joe GallopOrganisers of long established live music industry conference and showcase festival ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag) said the 19 – 22 January event, which was due to take place in venues throughout Groningen, the Netherlands, will now take place online.
The switch to digital follows a recent Dutch government announcement outlining increased Covid-19 mitigation measures in the country that the Noorderslag Foundation said prevents ESNS from hosting all the booked European acts and bringing international music professionals together in the Netherlands.
In January this year, ESNS was also presented digitally due to the pandemic. The 2022 edition, with tickets priced €99 (£84), will include a conference programme, showcase festival featuring international grassroots acts, and the Music Moves Europe Awards ceremony.
ESNS managing director Dago Houben said, “ESNS is of great importance to the entire music industry and especially to European musicians. It is therefore essential to carry out our function of providing the best possible platform for European pop music. Earlier this year we saw that the reach of a digital edition can be huge and that we were able to make a difference to an artist’s career. We are therefore pleased to give all booked ESNS artists the exposure they deserve with the help of our media partners.”