Eurosonic Noorderslag 2010 - The European Music Conference & Showcase Festival

EuroSonic Noorderslag is Europe’s biggest and most important live music industry conference and showcase festival, taking place from 13th – 16th January 2010 in Groningen, The Netherlands. With over 2650 music professionals and more than 250 showcases from the best European talent, it’s the ultimate platform for the European music industry to exchange and break new talent.

“EuroSonic Noorderslag is all about exchange of artists, exchange of ideas, exchange of contacts and exchange of views. EuroSonic Noorderslag is the best international platform to witness new talent, rub shoulders with the key players, sellers and buyers from the international live music industry, learn about new developments and do business” Say Ruud Berends, Head of International marketing & PR EuroSonic Noorderslag

Dedicated to promoting new talent this year’s event will start on Wednesday with the addition of the The European Festival Awards. The European Festival Association Yourope has joined forces with festivals portal Virtual Festivals Europe to create the first ever awards to celebrate the ever-growing strength and diversity of the pan-European music festival marketplace and recognize those individuals and organizations responsible for brightening up the lives of millions each summer.

On Thursday and Friday, EuroSonic presents a broad variety of the best European talent throughout the city of Groningen. With European booking agents, 60 ETEP festivals, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), Yourope and Network Europe supporting the program, EuroSonic is the most extensive and progressive showcase festival in Europe.

Noorderslag has been the main barometer of Dutch pop music for 24 years and on Saturday, De Oosterpoort Theatre presents the very best Dutch acts in every genre, from hiphop and urban to pop music, avant garde, dance, alternative and everything in between.

During the event over 100 panels and meetings will also take place, focusing on European music, touring, festivals, the (live) music industry and media developments. The conference also features meetings by: Yourope, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), European Talent Exchange Program (ETEP), The European Export Office and Network Europe.

Exchanging talent
As the exchange and support of new music in Europe is one of the main goals of EuroSonic Noorderslag, the special European Talent Exchange Program (ETEP) was introduced in 2003. Each year ETEP brings together the leading European festivals, radio and other media and stimulates them to ‘exchange’ a selection of artists. 2009 set a new record! 214 shows, with 75 European artists from 18 countries performing at 54 ETEP festivals in 20 countries. A grand total of 965 shows by 346 European artists since 2003. More information at www.etep.nl

'Eurosonic is an important event for any band who wants to get gigging in mainland Europe. Tonnes of fun and seriously worthwhile.' Says James Yuill

Breaking talent – The EBBA Awards
For the annual European Border Breaker Awards (EBBA), the European Commission and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) aim to highlight the success of debut European artists in crossing national borders. Taking place on the opening night of EuroSonic Noorderslag, 10 acts will receive European Border Breakers Awards during a spectacular TV-show presented by BBC legend Jools Holland, recorded at Oosterpoort Theatre Groningen and broadcasted throughout Europe. Former winners include now established artists such as Carla Bruni, Adele, Katie Melua, Damien Rice, The Thrills, Gabriel Rios, The Fratellis, Basshunter, Dolores O’ Riordan and many more. More information at www.europeanborderbreakersawards.eu

Broadcasting talent
Working closely with EuroSonic Noorderslag in achieving its goal to spread new music around Europe, is the largest broadcasting association of national broadcasters in the world: the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Supporting the event since 1999, the EBU exposes live music to a huge audience, with 21 European radio stations relaying 380 concert recordings from Groningen in
2008. More information at www.ebu.ch

Spotlight of Norway
Each year EuroSonic Noorderslag focuses its spotlight on a particular European country, featuring performances by the best artists and dedicating conference topics to its music industry. 2010 will be the year of Norway. With its vibrant music scene, Norway offers a wide variety of the best music, ranging from rock chick Ida Maria to the charismatic rap duo Madcon and from the electronic playgrounds of Casiokids and Lindstrøm to hard hitting metal from the likes of Mayhem and Immortal. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! The Norwegian focus was officially presented at the Øya Festival in Oslo on 14th of August and is supported by NRK P3 Radio and Music Export Norway.

First speakers & topics announced
Though most of you consider next year January as quite far away, we are happy to slowly unroll the conference program of this year. Let’s start to mention few of our keynote speakers!

Keynote by Steve Knopper (Friday)
Steve Knopper, a contributing editor for Rolling Stone magazine, is the author of "Appetite for Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry in the Digital Age" (Simon & Schuster U.K.). He has appeared on NPR's "Fresh Air," MSNBC, NBC's "Nightly News" and "Last Call with Carson Daly" and his articles have been published in Esquire, Details, Entertainment Weekly, New York, SPIN and Wired. More information at www.facebook.com/l/84ffa;knopps.com/sbio.html

Key note by Bob Lefsetz (Saturday)
Bob Lefsetz, Santa Monica-based industry legend, is the author of the e-mail newsletter, "The Lefsetz Letter". Famous for being beholden to no one, and speaking the truth, Lefsetz addresses the issues that are at the core of the music business: downloading, ticketing and the music itself. His intense brilliance captivates readers from Steven Tyler to Trent Reznor to Bryan Adams to Quincy Jones to music business honchos like Michael Rapino, Randy Phillips and Irving Azoff. More information at http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/

IQ magazine presents: Q & A with UK Agent Steve Strange / X- Ray touring (Saturday)
Steve Strange started his career as an agent with Prestige in 1991 and was there for a year before returning to Ireland to promote shows with MCD/Wonderland for a 12 month period. He then returned to London to join FAB Agency followed by a year at Solo. He joined Helter Skelter in 1997. In February 2005 he formed a new independently owned agency with Ian Huffam, Scott Thomas, Jeff Craft and Martin Horne, X-ray Touring Limited. Steve’s clients include: Eminem, Coldplay, Snow Patrol, Scissor Sisters, Queens of the Stone Age, Jimmy Eat World and Bright Eyes.

Attending EuroSonic Noorderslag
EuroSonic Noorderslag takes place from 13th to 16th January 2010 in Groningen, The Netherlands
- just a 2 hour drive away from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. Registration includes access to the online delegates database, the delegates directory and the conference bag. Registration rates go up as the event gets closer, so book early and save! For more information on the rates and to register directly, visit our webshop. For more information on attending EuroSonic Noorderslag, travel solutions, hotel reservations, promotional opportunities and all of your questions, visit our website www.eurosonic-noorderslag.nl

More information can be found on www.eurosonic-noorderslag.nl