On November 4th and 5th, the second “Riga Music week” will take place in the Tallinn Street quarter, bringing together European music industry professionals and more than 50 bands and artists in Riga. The two-day program, alongside an industry conference, will also feature a city festival on seven stages.
The conference program will touch on issues that are also changing how we discover and listen to music right now. Do the algorithms of Spotify, TikTok and other platforms help new music reach listeners, or increasingly determine what we notice at all? European concert agents and festival representatives will also talk about how they find new artists and what it takes to bring a local band to an international stage. On the other hand, a separate discussion will focus on why there is no shortage of talented artists in the Baltics, but there is still a lack of strong companies capable of developing them outside the local market in the long term.
Participation in “Riga Music week” has already been confirmed by Dylan Heneck, partner of “SUBMITHUB”, Anna van Nunen, head of “ESNS”, Angela Dorgan, head of “first Music Contact”, and Fernando Bittencourt Hersan, head of the European concert venue network “Liveurope”. The list of conference participants will be updated.
“Latvia does not lack strong artists, but good music is not enough in the international market. It is important that people who make decisions on the development of artists, festival programs and music circulation in Europe on a daily basis meet the Latvian industry right here in Riga. “Riga Music week” aims to create space for such conversations and contacts,” says Agnese Cimuska-Rekke, founder and CEO of “Riga Music week”. “This event broadens the horizons of Riga's cultural events, while educating listeners, reaching out to foreign visitors and promoting the international visibility of Latvian artists. Such events strengthen both the festival's own brand and Riga's name in the world, confirming the city as a dynamic meeting place for cultural and creative industries,” emphasizes Fredis Bikovs, Director of the Riga Investment and Tourism Agency.
On the other hand, the seven stage programs of the city festival will be created by Latvian music industry organizations and curators. Among them will be the festival “summer sound”, the record label “I Love You”, the Baltic media “Bobe”, the international concert platform “Sofar sounds”, the music management agency “still figure” and the music company “Every little thing”.
From approximately 1200 applications, a program with more than 50 bands and artists has been selected, including Latvian performers who will use “Riga Music week” as an opportunity to present themselves to foreign music professionals. The city festival will also be open to a wider audience, offering a separately attended concert program in the Tallinn Street quarter.
Tickets for “Riga Music week” are available at “Biļešu serviss” ticket offices and online. The “delegate PRO” ticket provides access to both the conference and the city festival, while a separate festival ticket is also available for the concert program. Ticket price changes are scheduled for September 22nd.