Last week, the Eurosonic Noorderslag (ESNS) music festival was held for the 40th time in Groningen, the Netherlands. Iceland Music (Tónlistarmiðstöð) was in attendance, along with a distinguished group of Icelandic musicians and industry professionals.

The center supported the attendance of managers Irina Shtreis and Erin Lynch at the festival, while Iceland Airwaves and Rás 2 also had representatives on-site. The artists Elín Hall, Inspector Spacetime, and Múr performed a total of five concerts during the festival, all of which were played to capacity crowds.

Additionally, Leifur Björnsson, export specialist at Iceland Music, and Ísleifur Þórhallsson, managing director of Sena Live and Iceland Airwaves, participated in panel discussions at the festival conference. Iceland Music also hosted two professional networking receptions—one in collaboration with other Nordic music offices and another with colleagues from Estonia.

A Vital Platform for Discovery

ESNS has long established itself as one of Europe’s most important industry festivals. It serves as a key platform for the music industry to gather and discover the latest trends—whether in business shifts or the most noteworthy new music. In this context, the European Talent Exchange (ETE) plays a vital role.

Iceland Music and the European Talent Exchange

The European Talent Exchange is a collaborative project that helps European artists secure bookings at music festivals worldwide. ESNS manages the project in partnership with the European Festival Association (YOUROPE) and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

Each year, a special ETE meeting is held at ESNS where representatives from participating countries present performing artists to approximately 130 festival bookers. Since its launch in 2003, the platform has facilitated bookings for over 2,500 artists at around 200 festivals both within and outside of Europe.

Iceland Music and Rás 2 are Iceland's representatives in ETE, working systematically together to promote Icelandic music and create new opportunities for Icelandic artists on the international stage.

We thank our colleagues and artists for a fantastic festival!

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