ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag) has revealed the first confirmed speakers for its 2027 conference, taking place January 13th-16th in Groningen, the Netherlands.
Ireland is the focus country for 2027.
The Irish programme includes Dan Lambert, manager of Kneecap, who will speak on what it takes to break an Irish band internationally in the current global music industry. A panel featuring Angela Dorgan of First Music Contact will look at how Irish artists are supported through state investment, including the basic income for artists scheme, and how that support has shaped the sector’s success.
A separate panel on the independent side of Irish live music brings together Eleanor McGuinness of Earth Agency, Will Rolfe, co-founder and booker of All Together Now and In The Meadows, and Declan Forde, co-founder of Electric Picnic / Beyond the Pale – covering the festivals, events and key figures shaping the Irish scene.
Elsewhere on the bill: a keynote interview with Dutch guitarist Adrian Vandenberg marking 50 years in music, including his 12 years in Whitesnake. Karin de Groot, CEO of BumaStemra, joins the programme alongside Shain Shapiro of Sound Diplomacy, who introduces his upcoming book How Music Can Save the World. FRÉ and LORAL of Music Declares Emergency Netherlands present a workshop on industry-wide impact, and the Country Music Association runs a panel on the growth of country music in Europe featuring Sina Hall of C2C Berlin and Wouter de Wilde of Greenhouse Talent. Max Busin of Gotobeat will speak on the role of data and AI in live music curation.
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A key programme highlight is a panel on the European Commission’s Discoverability of Diverse European Cultural Content in the Digital Environment study, with research lead Martin Clarke of Panteia presenting findings on one of the industry’s most pressing current issues – how streaming platforms and algorithms shape what gets heard.
Delegate Passes at Medium rate are on sale now. Additional hotel rooms release June 17th. More speakers and programme announcements to follow in the coming months.
Tickets: https://esns.nl/en/esns/tickets
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005. He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Cara Magazine, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, co-founder of Lumo Club, event curator, Indie Sleaze club promoter, and producer of gigs and monthly listening parties & events in Dublin.
