In September 2017, the seventh edition of the Waves Vienna Music Conference will take place in Vienna. Organised by Waves Vienna and Austrian Music Export, it provides an opportunity for the international and national music industry to network and exchange information.
Waves Vienna is a festival of exploration. Young artists from across Europe and beyond are given a stage as part of an international lineup of alternative, electronic, rock and club-music acts. At the music conference, labels, managers, bookers, journalists and promoters come together under one roof. The entire event provides music industry veterans and newcomers a chance to teach and learn through feedback listening sessions, speed-meetings with music experts, panels, and networking sessions.
On the last Friday and Saturday in September the festival centre at the WUK, one of the largest cultural centres in Europe, will provide the setting for music industry workshops and discussions. The conference offers countless opportunities for networking to conference participants. Areas of focus include women’s roles in the music industry, music management, and various aspects of brand-building and maintenance. International success stories will offer inspiration and guidance.
This year´s festival will also see the official launch of the Music Managers Forum Austria (MMF Austria). That makes Austria an official member of the International Association of Music Managers (IMMF), an organisation that deals with the issues of the music industry and provides international advocacy and lobbying to the EU Parliament.
Christof Huber, Swiss promoter and curator for well known festivals like OpenAir St. Gallen and General Secretary of the European festival federation Yourope, will be answering questions about current developments of the festival market in a “Pop Up Session”. And on the third Waves Vienna Music Hackday, participants will be invited to implement their ideas for apps, music instruments, sound installations and interactive soft- and hardware. Last but not least, Switzerland, Hungary and Slovenia will provide opportunities for international networking, present exciting new artists, and indulge participants with regional specialties.
Focus Countries 2017: Italy & the Czech Republic
Italy, like Austria, is a country with a rich classical music tradition and successful pop-stars with a strong radio and festival presence. But Italy also has a rich selection of less-known acts from a variety of genres that prove the important role music still plays in everyday life. The Czech Republic is also well known for its music traditions as well as a successful festival scene. Although many music fans are familiar with the country’s classical composers, it also has a diverse and exceptional contemporary music scene that will be able to be experienced at this years Waves Festival.
Links:
Waves Vienna
Waves Vienna (Facebook)
Conference Topics 2017
Friday, 29. September
“Influencers” are the new trendsetters in online marketing and increasingly responsible for the success of a brand. But does that also work with music? What does a cooperation between an artist or label and an influencer look like? How do specialised agencies work? Which platforms are most suitable? These questions will be examined by Sandra Their (Diego5), Niloufar Behradi-Ohnacker (Blogrebellen), Jan Clausen (Factory 92) and Annemarie Reisinger-Treiber (Warner Music Austria).
Corporate Design for bands and musicians? Professionals from the areas of music video, photography, and design will take a look at best-practice examples and exceptional design solutions for music. International luminary and director of the Graphic Design Class at the Viennese University for Applied Arts, Oliver Kartak, together with Antonin Pevny (known for his videos for Bilderbuch and Moby) and Bernhard Kaufmann (filmmaker, musician and artist manager) will be sharing their experiences with the practice of visual music marketing.
Another topic is Virtual Reality: What challenges does VR present to promoters and musicians? How can this new technology be implemented and what are the financial requirements? The subject of virtual reality will be examined in a cooperation with the Wirtschaftsagentur Wien.
Music Management will be the subject of a podium discussion around the questions: What makes a good manager? What is their workday like? What are the differences between management and the work of labels, booking agencies, etc? Participants include Elsasser (management Haight Ashbury), Tom Tanzer (management Manu Delago), Hanka Podhorská (Indies Scope, CZ) and Katia Giampolo (management JoyCut, president MMF Italy).
A podium discussion about women in the music industry will invite successful women to Vienna to share their experiences, tips, and advice and to present international mentoring projects. Participants will include Ineke Daans (PIAS/UK), Elisabeth Falkensteiner (Femdex/AT), Anna Leiser (Artist/AT), Elise Mory (pinknoise/AT), Mirca Lotz (We Make Waves/DE) and Andrea Rothaug (Rockcity/DE).
The Listening Sessions once again offer performing artists an opportunity to get direct feedback on their productions from industry experts. Ineke Daans from the British Label PIAS (Editors, Agnes Obel, Pixies), Thomas Roschek (LU) from Sonic Visions, Kathi Seidler from FM4 as well as Anna Kalina from GLP, one of the largest Austrian booking agencies, will be discussing submitted works. More international feedback will be provided by Elia Alovisi (Vice Italy), Christopher Beanland (Independent, The Guardian, BBC) and others when they present their personal favourites from this years festival lineup.
And, finally, the Speedmeeting Sessions provide the perfect chance to make a lot of international contacts in a very short period of time. Representatives of the Great Escape Festival (UK), Ment Ljubljana (SLO), c/o Pop (DE), the Poolbar Festival (AT), and Arcadia Live will be taking part in Meet the Festivals. Further sessions will collect representatives from the Czech Republic as well as international journalists like Thorsten Bednarz (Deutschlandradio) and Isabella Khom (Noisey).
Saturday, 30. September
The third Waves Vienna Music Hackday is all about new ideas and creative hard- & software solutions. Over the course of the day, participants can create and develop together and at the end a jury will award material prizes for the most exciting new tools.
Members of the international music business are invited to the Austrian Heartbeats Delegates Tour, a musical journey through Vienna including pop-up shows from up-and-coming bands. Program highlights include a visit to “Ganz Wien. Eine Pop-Tour” at the Wien Museum, a presentation of the ETEP project, a tour of the FM4 radio studio and a beer tasting session in the Czech Centre. (For Conference / Pro Pass holders only, registration required.)
The final event will be a presentation of the diverse projects from Creative Europe, the support programme of the European Commission for the European creative sector. Astrid Exner (WUK, AT), Franz Hergovich (mica-music austria/Austrian Music Export, AT), Marcus Rüssel (gigmit, DE) and Elisabeth Pacher (Creative Europe, AT) will be presenting the various focus points of this international project. Exchange-programs and cooperative projects between cultural institutions (including WUK) seek to increase the number of concerts featuring new European music and increasing their exposure to a new young audience.
Timetable & Speakers 2017
Find the full Waves Vienna Festival timetable here: www.wavesvienna.com
Conference venue: WUK, Werkstätten- und Kulturhaus, Währinger Straße 59, 1090 Vienna
Friday, 29.EPT.2017
10.00-11.00 Initiative Musik Breakfast, Project Room
10:00-11:00 Listening Session 1, Studio
International professionals give constructive feedback on fresh acts with international potential. Speakers: Ercole Gentile (Musical Zoo Festival/IT), Anna Kallina (GLP/AT), Filip Košťálek (Colours/CZ), Lars Ake Lundström (Live at Heart/SE), Gersin Livia Paya (Vice/AT). Moderation: Jonas Vogt (free-lance journalist/AT)
10:30-11:15 The Music Scenes in the Czech Republic, Room 1
Find out more about the rich and lively Czech music scene. Networking opportunity with key players of both markets, introduced by elaborate country presentations.
Speakers: Petr Blažek (DaSka Records/CZ), Márton Náray (Czech Music Office)
10:45-12:15 Music Management, Room 2
On the pleasant occasion of the foundation of the Austrian Music Managers Forum we take a look at the roles of national and international managers networks, especially when it comes to supporting and encouraging newcomers. Music managers with diverse backgrounds talk about their beginnings and how they grew into it.
Speakers: Paul Elsasser (Lime Records Management/UK), Katia Giampaolo (Estragon/IT), Klaus Hoffmann (Management Tagträumer/AT), Hanka Podhorská (Indies Production/CZ), Tom Tanzer (Management Manu Delago/AT). Moderation: Sandra Walkenhofer (Earcandy/AT)
11:15-12:15 Listening Session 2, Studio
International professionals give constructive feedback on fresh acts with international potential. Speakers: Ineke Daans (PIAS/BE), César Guisado Hernández (Monkey Week/ES), Attilio Peressinotti (BPM Concerti/ IT), Thomas Roscheck (Sonic Visions/LU), Kathi Seidler (FM4/AT)
11:15-12:00 How VR is changing and challenging the Live Music Business, Project Room
Chosen panelists from the music industry discuss their challenges and ideas on the future of live gigs and the special role of virtual reality. How is the new trend seen from a perspective of an artist, an event organizer, a label and a concert house? How to make the music event fun, flawless, fair and financially stable? The interactive discussion is mixed with questions and input from the audience.
11:15-12:15 Speed Meeting: Meet the Festivals, Nuu
Closed meeting for selected applicants only. Participating Festivals/Companies: Arcadia Live (AT), c/o pop (DE), MENT (SI), Musical Zoo (IT), Rock for People (CZ), more TBA
11:45-12:30 The Music Scenes in Italy, Room 1
Find out more about the rich and lively Italian music scene. Networking opportunity with key players of both markets, introduced by elaborate country presentations.
Speakers: Elia Alovisi (Vice/IT), Katia Giampaolo (Estragon/IT), Dino Lupelli (Linecheck Festival/IT). Moderation: Chiara Gallerani (Italia Music Export)
12:30-13:30 Listening Session Journalists, Studio
International journalists present their highlights of this year’s Waves Vienna concert program. Speakers: Elia Alovisi (Vice/IT), Christopher Beanland (The Independent/UK), Csilla Letay (FAZEmag/DE), Anna Mašatová (Full Moon magazine/CZ). Moderation: Christian Pausch (FM4/AT)
12:45-13:45 Influencer Marketing, Room 2
Influencer marketing is considered to be the most crucial trend in online-marketing in general, but does it also work to break music on social media through influencers? How should a cooperation between a music brand and an influencer be designed? How do specialized agencies work? Which platforms are most appropriate for music influencer market?
Speakers: Niloufar Behradi-Ohnacker (Blogrebellen/DE), Jan Clausen (Factory 92/DE), Annemarie Reisinger-Treiber (Warner Music/AT), Sandra Thier (diego5/AT)
12:45-13:45 Speed Meeting: Meet the Czech, Project Room
Closed meeting for selected applicants only. Participating Delegates: Petr Blažek (DaSka Records/CZ), Stepan Drbohlav (Playout sro./CZ), Filip Košťálek (Colours/CZ), Anna Mašatová (Full Moon magazine/CZ), Honza Misak (Fingers Up festival/CZ), Radek Motlik (Café V Lese/CZ), David Nguyen (Rock For People/CZ), Hanka Podhorská (Indies Production/CZ), Dusan Sviba (Earth Music agency/CZ)
13:00-14:00 CI Design, Room 1
Visual aspects play a key role in the perception of artists and they’re more versatile than most people might think. From lettering the artist’s name to pictures, covers, videos, stage design and outfits to coherent merchandise there’s a lot of aspects worth considering. Speakers: Oliver Kartak (University of Applied Arts Vienna/AT), Bernhard Kaufmann (Karmarama/AT), Antonin Pevny (Pevnyfilms/AT), Alexander Schindler (Vienna University of Technology/AT). Moderation: Gersin Livia Paya (Vice/AT)
14.30-15.30 Pop Up Session Christof Huber, Room 1
Christof Huber is festival director and booker of the OpenAir St.Gallen (since 1993), one of the most important music festivals in Switzerland. He also books the Summerdays Festival Arbon and the Stars in Town Festival Schaffhausen. He is owner of Incognito Productions AG, an event agency and books and promotes several club festivals, concerts and tours all over Switzerland. Furthermore he is general secretary of Yourope, The European Festival Association. Moderation: Daniela Derntl (FM4/AT)
14:30-15:30 Speed Meeting: Meet the Journalists, Project Room
Closed meeting for selected applicants only. Participating Media: Deutschlandradio (DE), FAZEmag (DE), Noisey (AT), Radio Wave (CZ), The Gap (AT), The Independent (UK), Vice (IT), more TBA
15:30-16:30 Women’s Networks, Room 2
In this year’s edition we want to continue the networking session “Women in the Music Business” we started last year, due to the small amount of women in leading positions in the music industry. The aim is to introduce women’s projects which strengthen their visibility on and behind stage such as artists, managers and technicians. In addition successful women will talk about their career and work as well as challenges and opportunities in the music business.
Speakers: Ineke Daans (PIAS/BE), Elisabeth Falkensteiner aka Misonica (V Are/AT), Anna Leiser (Femdex/AT), Mirca Lotz (We Make Waves/DE), Elise Mory (pink noise/AT), Andrea Rothaug (Rockcity Hamburg/DE). Moderation: Alexandra Augustin (FM4, AT)
15:45-16:45 Reception: HOTS, Nuu
Join the Hungarian for some food, wine, beer and of course music.
16:30-17:30 Reception: Swiss Business Mixer, Project Room
Join the Swiss for some food, wine, beer and of course music. Live: Fai Baba
18:00-19:00 Reception: Slovenian MoMENT, Project Room
Join the Slovenes for some food, wine, beer and of course music.
Saturday, 30.SEPT.2017
10.45-17.45 Austrian Heartbeats Delegates Tour
For Conference / Pro Pass holders only, registration required!
18:00-19:30 Creative Europe , Project Room
Creative Europe is the European Commission’s framework programme providing financial support for the European cultural and creative sectors. Cooperation projects encourage organisations across Europe to work collaboratively with the aim of developing capacity and reaching new audiences. What are the characteristics of a European cultural project what are proven practices? Experienced cultural operators share their lessons learnt and give useful hints for project planning.
Project presentations: EUROPAVOX, ETEP 3.0 – European Talent Exchange Programme, INES – Innovation Network of European Showcases
Speakers: Astrid Exner (WUK, AT), Franz Hergovich (mica – music austria/Austrian Music Export/AT), Marcus Rüssel (gigmit/DE). Host: Elisabeth Pacher (Creative Europe Desk Austria/Austrian Federal Chancellery Division II/AT)