***Upcoming Event - Moderator***
ESNS 2025: The Current State and Future of European Indie Record Labels Friday, 17 Jan | 10:30 - 11:30 | Oosterpoort, Groningen
Major record labels are focusing more on managing intellectual property, leaving the burden of supporting emerging artists to independent music companies. The question is whether indie labels can effectively nurture and promote the next generation of international artists in the rapidly evolving European music industry. How do their executives, A&R, and marketing teams view the future and the opportunities to circulate European repertoire across the continent and beyond?
***Upcoming Event - Panellist***
ESNS 2025: I Can See Clearly Now: A Voluntary Code of Good Practice on Transparency Friday, 17 Jan | 16:30 - 17:30 | Oosterpoort, Groningen
I’ll be joining this panel to discuss the UK’s ‘Voluntary Code of Good Practice on Transparency in Music Streaming’, launched in July 2024. The code, created after a UK inquiry into streaming economics, aims to address transparency issues and ensure fair rewards for songwriters, composers, and artists. We’ll explore the code’s principles, its potential to improve fairness, its adoption outside the UK, and how its effectiveness will be monitored.
***Upcoming Event - Panellist***
ESNS 2025: (Still) Hard Out Here: Paving the Way to Gender Equity in Music // How to overcome the 'isms': sexism, ageism, classism...Friday, 17 Jan | 13:30 - 14:30 | Oosterpoort, Groningen
Based on MiDIA Research’s Be The Change study, this panel delves into the persistent challenges of achieving gender equity in the music industry. It examines barriers to entry for women, non-binary, and gender-nonconforming individuals, as well as the difficulties of staying in the industry. Topics include caregiving responsibilities, the effects of menstruation and menopause, freelancing challenges, and the lack of compassionate leave. Panellists will share findings, personal insights, and actionable strategies for driving meaningful and lasting change.
I genuinely love panel curation, moderation, and devising workshops. Too often, panels and workshops feel designed to be delivered rather than received. I prefer to think of them as being for the audience, created to resonate with the people in the room.
Thank you for voting. Now, we wait and see.
SXSW London takes place from 2-7 June 2025. As is traditional for this conference, the public can vote for the sessions they want to see at the event. We have submitted the two proposals below. We’d love your support—please vote for our sessions so we can share these ideas with the SXSW London audience!
Thank you, Mika!
Key takeaways from “Professional networking in the music industry: Building genuine connections that last", an exclusive interview with Mika Karhumaa.
Hosted by Mandy Salem-Aubry. I had the privilege of joining Mika Karhumaa on December 12, 2024, for an insightful discussion about optimising professional networks in the music industry. Here are some key takeaways: Networking is non-linear: Success often comes from unexpected connections. Be authentic online: Consistent, knowledge-driven content matters more than popularity. AI and algorithms matter: Platforms like LinkedIn use AI to track and enhance visibility. We also explored LinkedIn strategies, the importance of a well-structured website, and using different platforms for distinct purposes (e.g., LinkedIn for business vs Instagram for artists).
Mika Karhumaa is the acclaimed author of The Art of Music Business Management – For Artists & Managers, Music Business Management Lecturer at Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences and Artist Manager at IRENE.
