The 2025 Tallinn Music Week (TMW) conference kicks off on Friday, April 4 with a keynote address from Estonian Minister of Culture Heidy Purga (Reform).

This year's conference, which is part of the city-wide music festival, focuses on challenges to Europe's music ecosystem, creative and technological frontiers from AI to gaming, export success metrics and industry wellbeing.

TMW 2025 will also spotlight a range of different markets from Ukraine to Taiwan and the Baltics to Canada.

The conference additionally features the ekip (European Cultural and Creative Industries Innovation Policy Platform) Roundtable, where insights from discussions exploring the evolving landscape of the music sector in an era dominated by global digital platforms, will be discussed.

Under the main theme of "European Music Ecosystem and Global Collaboration," the comprehensive two-day conference program begins with an opening session  entitled "Setting the Stage: The World We Operate In," establishing the contextual framework for the conference.

The European Music Ecosystem Presentation will deliver crucial insights into Europe's competitive advantages, alongside a presentation by Detlef Scwharte, director of Reeperbahn Festival, and Dr Carsten Winter, professor of media and music management at Hanover University, reflecting also on discussions from the ekip Roundtable regarding the challenges posed by platformization.

Furthermore, the conference will address the difficulties of navigating political conflicts in the industry, examining whether to boycott, cancel or engage in constructive dialogue.

Attendees can look forward to exploring the far-reaching implications of artificial intelligence in music through engaging sessions, including "AI in Music: Disruptor, Co-creator, or Plagiarist?". The panel "Masking the Machinery: Can AI Pop Transcend the Uncanny Valley?" with David "Zero" Reiterer of the Austrian group Lucy Dreams will tackle similar topics from a more philosophical angle.

The strategic integration of music into games in "The Sound of Play" features Andrii Zaitsev, CEO of Geisha Ninja Samurai, and Irma de Wind, Music Supervisor at De Wind Music.

***

Discussions will also focus on songwriting, with writer and producer Albin Nordqvist exploring the craft of creating K-Pop hits for Asian markets,  Federation of Music Conference will host a discussion on music showcase events and effective business models. The viability of indie labels as both a business venture and a passion project will be debated at an expert roundtable and a panel, presented by IMPALA & SOM.

The Keychange Leaders initiative will showcase groundbreaking efforts to advance gender equality, addressing industry leaders ready to lead change in the music industry in the "LeaderSHIFT" session, moderated by the newly appointed Executive Director of Keychange Tiffany Fukuma. The innovative TechTrack will culminate in an exciting final pitching session.

The conference will also address Sustainability and Accessibility alongside Mental Health and Psychological Safety in the music industry, reflecting the sector's growing focus on wellbeing and inclusive practices. Compelling topics include understanding our planet through sound in the EarthSonic session with Joseph Dean, artistic persona of Natural Symphony, and the celebration of distinctive regional heritage is led by Marko Veisson of acclaimed Estonian folk duo Puuluup. 

The workshop "Internationalization – What's Behind the Catch-all Term?" featuring Maria Pirkkalainen-Barber, Internationalization Expert at Arts Promotion Centre Finland, and Virgo Sillamaa, Music policy researcher at EMEE and Erasmus University Rotterdam, delves into the nuances of global music expansion strategies.

"Music Export Metrics: How to Measure Cross-border Success?" will feature insights from Joe Frankland, CEO of PRS Foundation and Keychange Board Member, exploring effective frameworks for evaluating international music performance.

A panel discussion, "Investing in music: For short-term return or long-term impact?" will bring together Risto Salminen, CEO of Teosto, and Jaanus Juss, Founder of Telliskivi Creative City, to examine sustainable investment models in the music industry.

***

Previously announced TMW conference speakers include European promoter of Rammstein and the founder of MCT Agentur Scumeck Sabottka, Grammy-winning sound engineer Haydn Bendall, Managing Director of ESNS Anna van Nunen, Artistic Director of Wavelength Music Jonathan Bunce, Live Nation promoter for the Baltics Eva Palm and Britt Randma, manager of Music Moves Europe Award-winning Night Tapes.

Tallinn Music Week (TMW) is one of the most acclaimed new music and city culture festivals and key networking events for music and creative industry professionals from across Europe. TMW has been held annually in the Estonian capital since 2009 and consists of three main program elements: a music festival, a conference and a city festival.

The TMW 2025 conference is at Tallinn's Nordic Hotel Forum on Friday April 4 and Saturday April 5, while the music showcase festivaltakes place at various music venues throughout the Estonian capital from Thursday April 3 until Saturday April 5.

More information is available here.

---

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!