Employee Resource Group leader at Live Nation UK, Promoter at Metropolis Music, Founder of Acoustic Live & Women Connect.

Rektor at Danish Songwriting Academy

Start-Up Founder / Strategy Consultant / Creative Advisor / Ex Spotify & Red Bull Music

Music Norway, Head of UK & Nordics

Director c/o pop Convention

Event Manager at Music Cities Events, A&R Manager/partner at Tier Music Publishing, Partnership Manager at Arvo Pärt Centre

Dutch artist manager Alex ter Horst is responsible for over a billion streams with some of the biggest artists in electronic music. After having graduated as both a music manager and music producer, he kickstarted his career at the AFAS Live and Ziggo Dome venues in Amsterdam. In 2016 he co-founded a start-up where he was involved in over 400 placements including the most played song on Dutch radio in 2018 and was nominated for “10 companies to watch at ADE 2017” as well as the “Buma Music Meets Tech 2018″ award. In 2020 he was appointed as managing director for Dancefair, one of Europe’s leading conferences in electronic music and a year later he founded his own artist management agency Neva Land Music where he works with several talented singers, songwriters and producers from all over the globe. Last year he was mentor for upcoming artist managers for the European Music Managers Alliance as well as guest lecturer at the renowned Abbey Road Institute. Outside of music, he also is crazy about kungfu, crossfit and running.

Graduated English Philology (BA), Knowledge Management and Leadership (MA). For 10 years Dorotėja has worked in hospitality industry and as a lecturer. Music business was a side job, mainly helping musicians build their EPK’s, on their press releases and so on. She started her own company which aims at helping jazz and contemporary musicians/composers establish their audiences, attract funding, book gigs and build an international presence. In 2022 she became the chairperson of Lithuanian Jazz Union board.

Grace started playing drums aged 7 and pursued a music career from an early age in her hometown of Liverpool. She went on to study BA Hons Popular Music at the Liverpool Institute For Performing Arts where she graduated with 1st Class Honours. She has recently completed her MA at the University of Liverpool with a focus on music business and industry. She is continuing her research onto a PHD in 2023 where she will focus on regional gender inequality in the UK music industry. Her research is funded by the Dave Laing scholarship.

Her main focus is addressing gender inequality within the music industry. She set up and was the record label manager for Both Sides Records, a pioneering label that focuses on readdressing the gender imbalance that exists within the music industry. Working exclusively with female and marginalised genders based in the North, the label aims to empower musicians in the early stages of their career. Grace works as an artist mentor at Future Yard, a  music venue based in the Liverpool City Region. She runs advice sessions for emerging artists and workshops on music industry practices and structures.

Grace is also a freelance session musician and percussionist. She works with DJs and sax players to provide Ibiza style entertainment across the world for weddings, parties and corporate events. Her travels have taken her to places such as Greece, Croatia and Italy.

Julian Krohn created the Scholz & Friends Sounds department at Scholz &Friends in 2021. They consult companies on music supervision, artist cooperations and licensing, as well as developing and producing successful audiovisual formats. Krohn is responsible for the audio & music campaigns of brands like McDonalds, UBER, VW, Sparkasse, PayPal amongst many others. Until 2021 Krohn served for 6 years as Creative Director Music at creative agency Jung von Matt, where he was responsible for the music strategy of brands like Vodafone, BMW, BOSCH, Douglas, EDEKA and many more. Prior to his career in advertising he spent many years at Universal Music, holding positions such as A&R Manager at Island Records and Repertoire Manager at Universal Music Publishing. Prior to that, Krohn supported a number of film productions by and with the German actor and director superstars Matthias Schweighöfer and Til Schweiger as a freelance music supervisor. He has a BA in Music Business at Popakademie Baden-Württemberg and received a stipendia from Westminster University in London for commercial music.

For more than 10 years, I have been working for var. festivals & projects as a cultural manager, creative producer, trainer & consultant at the intersection of music, club culture, urban development & social justice. As one of the MD`s of the CC Berlin, I am leading the showcase festival Day Of Club Culture & the AA. A project that promotes the development of anti-discriminatory structures within club & festival culture. Beside this, I am a founding member of the global United We Stream campaign.

Marta Sampaio lives in Porto, Portugal and work with the independent sector since 2011. 

She co-founded a communication agency and small label in Porto, working in press relations, cultural production, management and booking. In 2019, she embraced a new challenge and joined Monster Jinx, an independent label and music collective from Portugal, as a manager, working mainly with communication and bookings until the present. One year later she co-founded the creative agency PIGEON TEAM with a fellow member from Monster Jinx, focusing on the development of cultural solutions for brands and institutions, combining culture, education and community concerns.Since April 2022 she has been working with AMAEI on two European projects – Europe in Synch and BELEM. 

She graduated in Portuguese and Lusophone Studies in 2008 and postgraduated in Cultural Mediation in 2013, both in the University of Minho. She is currently finishing her Master Degree in Communication, Art and Culture.

Sam is a seasoned music professional with nearly two decades of experience in the industry. Throughout his career, he has worked in various roles in production, management, events, and consultancy. He has a proven track record of working with a diverse range of clients, including artists, bands, young people, studios, theatres, festivals, and both the public and the private sector.

He serves on the boards of several prominent organisations, including the Greater Manchester Music Commission, Sound City Liverpool, Nordoff & Robbins and MyHub Manchester Music. Through his leadership and guidance, he continues to make a significant contribution to the development and growth of the music industry in the region and beyond.

As a passionate advocate for music, Sam is committed to making music accessible and meaningful to both creators and consumers. He is passionate about nurturing emerging talent in the industry and is seen providing opportunities for underrepresented voices to be heard.

For the past six years, I have been working as CEO of the Liepāja Concert Hall “Great Amber” in Latvia. Forehand I had been operating as Executive Director of the State Chamber Orchestra Sinfonietta Rīga. From 2014 – 2019 I was a part of the project management team of the Baltic Sea Festival in Stockholm. In May 2022 I obtained the position of the council member of the Latvian Music Academy.

Astrid started as a Spinnup Scout in 2017 and quickly became a full time project manager and A&R at Universal Music Denmark, working with names such as Tessa and Emil Kruse. Since then, she occasionally appears as a guest expert on radio and podcasts, as well as being the Scandinavian ambassador for COLORS.

Last year she was awarded the prize of one of Nordic Music Biz’s ‘20 under 30’ and in 2020 Astrid was offered an A&R position at Universal’s label Copenhagen Records.

Colm O’Herlihy is founder of INNI, which is an independent music company based in Iceland that represents a diverse roster of producers, composers, and songwriters.

Based between Reykjavik and Los Angeles, INNI – the first Icelandic publishing company to be established in the country – was formed by Colm and film composer Atli Orvarsson in 2019. As well as offering publishing services, INNI also works as an independent record label and music production house.

Colm got his start in music when The Smiths’ frontman, Morrissey, signed his band to his own signature label, Attack Records. Since then, Colm has toured the globe as a guitarist for artists such as Joan Shelley, Grant Hart (Hüsker Dü), and more. In 2014, he moved from Ireland to Reykjavik and managed two labels, Bedroom Community and Mengi Records. There he saw a niche for a specialised music publishing company in the heart of the music scene of Iceland. In 2019, he launched the company with film composer, Atli Örvarsson.

Hildur is Marketing Coordinator for booking agency and concert promoter smash!bang!pow! (DK). Starting her career in her teens as a music radio show host, she has since held various positions within artist-, event-, PR- and label management. Hildur studied creative leadership, business, process and project management at the Kaospilots and holds a MA in Global Entertainment and Music Business from Berklee College of Music.

It was through Hildur´s job with Iceland Music Export over a decade ago at The Great Escape showcase festival that she came across a man who she would later form a management firm with. This chance encounter was one of many such events that would clearly show her that if one was open to new opportunities, having the support of music export offices or similar institutions was fundamental in building a career in music. Many other such events would later occur, be it touring in Japan via a cross-country collaborative grant, or attending showcase festivals around the world which would lead to record deals and more collaborations. One thing is for sure – that each event played a massive role in Hildur´s career.

Jens has been managing the death metal band BAEST since the beginning of October 2015. He started out as a helping hand, taking care of the essentials for an upcoming band: communications, marketing and the early steps in terms of touring. He finished his Bachelor’s degree in Information Science and worked as a social media manager for a local ad agency up until he was hired full time for the local booking agency, Skandinavian, in 2018. Since 2018, he has represented a small handful of bands in different genres on the booking and touring side, while managing BAEST and upcoming projects. In January 2020, he started his own booking agency, Backbeat Music, and joined forces with Heartbeat Management, strengthening his setup for global growth. Working with BAEST and other signings has given him the opportunity to learn more about the music industry, from the very upcoming, underground to the more mainstream. He has learned from some of the best people in the industry and has taken great inspiration from the ideas of sustainability and integrity – features he admires and hopes to enforce in the projects in which he is involved. He believes in cooperation and always seeks new inspiration.

Maria is Digital Partners and Export Manager for disco:wax, No3 and One Seven Music based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Her passion for music developed alongside her education in Musicology and Modern Culture from Copenhagen University, where she specialised in music management and female representation in culture. Concurrently with her studies, she started her career in the music business as a Scout and later as an A&R Coordinator.

After a short time, Maria expanded her network within the music industry and realised her motivation for working with music in international markets. In continuation of this, the company and Maria created a new position with a focus on export and international relations, which has been developing rapidly. Now she is focussing on streaming and international marketing strategies and has the overall responsibility for presenting and pitching music projects to internal and external partners.

Oskar works as a publishing A&R at Elements Music. Elements Music is Finland’s leading independent music publishing company and Oskar is running the international creative activity of the company. As an A&R, he represents songwriters and producers, organises songwriting sessions, and pitches songs to record labels, artists, and managers. Oskar holds an MA in Musicology from Åbo Akademi University and he has minored in Music Production and International Marketing.

Even though Oskar had been a musician his whole life, his actual journey into the music industry started with an internship at Music Finland, the music export office of Finland. Music Finland has a very central role in the Finnish music industry and it works closely with all Finnish labels, publishers, and management companies. During the internship, Oskar got to know a lot of key people in the industry. As Music Finland works with music export, the internship created a good base for Oskar to start creating an international network and he quickly grew accustomed to handling international affairs on a daily basis. Through these networks, Oskar gained mentors and these people play an important role in how Oskar works today.

Sjoerd Vriesema, from Groningen, The Netherlands started coaching emerging artists as a creative manager so that he could develop his own artistic career. As ‘Stuart Mavis’, he released an EP on Sony Music Entertainment Benelux and played more than 300 shows, including at Eurosonic Noorderslag. Today, he uses the experience gained from his years as an artist to help grassroots artists with their careers, but also to make connections between municipalities, education programs, organisations and talents in the Northern Netherlands. Sjoerd is the lead in  multilingual co-creation projects, Wurdspøken and Wisselstroom, two projects that aim to develop artists through co-creation. He is also co-organiser of the official talent programme of ESNS, Hit the North and LEC, an international co-creation and exchange for hip-hop acts from four European cities. Sjoerd is also co-owner of the Lake Woozoo music studios in Leeuwarden, where he and his colleagues host artists-in-residencies and writing camps.

His first international experience as a project manager was when he travelled to Denmark in 2018 to support hip-hop artists from his city during an international writing camp in Aarhus. The connections and experiences these artists had gained through co-creation sparked a flame in his own motivation to work within the European periphery and seek more collaborations. He found a strong connection to the Music Cities Network (MCN) when, in the year of the pandemic, Lena Ingwersen invited him to contribute to an application to the European Commission for the Link Up Euro Connection, the first edition of which has just taken place successfully online in cooperation with Noordstaat. Sjoerd learned about the EMBTF through the MCN. His selection allowed him to increase his international network and opportunities in international exchange, which will benefit both the city of Groningen and the Northern region of the Netherlands. Sjoerd believes that sharing experiences and learning from other European professionals is an opportunity that you don’t get very often. Let’s work on that!

Tom runs English Folk Expo (EFEx), which supports the English folk, roots and acoustic music sector. EFEx delivers showcases, live events, artist mentoring, industry training, audience development, runs Manchester Folk Festival, hosts online learning platforms and produces the Official Folk Albums Chart. Tom is a member of the Greater Manchester Music Commission and is on the Steering Group of Manchester Music City. He is also an elected politician.

Tom was heavily involved in the Folk Society at Durham University, becoming President and overseeing the running of many folk events including IVFDF in 2010. On leaving university, he got a job in the Folkworks team at Sage Gateshead supporting the delivery of folk programmes for the organisation. During this time, he met Booking Agent Terry O’Brien who invited him to work on a newly created showcase, English Folk Expo. Tom continued to work part time on the showcase whilst building his full time career with roles in the Programming Team at the Royal Northern College of Music, as Head of Artist Liaison at Manchester International Festival and eventually as Head of Culture for the Rochdale Boroughwide Cultural Trust. When English Folk Expo joined Arts Council England’s National Portfolio Organisation in 2018, Tom left his full time role to become its first Chief Executive. Since then, Tom has overseen the expansion of the organisation from a singular annual showcase to the broad music charity it is today, creating new programmes, building a board and fundraising to quadruple the size of the organisation. Tom has consistently worked for charities supported through Arts Council England, Local Authorities and Trusts and Foundations. In 2019, Tom was elected to Rochdale Council as the Labour Councillor for Littleborough Lakeside.

Astrid started as a Spinnup Scout in 2017 and quickly became a full time project manager and A&R at Universal Music Denmark, working with names such as Tessa and Emil Kruse. Since then, she occasionally appears as a guest expert on radio and podcasts, as well as being the Scandinavian ambassador for COLORS.

Last year she was awarded the prize of one of Nordic Music Biz’s ‘20 under 30’ and in 2020 Astrid was offered an A&R position at Universal’s label Copenhagen Records.

Colm O’Herlihy is founder of INNI, which is an independent music company based in Iceland that represents a diverse roster of producers, composers, and songwriters.

Based between Reykjavik and Los Angeles, INNI – the first Icelandic publishing company to be established in the country – was formed by Colm and film composer Atli Orvarsson in 2019. As well as offering publishing services, INNI also works as an independent record label and music production house.

Colm got his start in music when The Smiths’ frontman, Morrissey, signed his band to his own signature label, Attack Records. Since then, Colm has toured the globe as a guitarist for artists such as Joan Shelley, Grant Hart (Hüsker Dü), and more. In 2014, he moved from Ireland to Reykjavik and managed two labels, Bedroom Community and Mengi Records. There he saw a niche for a specialised music publishing company in the heart of the music scene of Iceland. In 2019, he launched the company with film composer, Atli Örvarsson.

Hildur is Marketing Coordinator for booking agency and concert promoter smash!bang!pow! (DK). Starting her career in her teens as a music radio show host, she has since held various positions within artist-, event-, PR- and label management. Hildur studied creative leadership, business, process and project management at the Kaospilots and holds a MA in Global Entertainment and Music Business from Berklee College of Music.

It was through Hildur´s job with Iceland Music Export over a decade ago at The Great Escape showcase festival that she came across a man who she would later form a management firm with. This chance encounter was one of many such events that would clearly show her that if one was open to new opportunities, having the support of music export offices or similar institutions was fundamental in building a career in music. Many other such events would later occur, be it touring in Japan via a cross-country collaborative grant, or attending showcase festivals around the world which would lead to record deals and more collaborations. One thing is for sure – that each event played a massive role in Hildur´s career.

Jens has been managing the death metal band BAEST since the beginning of October 2015. He started out as a helping hand, taking care of the essentials for an upcoming band: communications, marketing and the early steps in terms of touring. He finished his Bachelor’s degree in Information Science and worked as a social media manager for a local ad agency up until he was hired full time for the local booking agency, Skandinavian, in 2018. Since 2018, he has represented a small handful of bands in different genres on the booking and touring side, while managing BAEST and upcoming projects. In January 2020, he started his own booking agency, Backbeat Music, and joined forces with Heartbeat Management, strengthening his setup for global growth. Working with BAEST and other signings has given him the opportunity to learn more about the music industry, from the very upcoming, underground to the more mainstream. He has learned from some of the best people in the industry and has taken great inspiration from the ideas of sustainability and integrity – features he admires and hopes to enforce in the projects in which he is involved. He believes in cooperation and always seeks new inspiration.

Maria is Digital Partners and Export Manager for disco:wax, No3 and One Seven Music based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Her passion for music developed alongside her education in Musicology and Modern Culture from Copenhagen University, where she specialised in music management and female representation in culture. Concurrently with her studies, she started her career in the music business as a Scout and later as an A&R Coordinator.

After a short time, Maria expanded her network within the music industry and realised her motivation for working with music in international markets. In continuation of this, the company and Maria created a new position with a focus on export and international relations, which has been developing rapidly. Now she is focussing on streaming and international marketing strategies and has the overall responsibility for presenting and pitching music projects to internal and external partners.

Oskar works as a publishing A&R at Elements Music. Elements Music is Finland’s leading independent music publishing company and Oskar is running the international creative activity of the company. As an A&R, he represents songwriters and producers, organises songwriting sessions, and pitches songs to record labels, artists, and managers. Oskar holds an MA in Musicology from Åbo Akademi University and he has minored in Music Production and International Marketing.

Even though Oskar had been a musician his whole life, his actual journey into the music industry started with an internship at Music Finland, the music export office of Finland. Music Finland has a very central role in the Finnish music industry and it works closely with all Finnish labels, publishers, and management companies. During the internship, Oskar got to know a lot of key people in the industry. As Music Finland works with music export, the internship created a good base for Oskar to start creating an international network and he quickly grew accustomed to handling international affairs on a daily basis. Through these networks, Oskar gained mentors and these people play an important role in how Oskar works today.

Sjoerd Vriesema, from Groningen, The Netherlands started coaching emerging artists as a creative manager so that he could develop his own artistic career. As ‘Stuart Mavis’, he released an EP on Sony Music Entertainment Benelux and played more than 300 shows, including at Eurosonic Noorderslag. Today, he uses the experience gained from his years as an artist to help grassroots artists with their careers, but also to make connections between municipalities, education programs, organisations and talents in the Northern Netherlands. Sjoerd is the lead in  multilingual co-creation projects, Wurdspøken and Wisselstroom, two projects that aim to develop artists through co-creation. He is also co-organiser of the official talent programme of ESNS, Hit the North and LEC, an international co-creation and exchange for hip-hop acts from four European cities. Sjoerd is also co-owner of the Lake Woozoo music studios in Leeuwarden, where he and his colleagues host artists-in-residencies and writing camps.

His first international experience as a project manager was when he travelled to Denmark in 2018 to support hip-hop artists from his city during an international writing camp in Aarhus. The connections and experiences these artists had gained through co-creation sparked a flame in his own motivation to work within the European periphery and seek more collaborations. He found a strong connection to the Music Cities Network (MCN) when, in the year of the pandemic, Lena Ingwersen invited him to contribute to an application to the European Commission for the Link Up Euro Connection, the first edition of which has just taken place successfully online in cooperation with Noordstaat. Sjoerd learned about the EMBTF through the MCN. His selection allowed him to increase his international network and opportunities in international exchange, which will benefit both the city of Groningen and the Northern region of the Netherlands. Sjoerd believes that sharing experiences and learning from other European professionals is an opportunity that you don’t get very often. Let’s work on that!

Tom runs English Folk Expo (EFEx), which supports the English folk, roots and acoustic music sector. EFEx delivers showcases, live events, artist mentoring, industry training, audience development, runs Manchester Folk Festival, hosts online learning platforms and produces the Official Folk Albums Chart. Tom is a member of the Greater Manchester Music Commission and is on the Steering Group of Manchester Music City. He is also an elected politician.

Tom was heavily involved in the Folk Society at Durham University, becoming President and overseeing the running of many folk events including IVFDF in 2010. On leaving university, he got a job in the Folkworks team at Sage Gateshead supporting the delivery of folk programmes for the organisation. During this time, he met Booking Agent Terry O’Brien who invited him to work on a newly created showcase, English Folk Expo. Tom continued to work part time on the showcase whilst building his full time career with roles in the Programming Team at the Royal Northern College of Music, as Head of Artist Liaison at Manchester International Festival and eventually as Head of Culture for the Rochdale Boroughwide Cultural Trust. When English Folk Expo joined Arts Council England’s National Portfolio Organisation in 2018, Tom left his full time role to become its first Chief Executive. Since then, Tom has overseen the expansion of the organisation from a singular annual showcase to the broad music charity it is today, creating new programmes, building a board and fundraising to quadruple the size of the organisation. Tom has consistently worked for charities supported through Arts Council England, Local Authorities and Trusts and Foundations. In 2019, Tom was elected to Rochdale Council as the Labour Councillor for Littleborough Lakeside.