ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag), the key exchange for emerging European music, announces the first keynotes and featured speakers for its annual music conference. Committed to fostering a sustainable, diverse, and inclusive music sector where music is enjoyed by everyone, the ESNS Conference offers a platform for dynamic voices across the music industry.
In 2025, the program focuses on thought-provoking topics such as the impact of AI on the music industry, the future of streaming, achieving sustainability goals for festivals by 2030, the fairness of dynamic pricing, activism among artists and festivals, the effect of private equity on business, and the devastating impact of rising costs and lack of personnel in the live music industry.
In her keynote speech at the ESNS Conference, Victoria Oakley (IFPI) will discuss the main challenges the recording industry will face in the upcoming years. In April 2024, IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry) appointed Victoria Oakley as its CEO, representing the global recording industry in this role. Before joining IFPI, Oakley was the CEO of Portland, an international strategic communications and advocacy consultancy. Before that, she dedicated nearly two decades to the British Diplomatic Service and held the Global Public Policy Director position at Google.
Talking about the challenges and strategies for balancing parenthood and music industry career demands, singer and songwriter Katie Melua and her manager Sumit Bothra (SB3 Artist Management) will engage in a conversation with moderator and psychologist Anne Löhr (MITC). Sumit Bothra recently launched his own independent artist management company SB3 Artist Management, previously occupying the Managing Director role at ATC Management (Europe). His company manages the careers of 5 globally-recognised recording and touring artists. Sumit currently sits on the board of the UK’s Music Managers Forum and the European Music Managers Alliance.
The session is hosted by Music Industry Therapist Collective, an award-winning global network of specialist psychotherapists and psychologists who have all previously worked in the music business as artists and in areas like touring, artist management, TV and promotion.
Other featured speakers taking the stage at ESNS 2025 include CEO and co-founder Daan Archer (Copyright Delta), who specialises in safeguarding music in new digital, virtual and AI-driven worlds; agent at Wasserman Music Clementine Bunel; Pitchfork’s Executive Director of festivals and events Seth Dodson; Radio 1’s flagship BBC Introducing show host Jess Iszatt; Music Programmer at events company and record label Dekmantel Elisa Luengo; innovator, social change activist, podcast host, and artist Saskhia Menendez; Music Editor at The Independent Roisin O’Connor; Founder and CEO of hybrid virtual conference, bootcamp, and workshop Measures of Music Christine Osazuwa; Executive Director of the European Music Managers Alliance (EMMA) Jess Partridge; President of Music Managers Forum’s US chapter and International Music Managers Forum advisory board member Neeta Ragoowansi (MMF-US & IMMF); Dave Webster, the Head of International at UK’s Musicians’ Union, addressing touring post-Brexit; and Kees van Weijen (Hit4us, IMPALA, STOMP), who will address challenges for the independent music community in creating a level playing field.
