It’s with great pleasure that we can conclude that SPOT Festival 2016 boasted full houses and packed venues.
We are equally thrilled that the enthusiasm about Danish and Nordic music is evidently intact in all of you – our guests at the festival.
The turnout has been tremendous and that is crucial when it comes to creating networks for Danish and Nordic music abroad.
We hope that you have all made professional ties and musical friendships across borders and return home with more than when you came.
We hope to see you out there in the times to come – and at SPOT Festival 2017, May 4th – 7th, when on top of everything Aarhus is the cultural capital of Europe!
Gunnar K. Madsen
CEO, SPOT Festival
SPOT Festival 2016:
+200 concerts from 31 stages
+40 networking and seminar events
All in all approximately 8,000 people
– including 1,550 music business & media delegates (+325 of whom were international delegates)
– – –
We’ll leave you with some quotes from the festival:
Marta Bacigalupo (IT) – Radio Gazzara + freelance
“With both music and conferences it’s like a playground for me”.
Ségolène Favre-Cooper (FR) – MaMA
“The benefits at SPOT are multiple”.
Erin Coleman (UK) – Paper and Iron Booking Co.
“We are definitely open to new experiences and new sorts of music, and to seeing a wide range of genres”.
Sahil Varma (UK) – 37 Adventures
“At SPOT there’s a great balance between delegates and the actual music fans”.
David Fricke (US) – Rolling Stone Magazine
“It’s fun coming back after being away for a while, because I can see how much has changed – and how much hasn’t changed…This things that I like about it; the intimacy and the fact that there is so much music I don’t know”.
Daniel Köhler (DE) – Glutamat Kommunikation
… and in the end I just lost my mind at Den Sorte Skole. They are astonishing and I just love those guys. The way they play with samples and the virtuosity. Great.
Robbin Maddicott (UK) – Musician
“It’s fantastic, it’s really, really good. I had 12 meetings yesterday. We’re about to release our second album so we’ve been chatting to labels figuring out who’s going to do it. I’ve met a lot of people and I think it’s been extremely helpful”.
Benedict Weskott (DE) – CT das radio, Bochum
“I was here two years ago, and I still benefit from the contacts I made back then”.
Nicola Semprini (IT) – Sundance Music
“It’s absolutely impressive. It is well-structured, well organized and easy to get around. I went to a show with a new artist called VAKLE, and saw the whole show, which was very interesting. But there is a lot going on at the festival”.
Amy Terrill (US) – EVP/Music Canada
“I’ve been really impressed with SPOT. On the conference side, there are so many Europeans here from different cities and I found it really interesting meeting people”.
Tess Taylor (US) – CEO/NARIP
“SPOT is interesting because it’s small and focused and because this is a city that really supports music and it’s friendly and easy to get around”.
Chris Shirt (UK) – Because Music
“It’s great. A lot of what I’ve seen have been quite pop-let. Like commercial pop. Some of it not necessarily my cup of tea but that’s the point isn’t it? You need to see these kind of acts. So far we saw Guns which was good. But quality-wise it’s all been really kind of fresh. Really good so far”.
Jerry Krenach (US) – McGarryBowen
“So far it’s been great. I had a great panel this morning with the music supervisors, which I participated in, and I saw some great music last night. I’m happy to be here, it’s my first time here.
Frank Lenggenhager (CH) – Lautstark
‘’When I go back home I always have my book filled with new contacts – SPOT is an investment for me. It always pays off”.
Jessica Brandt (SE) – Universal Music Publishing Sweden
‘’I am amazed that I can still find such talent here at SPOT Festival’’
Ida Gard (DK) – Musician
‘’SPOT is like diesel for the dream – it creates a forum for all the right people, it motivates you and you come closer to the dream”.
(Photo: Mikkel Elming)
