Musiikki & Media (Music & Media) is the leading music industry gathering in Finland and this year, three of our own Orchardites attended the gathering during its 30th anniversary. The two-day conference, which takes place in Tampere, Finland, has a wide-ranged program filled with international content but is also focused specifically on the Finnish market.
On Thursday, our VP of Label Management, Liz Snair, represented The Orchard in a panel session on distribution fittingly named, “Distribution Masterclass.” Invited as a special guest by Music Finland together with Lusi Alvarenga, one of our label partners AISA, Liz spoke about how to get one’s music out to the world. The session was very informative and received good feedback from both Musiikki & Media and the conference attendees.
During the course of the two day event, Sveinung Rindal, Country Manager, and Julie Wilhelmine Helgaas, Label Manager, met with a number of The Orchard’s Finnish labels, which they both work with regularly from Oslo. Liz Snair joined the meetings to share her North America and general company knowledge. These gatherings presented an ideal opportunity to get to know our label partners better and to hang out in a fun and informal setting.
In the evenings all Musikki & Media delegates have full access the showcase festival Lost In Music. The four days of live gigs are spread out over 9 different venues throughout Tampere city center. With almost 100 artists and performers, Lost In Music is the largest club-festival in Finland with thousands of people from all corners of the country coming to enjoy the showcases and check out what is happening in the Finnish music scene.
Friday night, the music industry gathered to celebrate the year, with a three-course dinner, drinks, music, and awards. Liz and Julie both attended the award show, together with our label partner Luis Alvarenga (AISA).
The awards categories include Radio of the Year, Future Visionary, Manager of the Year, A&R of the Year, Record Label of the Year, the list goes on. The newly appointed President of Continental Europe and Africa at Sony Music, Daniel Lieberberg, was honored with this years’ prestigious Tampere Music Award. Every year, the award is presented as a special recognition to honor a person, a business, an organization or an idea that has greatly influenced the music industry.
A big thanks to everyone who came to our panel session on distribution, to our Finnish labels, the attendees and the arrangers of Musiikki & Media for welcoming us with open arms and hanging out with us throughout the week. We had a great time, and we look forward to next year!
