The European Talent Exchange has reaped near instant rewards for artists, with participants in the scheme already securing slots on 77 festivals this summer.

Every artist who plays at ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag) automatically joins the programme, which is co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the EU.

In collaboration with festival association Yourope and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the initiative connects artists to a network of around 130 partner festivals and benefits from the support of 31 media partners to amplify their promotion.

110 acts who performed at this year’s ESNS have now landed slots at major festivals

A total of 110 acts who performed at this year’s ESNS have now landed slots at major festivals in 30 countries including Sziget (Hungary), Coachella (US), Reeperbahn (Germany), Ypsigrock (Italy), Paléo Festival Nyon (Switzerland), Rock For People (Czechia), Rock Werchter (Belgium), Electric Castle (Romania), Roskilde (Denmark), Mad Cool (Spain), Best Kept Secret (Netherlands) and Øyafestivalen (Norway.

Success stories so far include Luvcat (9 festival bookings) and Big Special (7) from the UK, Judeline (4) from Spain, Daufødt (3) from Norway, Erika Rein (3) from Slovakia, Sylvie Kreusch (7) from Belgium, Boko Yout (5) from Sweden, Cliffords (8) from Ireland, Arp Frique & The Perpetual Singers (3) from the Netherlands, Carpetman (4) from Ukraine and Woomb (4) from Bulgaria.

Founded in 1986, ESNS will celebrate its 40th anniversary from 14-17 January next year in Groningen, the Netherlands.

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Organisers of Eurosonic Noorderslag (ESNS) say the conference remains “fully committed to Groningen”, despite expressing mixed feelings over plans for the Dutch city’s live music scene.

It was revealed last week that Groningen is to gain a new 3,200-cap venue, Grote Popzaal, as part of a scheme that will also involve the redevelopment of De Oosterpoort – the longtime home of ESNS.

The project was selected by the city council ahead of a separate proposal for a multipurpose complex – which would have cost up to €365 million – for being “too complex, too expensive and too risky”.

“We welcome the recognition of Groningen as a true music city, and we’re pleased to see serious investment in the city’s live music infrastructure with the announcement of a new 3,200-capacity venue,” ESNS MD Anna van Nunen tells IQ.

“The upcoming renovation will challenge us to be creative in reshaping the event over the coming years”

IQ understands the renovation of De Oosterpoort will not take place until 2026 and will not begin until the Grote Popzaal is completed, with the new venue to serve as a temporary location for part of De Oosterpoort’s programming. The council set to make an official decision before the summer before discussing the plans in its autumn budget.

De Nunen says ESNS will attempt to work within the existing framework before seeking any alternatives.

“We’re in close dialogue with the municipality regarding the planned renovation of De Oosterpoort, which serves as the beating heart of ESNS during our festival days,” adds Van Nunen. “The upcoming renovation will challenge us to be creative in reshaping the event over the coming years. In that light, we would have preferred to see a new, larger music venue developed – one that could meet the city’s growing needs without requiring a temporary closure of its most vital cultural space.

“That said, we are fully committed to Groningen and will always aim to make this location work – especially during the renovation – before considering alternatives elsewhere.”

ESNS will celebrate its 40th anniversary when it returns to Groningen from 14-17 January next year.

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Eurosonic Noorderslag (ESNS) host city Groningen has detailed plans to build a new 3,200-cap venue as it seeks to meet the “growing demand” for touring artists.

The Grote Popzaal (large pop hall) will be constructed in the Spoorkwartier area of the Dutch city as part of a scheme that will also involve the redevelopment of De Oosterpoort – the longtime home of ESNS.

The authority is planning to move forward with the project, having rejected a separate proposal for a multipurpose complex – which would have cost up to €365 million – for being “too complex, too expensive and too risky”.

“The research of the past months has shown that a music centre with everything under one roof at the station will be so big that it does not fit within the financial frameworks agreed with the council,” it says. “Also, the financial risks are too big due to the complexity. The board does not consider expanding the current financial framework for a new music centre a responsible choice at this time.”

The Spoorkwartier location was chosen because of its proximity to the city centre and train station.

Kirsten de Wrede, alderman for culture, says the initiative marks a major investment in the cultural sector for the city and region.

“With the Grote Popzaal we are responding to the growing demand for big acts in Groningen,” she says.

The new venue will serve as a temporary location for De Oosterpoort’s programming during the renovation

The authority adds that the “beloved” Oosterpoort will be renovated “in a sustainable way, with an eye for circularity”.

“The surrounding area will also be tackled, the traffic connections will be improved and the relationship with the Diepenring [ring of canals around the city centre] will be strengthened,” it continues.

The renovation will not begin until the Grote Popzaal is completed, with the new venue to serve as a temporary location for part of De Oosterpoort’s programming.

“The location for De Grote Popzaal in the Spoorkwartier ties in with the recent investments in the area and strengthens the position of the city centre of Groningen,” adds Rik van Niejenhuis, alderman for spatial planning.

“The project is an important boost for the economic development of the Spoorkwartier. De Grote Popzaal will not only be a music building, but will also make the entire area lively and attractive through urban development and architectural integration of new functions.”

No timescale for the project has yet been given, with the council set to make an official decision before the summer before discussing the plans in its autumn budget.

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English acts are leading the way on Eurosonic Noorderslag’s (ESNS) European talent exchange programme in 2025, securing festival slots across the continent this summer.

So far in 2025, Exchange has presented a total of 84 shows featuring 55 artists from 18 countries, booked by 45 festivals across 21 countries.

British band Luvcat are currently the most-booked act on the ESNS Exchange chart, with seven festival bookings outside their home country. Next is Alessi Rose (UK) with six bookings, followed by Judeline (ES) and Big Special (UK) with four apiece.

We Hate You Please Die (FR), Cliffords (IE), Loverman (BE) and Soft Launch (IE) have all secured three bookings through the programme. Lucy Dreams (AT), Kara Delik (DE), Paula Dalla Corte (DE/CH) and Antony Szmierek (UK) have received two.

British band Luvcat are currently the most-booked act on the ESNS Exchange chart

The festivals to have booked the most ESNS artists in 2025, meanwhile, are Slovenia’s Ment Ljubljana (9 bookings), England’s The Great Escape (5), Estonia’s Tallinn Music Week (4), Germany’s Maifeld Derby (4), The Netherlands’ Best Kept Secret (3), Switzerland’s Montreux Jazz Festival (3), Spain’s Mad Cool (3), The Netherlands’ Lowlands (3), Germany’s Orange Blossom (3), Slovakia’s Sharpe Festival (3) and Switzerland’s Zermatt Unplugged (3).

In collaboration with YOUROPE and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the initiative connects artists to a network of around 130 partner festivals and benefits from the support of 31 media partners to amplify their promotion.

Additionally, European Talent Exchange unites 23 members and five associated partners, including 26 export offices, to create a powerful network for talent development.

The platform is coordinated by ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag). European Talent Exchange is co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.

ESNS will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2026, which will take place from January 14–17 in Groningen, the Netherlands.

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Ahead of next week’s ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag), head of programme Robert Meijerink has told IQ there is “magic” in helping emerging artists launch onto the European scene.

The annual music showcase festival and conference is set to take place between 15–18 January in Groningen, the Netherlands. It will include over 300 emerging acts from 24 European countries across its festival lineup, alongside more than 500 industry professionals in panel discussions, workshops and keynotes.

Though all programming has traditionally been staged in venues across the city, this year’s edition will see showcases in de Oosterpoort, the main conference centre, for the first time on Wednesday (15 January).

Centralising programming not only helps control venue and staffing costs, Meijerink says, but also brings the final part of the day’s schedule into one primary location, making it practical for delegates and festivalgoers alike. Over 50 artists will perform across the evening.

“Everything is under one roof, so it makes it very convenient for all the visitors to see the artists they want to see,” he explained. “Normally, it’s in the city and you have to walk, or sometimes cycle or get a cab, to make it in time to see the next band.

“Eurosonic is about music first, but it’s also about networking. People want to see each other. It’s quite important for many music professionals to check in with each other, and that’s very convenient and easy on that Wednesday evening.”

The 14th edition of the European Festival Awards are set for the same night in de Oosterpoort.

“It’s always our general focus to promote talents from all corners of Europe”

For 2025, Eurosonic has selected Italy as its focus country as part of its ongoing effort to showcase musical diversity across Europe. Sixteen emerging Italian acts will be featured across the four-day festival, including Bassolino, BigMama, Daniela Pes, Kharfi, and Kyoto.

Meijerink says the global success of the Eurovision-winning Italian band Måneskin was a big push to spotlight other developing talent in the southern European country.

“The business in Italy became more conscious of the opportunities outside Italy, so we were in talks with our partners there. They all felt like, to kick in these doors and to make everyone aware, in the slipstream of success not only about Måneskin, that more and more artists are from Italy.”

“This seems to be the right year to not only kick in these doors but also make people aware of the huge diversity and relevancy of the Italian music scene,” he says.

In addition to a one-country spotlight, Meijerink says Eurosonic has honed in on an overall European focus and how the team can help non-EU countries flourish: “We don’t have any borders. We consider live music should include everything that is relevant.”

“It’s always our general focus to promote talents from all corners of Europe, including the UK, Switzerland and Norway, which are not part of the EU as well.”

Recently, ESNS’s European Talent Booking Exchange revealed the top five most-booked artists of 2024 hailed from the UK and Ireland. To date, the scheme has supported nearly 2,300 European artists — including Stromae, Fontaines D.C., The XX, Sam Smith, and Hozier — to perform at over 5,600 shows across 197 partner festivals in 44 countries.

Helping support artists to expand their horizons and audiences outside their home country, who are likely performing internationally for the first time, is a key highlight for Meijerink.

“To bring artists from their home country where they built a fan base already into Groningen, where they literally don’t know anyone, to perform in front of a professional audience also consisting of many music lovers who buy tickets to discover these artists — It’s all about that. There’s magic in it.”

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Eurosonic Noorderslag’s (ESNS) European Talent Exchange has revealed the scheme’s most-booked artists of 2024, led by an all-UK & Ireland top five.

Previously known as ESNS Exchange, the music exchange programme facilitates the booking of European acts at festivals outside their home countries in collaboration with Yourope and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

This year’s most prolific performers were the UK’s Fat Dog with 15 bookings, followed by English Teacher (UK) on nine and Lambrini Girls (UK) and Yard (Ireland) with eight.

Chalk (IE), Kingfishr (Ireland) and YĪN YĪN (Netherlands) were next on the list with seven bookings each, ahead of Loverman (Belgium), Nusantara Beat (Netherlands), Picture Parlour (UK) and Yunè Pinku (Ireland) on six.

“We’re now on the same stages as bands we were fans of ourselves”

“We’re now on the same stages as bands we were fans of ourselves,” say Chalk.

In 2024 overall, the programme resulted in 335 shows by 132 acts from 33 countries, performing at 95 festivals across 34 countries.

The top five festivals with the most booked Exchange artists were Germany’s Reeperbahn with 28 bookings, the UK’s The Great Escape (UK) on 23, Haldern Pop Festival in Germany with 14, Hungary’s Sziget on 11 and Slovenia’s MENT Ljubljana on 10.

The initiative was established in 2003 in a bid to overcome the challenges faced by the European pop music industry in international promotion and distribution. Since then, it has helped 2,292 European artists from 36 countries perform 5,675 shows at 197 partner festivals across 44 countries.

ESNS25 will take place in Groningen, the Netherlands, from 15-18 January 2025.

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ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag) has unveiled the first keynote and featured speakers for the 2025 edition, taking place between 15–18 January in Groningen, the Netherlands.

Sumit Bothra (SB3 Artist Management), Seth Dodson (Pitchfork), Jess Iszatt (BBC), Katie Melua (artist) and Victoria Oakley (IFPI) are among the first confirmed speakers for the European showcase festival and conference.

Other confirmed speakers include tastemakers from Dekmantel, EMMA, Wasserman Music, and many more.

In 2025, the programme focuses on topics such as the impact of AI on the music industry, the future of streaming, achieving sustainability goals for festivals by 2030, the fairness of dynamic pricing, activism among artists and festivals, the effect of private equity on business, and the devastating impact of rising costs and lack of personnel in the live music industry.

In her keynote speech at the ESNS Conference, Victoria Oakley (IFPI) will discuss the main challenges the recording industry will face in the upcoming years.

Katie Melua and her manager Sumit Bothra will discuss strategies for balancing parenthood and music industry career demands

Talking about the challenges and strategies for balancing parenthood and music industry career demands, singer and songwriter Katie Melua and her manager Sumit Bothra (SB3 Artist Management) will engage in a conversation with moderator and psychologist Anne Löhr from Music Industry Therapist Collective.

Other featured speakers taking the stage at ESNS 2025 include agent at Wasserman Music Clementine Bunel; Pitchfork’s executive director of festivals and events Seth Dodson; CEO and co-founder of Copyright Delta Daan Archer, who specialises in safeguarding music in new digital, virtual and AI-driven worlds; Radio 1’s flagship BBC Introducing show host Jess Iszatt; music programmer at events company and record label Dekmantel Elisa Luengo; innovator, social change activist, podcast host, and artist Saskhia Menendez.

Also featured on the conference programme is music editor at The Independent Roisin O’Connor; founder and CEO of hybrid virtual conference, bootcamp, and workshop Measures of Music Christine Osazuwa; executive director of the European Music Managers Alliance (EMMA) Jess Partridge; president of Music Managers Forum’s US chapter and International Music Managers Forum advisory board member Neeta Ragoowansi (MMF-US & IMMF); Dave Webster, the head of international at UK’s Musicians’ Union, addressing touring post-Brexit; and Kees van Weijen (Hit4us, IMPALA, STOMP), who will address challenges for the independent music community in creating a level playing field.

The first artists showcasing at ESNS and more panels and speakers will be announced in the coming weeks. ESNS recently announced a new Open Call for ESNS25 and its Focus on Italy.

The full conference programme can be found here and delegate passes can be purchased here.

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UK and Ireland acts are leading the way on Eurosonic Noorderslag’s (ESNS) European talent exchange programme in 2024, securing festival slots across the continent this summer.

British band Fat Dog top the ESNS Exchange chart with 15 bookings for festivals outside their home country including Winterthurer Musikwochen (DE), Poplar Festival (IT) , Electric Castle (RO), Siren’s Call (LU), Bad Bonn Kilbi (CH), Lowlands (NL), Pukkelpop (BE), Eurockéennes de Belfort (FR) and Colours of Ostrava (CZ).

Next is English Teacher (ENG) with 10 bookings, Kingfishr (IRE) and Lambrini Girls (ENG), with eight each, and Chalk (IRE) and Picture Parlour (ENG), both with seven. The top 10 is completed by Leila (CH), Nusantara Beat (NL) and Freekind (SI) on six bookings each, while Ireland’s CMAT and Yunè Pinku are tied on five alongside Loverman (BE), UTO (FR) and YĪN YĪN (NL).

The festivals to have booked the most ESNS artists in 2024, meanwhile, are the UK’s The Great Escape (23), Germany’s Halden Pop Festival and Reeperbahn (12 each), Hungary’s Sziget (11), Slovenia’s MENT Ljubljana (9), Estonia’s Tallinn Music Week (7), the Netherlands’ Best Kept Secret, Iceland Airwaves, France’s Le Printemps De Bourges and Festival Europavox Clermont-Ferrand, and Germany’s Winterthurer Musikwochen (all 6).

Helen Sildna, founder of Shiftworks Company and Tallinn Music Week (TMW) says: “ESNS Exchange is an important building-block of TMW’s music programme, offering an opportunity to book the most exciting talent that Europe has on offer in a given year. ESNS programme choices provide a high-quality guarantee that is valued by promoters, also reflecting the wide geographical diversity of the EU and giving a spotlight to artists that otherwise might not end up on bookers’ radars.

“We hope the programme can continue – it’s a smart tool for both the artist and the bookers”

“The combination of high-standard pre-selection and a support mechanism, helping to cover part of the costs – is a smart incentive to make sure fresh European talent has more opportunities to break borders and enhance their international careers. We hope the programme can continue – it’s a smart tool for both the artist and the bookers.”

Co-funded by the European Union’s Creative Europe programme, ESNS Exchange facilitates the booking of European acts at festivals outside their home countries and works with the EBU, Yourope export offices and local media to generate media exposure for those artists.

For more than two decades, ESNS Exchange and its partners have supported 2,159 European artists from 37 countries in performing 5,336 shows across 192 partner festivals in 44 countries. Artists to have benefited from the scheme via formative festival slots include Editors, The xx, Iceage, Anna Calvi, AURORA, Kae Tempest, Phoenix, Shame, Fontaines DC, Sigrid and Priya Ragu.

“Making circulation of new European artists on festivals easier. That’s what it is all about,” adds Andraž Kajzer, artistic director and festival manager at MENT Ljubljana. “ESNS Exchange is an important pillar for new talent supporting our cause and making it viable.”

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The 38th edition of ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag) drew 4,000 music professionals from Europe plus delegations from countries such as Canada, India and Mexico, it has been revealed.

The European showcase festival and conference took place between 17–20 January in Groningen, the Netherlands, and featured a total of 40,000 fans and professionals from around the world – around 4,000 less than last year.

More than 500 speakers participated in the conference, including keynote speakers Amy Thomson (formerly Hipgnosis, ATM Artists), John Mulder (MOJO Concerts/Live Nation) and Mark Mulligan (MIDiA Research).

In addition, 280 new European acts showcased their talents, including 12 from the 2024 focus country Poland. ESNS this year expanded its Noorderslag programme this year, showcasing 50 Dutch acts on Saturday.

“ESNS continues to play an indispensable role for the Dutch and European music community”

Elsewhere, the European Festival Awards, which took place on the opening night of ESNS (Wednesday 17 January), honoured executives including Wasserman’s Tom Schroeder, Lowlands promoter Eric van Eerdenburg and Lifetime Achievement honouree Ruud Berends.

“Once again, Groningen was the music capital of Europe and beyond,” says Frans Vreeke, interim director of ESNS.

“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 2025 will take place from 15–18 January in Groningen, the Netherlands, with Italy as the Focus Country.

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Leading European live executives have advised that ticket pricing is “more important than ever” as the business navigates its current challenges.

The subject was pored over during today’s Touring In ’24: Are There Bumps In The Road? session at the Eurosonic Noorderslag (ESNS) conference in Groningen, the Netherlands.

Moderated by IQ MD Greg Parmley, the panel featured agents Beckie Sugden of CAA and UTA’s Carlos Abreu, as well as Mojo Concerts head promoter Kim Bloem and FKP Scorpio CEO Stephan Thanscheidt.

Netherlands-based Bloem reported the market appeared in rude health at all levels from her viewpoint.

“Tickets are flying out,” said Bloem. “It’s not just the blockbuster shows, it’s the club shows too. We’re not struggling.”

Thanscheidt, who is based out of Germany and is also FKP’s head of festival booking, painted an overall positive if more mixed picture.

“We have so many artists touring. But there are also shows that are not doing so well. It depends on demographics, genre and level of act”

“As a company, we don’t have a problem,” he said. “We have so many artists touring. But there are also shows that are not doing so well. It depends on demographics, genre and level of act.”

Sugden, whose roster includes artists such as Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals, GloRilla, Noname, Chronixx, implied it was a constant work in progress.

“It’s a supply and demand market,” she said. “As agents, we have to make sure artists aren’t touring too much. And they’re going to other regions. It’s a constantly changing and dynamic market.”

Thanscheidt argued that show calculations were “more challenging and complicated than before”, triggering a debate around the impact of rising costs on ticket prices.

“Getting ticket prices right is more important than ever,” stressed Abreu, who works with the likes of Rosalía, Bad Bunny, Anitta, Morad, Tokischa and Ayra Starr. “There are also creative ways to structure deals with artists who are looking to do meet and greets or VIP packages, etc. You have to understand the demographic you’re selling to.”

Sugden said it was necessary to analyse the market “with forensic detail and check that your ticket prices are competitive”.

“It’s the perfect storm. Everyone’s prices are increasing”

“VIP doesn’t work in every market, so you have to know what works for each market,” she added. “It’s the perfect storm. Everyone’s prices are increasing. But actually with K-pop fans, they’re willing to stick their hands in their pockets. In times of crisis, people want to be entertained.”

Bloem felt the business has been “timid” regarding raising ticket prices in the past and felt the present level of demand indicated there was room for an increase.

“Given how fast tickets are selling, I think we can increase,” she said. “We added €30 to festival tickets this year, but festival tickets can’t be pushed too quickly.”

“This is a real problem,” advised Thanscheidt. “We had sold out festivals but the margins were complete shit. It’s getting better now but you still see festivals struggling.

“Ticket prices are at the limit. Some festivals overpriced and had only 70/80% of their usual audience, which German promoters know is terrible.”

The conversation then turned to dynamic pricing, with Abreu noting it had become “the norm” in the US. “It’s the way the world is going.” he added.

“We have to think differently about how we approach first steps for artists”

Thanscheidt appeared open-minded about the prospect, but pointed out that the European industry was still some way behind its US counterpart in terms of adoption. “I think it will take time but all sauces that can add to the pot,” he said.

In closing, the panellists shared their thoughts on keeping tickets affordable for fans. Thanscheidt brought up the concept of ‘social tickets’, where a small portion of tickets are available to unwaged citizens for a lower price.

“I had a show recently where the artist did a collection after the concert and the artist ended up tripling the guarantee,” responded Sugden. “We’re getting more creative. We’ve got to keep creative with the club scene. We have to think differently about how we approach first steps for artists.”

Abreu added that some artists could afford to do underplays to “give back” to their fans, but accepted it wasn’t always possible.

“We need to think in career terms for artists,” he concluded. “Not just ‘what do we want to make on this next tour’. It’s about where are we going to be in five years.”

ESNS, which recently appointed Anna van Nunen as its new general manager, wraps up its 2024 edition tomorrow. The event also featured the 2023 European Festival Awards. Check out the winners here.

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