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From 28th May to 1st June 2014 INDEX

PrimaveraPro 2014 ______2

Primavera Sound in numbers ______3

Statistics______5

Participants______8

PrimaveraPro 2014 Programme ______12

Showcases______29

Press Clippings ______31

Collaborators______45 PrimaveraPro 2014

PrimaveraPro saw attendance rise significantly again this year, with the number of delegates up 31.6% year on year. The music industry conference takes place as part of the festival and this year successfully moved to a new venue at the Convent de Sant Agustí in the central Barcelona district of Born. In 2014, PrimaveraPro welcomed 2,635 music industry professionals from 58 countries, including New Zealand, Brazil, South Africa and Japan. In total, 51% of attendees came from outside Spain.

With a total of 115 conference events and 85 speakers, key topics in the PrimaveraPro 2014 conference programme included the of live music and festivals, the role of independent labels in the music sector and messaging apps and the music industry.

Underlining PrimaveraPro’s role as a meeting point for the international music industry, the 2014 conference - the fifth to date - included roundtables on the Latin American, European, US, UK and Asian music markets. There were also public interviews with a number of notable figures in modern music, including enigmatic European pop star Stromae and City Slang label founder Christof Ellinghaus, who received the first Primavera Award.

Martyn Ware from The Human League; Sandie Shaw, singer and member of the board of directors of the Featured Artists’ Coalition; Jeremy Pritchard, from and Dave Haslam, journalist and DJ were some of the speakers of PrimaveraPro 2014. Jack Shankly from Domino Records, Rodaidh McDonald, engineer at XL Recordings, Will Tompsett, Carrie Tolles from 4AD and Chris Goss from Hospital Records participated in the DayPro activities together with representatives from some of the most prestigious international festivals such as Barry Hogan from All Tomorrow’s Parties, Enric Palau from Sónar and James Minor from SXSW, as well as journalists from consecrated media such as Philip Sherburne from and The Wire, Luke Bainbridge from and Eve Barlow from NME amongst many others.

Spanish and international music industry organisations representing a number of different sectors also played an important role at PrimaveraPro, with IMPALA, WIN, Live DMA, Yourope, UFI, APM, ACCES, AEDEM, ASACC and ARC all meeting at the conference, using the event to discuss subjects such as the need for fairness in copyright payments and taxes on cultural goods, demonstrating how important these organisations are in unifying discussion around such crucial issues.

PrimaveraPro also hosted a number of showcase gigs promoting new talent from countries such as Poland, Brazil, Israel, Italy, South Africa, Chile, Estonia, Canada, Luxembourg, Latvia, Lithuania and Spain.

2 Primavera Sound 2014 in numbers

Public: 190,000 Wednesday, 28th – Parc del Fòrum – 12,000 Thursday, 29th – Parc del Fòrum – 53,000 Friday, 30th – Parc del Fòrum – 50,000 Saturday, 31st – Parc del Fòrum – 52,000 Other activities: Primavera als Clubs, Pimavera al Parc, Primavera a la Ciutat – 23,000

Primavera Sound live shows: 348 Artists in Primavera Sound: 292

PrimaveraPro Professionals accredited at PrimaveraPro: 2,635 Activities for professionals: 88 (conferences, presentations, cocktail parties, etc.) PrimaveraPro Showcases: 64

3 Line up Primavera Sound 2014:

!!! (chk chk chk) (US) Dj Zero (ES) Junkfood (IT) Renaldo & Clara (ES) 4Hiverns (ES) Dominick Fernow (US) Jupiter Lion (ES) Rodaidh McDonald A Winged Victory For The Sullen Dr. John and The Nite Trippers Juventud Juché (ES) Rodrigo Amarante (BR) (DE) (US) (US) Sangre (ES) Andy Stott (UK) Drive-By Truckers (US) Kokoshca (ES) Say Yes Dog (LU) Angel Molina (ES) (US) Kosmos (ES) SBTRKT (UK) (US) Earl Sweatshirt (US) Kronos Quartet (US) Sean Carlson (FYF /USA) Anímic (ES) Ecos del Gueto Kvelertak (NO) SEÑORES (ES) Antibalas (US) Él Mató A Un Policía La Sera (US) Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 (NG) Anthony Chorale (PL) Motorizado (AR) Las Ruinas (ES) (US) (CA) El Petit de Cal Eril (ES) Lasers (ES) Shelby Grey (ES) Aries (ES) El Último Vecino (ES) Laurent Garnier (FR) Shellac (US) Astro (CL) Fabián (ES) And The Dust (US) Sílvia Pérez Cruz & Raül Fernandez Ausells (ES) (UK) León Benavente (ES) Single Parents (BR) Bananas (ES) Fira Fem (ES) LNRipley (IT) Miró (ES) Barbott (ES) Firejosé + Sander Mölder (EE) Lola Marsh (IS) Sky Ferreira (US) Barcelona 82 (ES) FKA Twigs (UK) Loop (UK) (US) Beach Beach (ES) Flamaradas (ES) Los Ganglios (ES) (UK) Beezewax (NO) Foals (UK) Lost Fills (ES) Speedy Ortiz (US) Belako (ES) Folavril (CA) Spoon (US) Berlinist (ES) Föllakzoid (CL) M a j e s t a d (ES) St. Vincent (US) Black Drawing Chalks (BR) Fort Romeau (UK) Majical Cloudz (CA) Standstill (ES) Black Lips (US) Fuckin' Bollocks (ES) Manel (ES) Steven Munar (ES) Blood Orange (UK) Full Blast (DE) Marc Piñol (ES) Stromae (BE) Bo Ningen (JP) Furia (PL) Mas Ysa (CA) Sun Ra Arkestra (US) Body/Head (US) Furia (ES) Matias Cena (CH) Súper Gegant (ES) Bongeziwe Mabandla (RSA) (US) Matrimonio (ES) (US) Boogarins (BR) Geko Jones Mattis With (NO) Susan's Brut (ES) Genius Of Time (SE) Me and The Bees (ES) Svper (ES) Buzzcocks Germán y La Alegría del Barrio Mëther & Zacker DJ's (ES) Teho Teardo & Blixa Bargeld (IT) C+C=MAXIGROSS (IT) (ES) (UK) Television performing Marquee Moon Caetano Veloso (BR) Girl Band (IE) Mick Harvey performs Serge (US) Carla (ES) Glasser (US) Mise En Scene (CA) Tenfold Rabbit (EE) Catarata (ES) Glue Kids (ES) Gainsbourg (AU) Temples (UK) Caustic Roll Dave (ES) Godspeed You! Black Emperor Midlake (US) Templeton (ES) Caveman (US) (CA) Mishima (ES) The Brian Jonestown Massacre (US) Cenetaph (ES) Grouper (US) Mistakes are OK (ES) (US) Ceremoney (ES) Grupo de Expertos Solynieve Modelo de Respuesta Polar (ES) The Ex (NL) Charles Bradley (US) (ES) Moderat (DE) The Free Fall Band (ES) Chicha Libre (US) Grushenka (ES) (UK) The Growlers (US) Christian Tiger School (RSA) Haim (US) Motormama (BR) The Haxan Cloak (UK) Chrome (US) Hamilton Leithauser (US) Mourn (ES) The Last 3 Lines (ES) Chromeo (CA) Hans Laguna (ES) Móveis Coloniais de Acaju (BR) The Mark Eitzel Ordeal (US) (UK) Har Mar Superstar (US) Murciano Total (ES) The National (US) Cloud Nothings (US) Hebronix (UK) Murnau B (ES) The Range (US) Coldair (PL) Helen Love (UK) Nacho Vegas (ES) The Saurs (ES) Cold Cave (US) Hit The Robot (ES) Nanga Parbat (ES) The Secret Sea (IS) Colin Stetson (US) Hokei (PL) Natas Loves You (LU) (UK) Congelador (CH) Holy Ghost! (US) (US) The Vickers (IT) Connan Mockasin (NZ) Holy Ghost! Djs (US) New Jackson (IE) The War On Drugs (US) Coriolá (ES) Hospitality (USA) Roig (ES) The Wedding Present (UK) (AU) (dj set) (UK) Niklavz (LV) Tigercats (UK) Cuello (ES) Islands (CA) Niña Coyote eta Chico Tornado Tórtel (ES) Cut Copy (AU) Jagwar Ma (AU) (ES) Touché Amoré (US) Dani R. Baughman (ES) (UK) (US) Ty Segall (US) Daniel Avery (UK) Jamie xx & Friends (UK) No More Lies (ES) Univers (ES) Darkside (US) Jesu (UK) Nomisupasta (RSA) Uproot Andy & The Trial Jinko Vilova (ES) OHIOS (ES) Vaadat Charigim (IS) Separation (UK) Joan Colomo (ES) Oso Leone (ES) Vàlius (ES) Dave P Joana Serrat (ES) Paus (PT) Vatican Shadow (US) Daze Of Dawn (ES) Joe La Reina (ES) Perro (ES) Volcano Choir (US) Deafheaven (US) John Grant (US) Peter Hook & The Light (UK) Warpaint (US) Dënver (CH) John Talabot (ES) (ES) Will Spector y Los Fatus (ES) Demdike Stare (UK) John Wizards (ZA) Pixies (US) William Dafoe (ES) Dezervers (ES) Jonathan Wilson (US) Pond (AU) Willy Tornado (ES) Digitalism (DE) Juana Molina (AR) Prurient (US) Wind Atlas (ES) Disclosure (UK) (US) (US) Wolf Eyes (US) Dj Coco (ES) (UK) Real Estate (US) Yamantaka // Sonic Titan (CA) Dj Fra (ES) Julio Bashmore (UK) Refree (ES) Za! (ES)

4 Professionals accredited at PrimaveraPro 2014 by type of company

5 Professionals accredited at PrimaveraPro 2014 by Country

6 Journalists accredited at Primavera Sound 2014 by Country

7 Participants

A Buzz Supreme / Sfera Cubica

The Italian participation is composed by A Buzz Supreme and Sfera Cubica, two companies with years of experience in the Italian music scene.

A Buzz Supreme is a promotion, publishing and management company that works with artists, labels, distributors and international publishers, promoting some of the most interesting and original Italian artists both in Italy and abroad. The company guides self- produced musicians into the music business and helps them choose all the necessary partners. They also offer editorial consulting for cinema and television synchronisation.

Sfera Cubica is a new company which integrates its members’ capabilities and experiences to provide complete and high-quality services throughout all music-related activities - social and digital media marketing, booking, event creation and organisation, management and creation of radio shows - as well as its activities as a press office and .

Showcases: C+C=MAXIGROSS, Junkfood, LNRipley

A Construtora música e cultura

A Construtora música e cultura was created in 2011 sustained by two main forces: music and culture. Its objective is to give visibility to the dynamic indie scene, whether in Goiânia and internationally. A Construtora is a company that deals with arts and artists working with them directly; doing booking, career management, and production.

In 2014 they will hold the 17th edition of the Festival BANANADA, and they have already confirmed the line up with international names such as Mudhoney, The Obits, Metz, Ty Segall, The Legendary Tigerman, Papier Tigre. And in the framework of the festival they will hold another edition of UnConvention Brazil. Also this year we will hold the first official edition of Sub Pop Festival Brasil in São Paulo.

Showcases: Black Drawing Chalks, Móveis Coloniais de Acaju, Single Parents

8 Culture.pl / Don't Panic! We're from Poland

The participation of Poland is with Culture.pl and “Don't Panic! We're From Poland” two initiatives of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, a cultural institution that has the objective to internationally promote Polish culture in all its forms.

For more than a decade the Adam Mickiewicz Institute has managed Culture.pl, an online portal that contains information about the most important Polish cultural events worldwide. It is also the largest and most complete source of information about Polish culture and as well as being an agenda of national and international events it has an archive of artists, essays, opinion articles and profiles of the cultural institutions.

Continuing with their objective to promote Polish culture through the main galleries, clubs and festivals of the world, the AMI organises “Don’t Panic! We’re from Poland” an annual show of contemporary music that has been taking place in Warsaw since 2009 and that has been exported to the most important showcase festivals around the world since 2010 (The Great Escape, SXSW, CMJ Music Marathon, Festival Reeperbahn and Primavera Sound).

Culture.pl and “Don't Panic! We're From Poland” centre on the promotion of newcomer artists for their country and for the fourth consecutive year they presented the latest Polish music at PrimaveraPro 2014.

Showcases: Anthony Chorale, Coldair, Furia, Hokei

IMEXSA

Independent Music Exporters South Africa (IMEXSA) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to developing South African music around the world. It provides assistance, creates opportunities for emerging music companies to be internationally successful and promotes professional exchange between South Africa and other countries, while contributing significantly to the growth of their economy.

IMEXSA's focus is to develop the number of music exporters in South Africa by identifying trade opportunities and assisting companies to take advantage of them. Together with GEDA and DTI, it has initiated the Music Export Development Programme, understanding that access to international music markets music will bring in significant earnings and support the growth of long-term careers and employment.

Showcases: Bongeziwe Mabandla, Christian Tiger School, Nomisupasta

9 IMI Chile

Industria Musical Independiente de Chile (IMI Chile) is the first organisation that unites sector of music from Chile. The members include record labels, promoters and distributors, who together represent the wide-ranging repertoire of the Chilean independent music scene.

Its objective is to develop the independent music industry through teamwork and cooperation in order to boost the production, the commercialisation and the exportation of the recording productions.

It also aims to promote the importance of the recording industry both as a tangible and as an immaterial cultural patrimony, identifying and promoting the social and cultural diversity of the country through music.

Showcases: Congelador, Dënver, Matias Cena

Music: LX - Luxembourg Export Office

Music:LX is a non-profit organisation and network created in 2009 with the aim of promoting all kinds of music made in Luxembourg and professional exchange with other territories. There are four essential services offered by Music:LX: supporting national bands, providing information about the markets and industry, engaging in networking and developing music from Luxembourg worldwide.

The purpose of being at PrimaveraPro is to encourage these bands and their music and giving them the opportunity to play in front of a large audience and other sector music professionals. Music:LX will be there to meet these professionals, connect them to the bands and help them develop professional relationships.

Showcases: Natas Loves You, Say Yes Dog

Sonicbids

Sonicbids is the leading platform for bands to book gigs and market themselves online. It connects more than 400,000 bands with 30,000 promoters from over 100 different countries. Additionally, the company’s recently launched Social Music Marketing™ product suite enables brand marketers to reach and engage music fans and consumers using rich music-oriented content.

Showcases: Fabián (ES), Mise En Scene (CA), Motormama (BR), The Vickers (IT)

10 Sounds from Israel

The Israeli Embassy in Spain’s Department of Culture aims to back companies, artists and organisations that promote Israeli culture and science outside its frontiers. Its objective is to promote the latest innovations in the fields of culture and science in which Israel, in its short history as a nation, is internationally recognised. On this occasion it is backing the best of the music scene in Israel by promoting a small selection of bands that were chosen from 190 candidates.

Showcases: Lola Marsh, The Secret Sea, Vaadat Charigim

Sounds from Valencia

Sounds From Valencia is a platform that supports newcomer bands from province that participate in the Valencia County Council Competition, “Sona la Dipu Pop-Rock”. One of the objectives of this platform is to boost the promotion and communication of emerging bands from Valencia and to position them on the national and international panorama.

Showcases: Daze Of Dawn, Dezervers, Nanga Parbat, The Soda Club

The Baltic Scene

The Baltic Scene is a platform for the promotion of music from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Its objective is to boost interest in and knowledge about Baltic music both nationally and internationally. In order to do this The Baltic scene works as an online magazine, an agency, a record label and a promoter.

Pieci.lv or Latvian Radio 5 is a new national media aimed at young people, it is the first multi-channel online radio with mobile application in Latvia. Its objective is to work as a vehicle between the youth generation and the national medias.

Showcases: Firejosé, Niklavz, Sander Mölder, Tenfold Rabbit

11 PrimaveraPro 2014 Programme

CONFERENCES

LATIN AMERICA: THE MUSIC INDUSTRY'S NEW GROWTH MARKET? According to the IFPI’s 2013 Recording Industry in Numbers (RIN) report, Latin America was the fastest growing region for the music industry globally for the second consecutive year. If we add that to a sizeable, music-loving population, with a rapidly growing purchasing power and a strong digital infrastructure and it is no wonder that the music industry is looking more and more towards Latin America both as a source of sales and of talent. Some of the most outstanding representatives of the music industry in Latin America outlined the enigmas of this fascinating region.

Speakers: Fabricio Nobre (A Construtora, Brazil), Rodrigo Santis (Sello Quemasucabeza, Chile), Lautaro Barceló (Uf Caruf! Discos, Argentina) Moderator: Josué Orduña (Terrícolas Imbéciles, México)

IS THE MUSIC BUSINESS FAIRER NOW THAN IN 2003? Labels would define the music industry in terms of sales of recorded music and a shift to sales by streaming. Managers describe the industry as a collection of thousands of artists that generate businesses that are each run differently by their manager. Promoters see music in terms of shows and festivals and the artists continue to struggle to make a living from music. What is the framework of the new music industry? What does it mean to operate in music in the digital age? Where is the money? And is there more or less money than in the past? Do traditional roles still exist or does everyone wear many hats?

Speakers: Chris Goss (Hospital Records), Jeremy Pritchard (Everything Everything), Sharon Dean (Respect Publishing), Sandie Shaw (singer and member Featured Artists’ Coalition), Gerrit Schumann (Deezer) Moderator: Ruth Daniel (Un-Convention, Off-Axis)

STROMAE OPEN INTERVIEW Stromae has to be one of the most intriguing pop stars in years. A Belgian singer , whose parents are Rwanda and Flemish, he found fame with the hit single, Alors on Danse, which hit number one in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Greece, Germany, Austria, Turkey, Switzerland, Italy, , Romania and the Czech Republic, despite - or maybe thanks to - its downbeat lyrics on the realities of life in recession-hit Europe, which formed a brilliantly incongruous mix with the song’s club beats. Ahead of his performance at Primavera Sound, Stromae appeared at PrimaveraPro in conversation with Rockdelux editor Santi Carrillo, who quizzed him on topics such as the music industry, singing in French, the incredible success of his videos and his unique musical influences, which run from African artists to hip hop and Jacques Brel.

Speaker: Stromae Moderator: Santi Carrillo (Rockdelux)

12 GOING INTERNATIONAL: HOW FESTIVALS HAVE EXPANDED INTO FOREIGN MARKETS One of the most surprising trends in the music industry over the last five years is that festivals are doing so well. Some of them; All Tomorrow’s Parties, Tomorrowland and Sónar have created successful international events that remain true to their core values. How have they done it? What are the risks? How can you ensure a smooth landing in another town? Do the promoters end up rolling in dosh or losing the shirts off their backs?

Speakers: Barry Hogan (ATP), Enric Palau (Sónar), Alberto Guijarro (Primavera Sound), Ilya Bortnuk (Light Music) Moderator: Philip Sherburne (Spin, Pitchfork, The Wire)

COMING IN FROM THE COLD: WHY THE BALTIC STATES ARE EXCITING EMERGING MUSIC MARKETS The Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania might not be the first place that comes to mind when thinking of for the modern music industry but there are increasing signs that is now changing. They have been members of the EU since 2004 and very have a tech-friendly economy, Skype has its headquarters in Tallinn - The Baltic States have a lot to offer the music industry: Estonia hosts Tallinn Music Week, a festival of showcases and a professional meeting that attracts 800 executives from the music industry, Positivus Festival in Latvia hosts by emerging local acts and renowned international headliners and they also have the Baltic Scene online music magazine, a reference for national artists at an international level that also organises concerts.

Speakers: Helen Sildna (Tallinn Music Week), Vidis (Silence Family), Toms Grevins (Radio DJ) Moderator: Natalie Mets (Baltic Scene)

FESTIVALS, LIVE MUSIC AND TECHNOLOGY. WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? From organising a tour to promoting a festival, new technology has invaded every aspect of the live music business. But what exactly is possible for promoters in the digital age? And how can promoters and bands chose from the hundreds of new digital products coming onto the market every year? We looked at the technology, from apps to wristbands, to see what works within different budgets by talking to experts from different fields from application and technology developers to the festivals and promoters that use them.

Speakers: Cécile Martin (Greencopper), Luís Villarejo (Augmented Reality & Natural Language Processing Project Manager at UOC), Donal Scannell (Gigstarter) Moderator: Gideon Gottfried (MusikMarkt)

SMALL IS THE NEW BIG. BUILDING A NEW MODEL FOR (AND WITH) ARTISTS How to help artists build long term careers & keep artistry central when major labels are mainly focused on short term coups or relying on well established acts and the audience seems to embrace the “singlemania” mood as the new mainstream way of listening to music? When recording is affordable on high standards, distribution immediate, how to build a profile and maintain audience interest while making money? What are the responsibilities, mind-set and skills required by the modern “++ management” model? How to deal with licensing, endorsement and non-traditional revenue opportunities without selling out? Lots of questions and some answers from their in-house integrated strategic approach for artists such as Phoenix, Yelle, Benjamin Biolay & Little Dragon and brands like Hermès, Dior, Yves-Saint Laurent or Coca-Cola.

Speakers: Thierry Planelle (TMA / Bataille Records), Frédéric Schindler (TMA / Bataille Records)

13 THE CENTRAL EUROPEAN MARKET: GERMANY, AUSTRIA, SWITZERLAND AND LUXEMBOURG, 91 MILLION GERMAN-SPEAKING EUROPEANS AWAIT Germany is not only the world’s third largest music market; it is also the nucleus of the prosperous German- speaking European markets of Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg. With a combined population of 91M, geographical proximity and a high per capita income and close cultural links between the four countries – this could be one of the most important local markets in Europe. So why don’t more international bands concentrate their efforts there? And how can you make the most of the area’s strong cultural links?

Speakers: Reinhold Seyfriedsberger (ink Music), Thomas Roscheck (Sonic Visions), Detlef Schwarte (Reeperbahn Festival), Christof Huber (Yourope / OpenAir St. Gallen) Moderator: Gideon Gottfried (Musikmarkt)

PAIN IN MUSICIANS: SOLUTION & PREVENTION Between 79 and 97% of musicians suffer from pain. Why is that? They forget about their bodies and are under a lot of stress. Mental and physical stress that cause the body to degenerate faster and to feel more pain than most people. How can we get rid of the pain? Natural solutions exist. Simple exercises and stretches, manual medicine and good postures and habits, help get rid of the pain and boost performance. First they talked about the causes of pain. Then they gave some simple tips to help get rid of and prevent pain.

Speaker: Mathieu Spencer (Rock Your Cortex)

THE PRIMAVERA AWARD INTERVIEW: CHRISTOF ELLINGHAUS, FOUNDER OF CITY SLANG PrimaveraPro 2014 saw the debut of the Primavera Award, an award that celebrates the career of someone who has made an exceptional contribution to the world of music. Who better, then, than Christof Ellinghaus, founder of much-loved indie label City Slang, to receive the inaugural prize? In this special interview, conducted by Luke Bainbridge from The Guardian, Ellinghaus talked about his long and fascinating career in music, from working as a booking agent at the Sweatshop Booking Agency to his success with City Slang, the label he created in 1990 to release ’ fourth “In A Priest Driven Ambulance (With Silver Sunshine Stares)”.

Speaker: Christof Ellinghaus (City Slang) Moderator: Luke Bainbridge (The Guardian)

MUSIC IN THE US: IF YOU CAN MAKE IT HERE, YOU CAN MAKE IT ANYWHERE Which musician hasn’t dreamed of making it in the USA, the country that gave us Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin and , not to mention , , soul, hip hop and R&B? Nevertheless, for outsiders the US music industry remains something of an enigma: how can it be so innovative (leading the world in hip hop and R&B production) and yet late to catch up (opening up to mainstream dance music some 20 years after Europe in the form of EDM)? Why is country music so popular there? And who the hell are Rascal Flatts?

Speakers: James Minor (SXSW), Carrie Tolles (4AD), Jenn Pelly (Pitchfork) Moderator: Will Welch (GQ Magazine US)

14 SONIC VISIONS PRESENTS: DIGITAL TOOLS FOR ARTISTS & MUSIC MANAGERS IN 2014: FROM PROMOTION TO REVENUE In 2014 digital plays an essential role in every part of an artist’s career, from recording to touring and promotion. As useful as this is, though, the sheer amount of technology available means that it can be difficult to identify the precise digital tools that musicians and artist managers need to boost their careers. With this in mind, Luxembourg music conference Sonic Visions offered a panel at PrimaveraPro 2014 which examined how digital can help your career, which digital strategies really work, how to strike the correct balance between marketing and earning money and how artist royalties work on a national and international level.

Speakers: Matthias Brinkmann (Believe Digital), Natalia Talayero (MMF Spain / RockMAP), Thomas Roscheck (Sonic Visions), Virginie Berger (Don't Believe The Hype) Moderator: Olivier Toth (Rockhal / IMMF)

FRANCE, ITALY, SPAIN, GREECE AND ISRAEL: THE MAJOR MUSIC MARKETS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN Nestled around the Mediterranean Sea are five of the world's most important music markets: France, Italy, Spain, Greece and Israel. Geography - and sun aside, what other characteristics do they share? And what can they learn from each other? Is there room for more collaboration between these five Mediterranean territories? And, if so, how can they work together in the bustling world music market?

Speakers: Kem Lalot (Eurockeennes festival, France), Joshua Perry (Anova Music, Israel), Filippos Nezer (Arte Fiasco), Anna Chatziandonoglou (Arte Fiasco), Emiliano Colasanti (42 Records) Moderator: Fernando Neira (El País)

PR AND PROMOTION ACROSS EUROPE – HOW TO MAKE IT WORK This panel, organised by the well-known Italian music companies A Buzz Supreme and Sfera Cubica, addressed the problems and opportunities that face PR, promotions and press offices across Europe. Speakers from across the European PR sector addressed the difficulties of working with labels in the age of ever-decreasing budgets, as well as looking at the opportunities that arise for promotion in the digital world. The ultimate goal was to create a European circuit of PR companies that can work together on common projects, for both the US and European markets, working as partners with European labels.

Speakers: Eneida Fever (Fever! Productions / Mercury Wheels / VIDA Festival), Caoimhe McAlister (City Slang), Gianluca Giusti (Sfera Cubica), Ruben Nesse (ON IT) Moderator: Andrea Sbaragli (A Buzz Supreme)

MUSIC CRITICISM. RESURRECTION MAN OR THE WALKING DEAD? Possibly the only thing more prevalent than music criticism in 2014 is people telling us that music criticism is dead. We are all, to some extent, critics these days, whether we publish our opinions on Facebook or push our thoughts out on or write a post on our blog about our favourite band’s latest release. But what does this mean for the professional critic? We discussed whether the critic’s voice still counts in the era of instant access to new music. Can a good review still sell ? Is criticism important as an art form in itself?

Speakers: Fernando Neira (El País), Theo Bark (Huffington Post), Laura Snapes (NME), Lindsay Zoladz (Pitchfork) Moderator: Luke Bainbridge (The Guardian)

15 NO WIFI, AN OUT OF FRAME SCENE A THOUSAND EUROS AWAY FROM BARCELONA La Plata (Buenos Aires, Argentina) is the epicentre of Argentinian independent rock and one of the most important of South America. Administrative city in the shape of a perfect square, offers the best state education, a rich independent rock scene. In 2012, four bands from the city played at primavera Sound, and three labels shared the experience.

The collective NO WIFI, that gathers several agents from different activities, explained the experience of programming a one-month tour around Europe with the band Canto el Cuerpo Eléctrico. On this panel, the La Plata scene was analysed from its genesis, the amateur, the mainstream and the mythological and its link to the new artistic expressions in this new 3.0 world.

Speakers: África A. Espinosa (Hey Rocker!!! Productions), Edouard Paul Carrascosa (Hey Rocker!!! Productions), Elodie Moulin (CDR Colectivo de Rock), Luciano Eduardo Mutinelli (CDR Colectivo de Rock), Marcelo Pilegi (Make me Loco), Maud Roussel (Make me Loco) Moderator: Lautaro Barceló (Uf Caruf! Discos)

THE ASIAN MARKET: WHY YOU HAVE TO BE THERE IN 2014 2013 was “a milestone year” for the Asian music industry according to Sandy Monteiro, Universal Music’s president of South East Asia, thanks to the arrival of major global digital services including Spotify and Deezer to the region. Their launch is part of a wider realisation in the Western music industry that Asia, far from being the piracy haven that is in most people’s mind, is in fact a key music market for the 21st Century, as incomes grow, tastes widen and global pop stars emerge from the fiercely competitive national music scenes in Seoul, Tokyo and Mumbai. But for Western executives who don’t know their Girl’s Day from their Miss A and their KKBOX from their MelOn, the region remains something of a mystery. This panel examined what opportunities there are for Western artists in Asia and how they can make the most of this huge and fascinating market.

Speakers: Ilya Bortnuk (Light Music - Russia), Jason Mayall (Smash Corporation - Japan), Priya Dewan (Feedback Asia - Singapore), Robb Harker (Supermodified Agency - South Korea), Tim Kek (Symmetry Entertainment - Singapore) Moderator: Rhian Jones (Music Week)

NEXT STOP: CHINA Who said China is far away? Who said that Chinese was difficult? The music business in China has reached boiling point, is ready for new rhythms, styles and tendencies. Everyone is welcome and that is how it is seen by organisers of consolidated festivals such as MaMA EVENT who will have China as guest country in 2014 and DONGDONG in Beijing that in November will welcome all the most influential music-sector professionals from all over China who are interested in working with international artists.

The organisers of these two events together with BCN MUSIC EXPORT, which is dedicated to the support the internationalisation of artists, management companies and record labels, provided the keys to gaining a foothold in this immense scene.

Speakers: Aziliz Benach (MaMA EVENT), Léo de Boisgisson (DONGDONG & Convention), Maria Lladó (Institut Ramon Llull) y Teresa Alfonso (Teddysound) Moderator: Neus Borrell (BCN Music Export)

16 THE UK MUSIC MARKET: CONSTANT CHANGE, ENDLESS OPPORTUNITY Forget about the collapse of the music industry: the average Briton still spends $21 a year on recorded music, fourth on the list of spenders behind Japan, and Norway. What’s more, the UK market is in a state of constant change, with new musical genres; buzz bands, influential websites and intriguing new labels emerging every day. Making it big in the UK, then, may be a goal for bands and labels worldwide but how do you get a foothold in a market that is so constantly changing?

Speakers: Eve Barlow (NME), Jack Shankly (Domino Recordings), Kevin Moore (The Great Escape), Rodaidh McDonald (XL Recordings) Moderator: Luke Bainbridge (The Guardian)

STARTING FIRES: THINKING DIFFERENTLY ABOUT MUSIC These musicians have not only created great songs but also changed the way we discover and engage with music, from starting a DIY movement to using 3-D sound to calm drunks. We asked these excellent and peculiar musicians: what inspired them to be so different?

Speakers: Steve Ignorant (Crass), Martyn Ware (The Human League), Spazzfrica Ehd and PapaDupau (ZA!) Moderator: Dave Haslam (journalist, DJ and writer)

MESSAGING APPS – THE NEW KEY TOOL FOR THE DIGITAL MUSIC INDUSTRY From Paul McCartney’s phenomenal success on mobile messenger app Line to One Direction’s campaign with Kik, messaging apps are an important new tool for the digital music industry. This panel examined how the music industry can make the most of this exciting new tool, as part of a wider discussion around social engagement in the digital music sphere.

Speakers: Eduard Castelló (Youtube), Leo Nascimento (Deezer), Steve Ithell (digital manager for Paul McCartney, MPL Communications), Will Tompsett (4AD) Moderator: Steve Mayall (Music Ally)

MASSIVE AND MYSTIC, A STORY OF THE POLISH METAL UNDERGROUND It’s been over two decades since the Polish metal underground scene started to get worldwide recognition. It rapidly became one of Poland’s musical trade marks internationally and Polish extreme acts gained more success abroad than any other popular music genres from their country. What has made extreme metal music so big and influential in Poland for the last twenty five years?

Speakers: Jarek Szubrycht (T-Mobile Music / Trzecie Ucho), Lukasz Dunaj (Mystic Magazine), Waclaw Vogg Kieltyka (Decapitated band) Moderator: Richard Royuela (Rockzone / Background Noise)

IMPALA: HOW TO MAKE IT AS AN INDEPENDENT MUSIC LABEL IN THE MOST CONCENTRATED MUSIC SECTOR EVER? The recent sale of EMI has seen the number of majors in the music world go from 4 to 3, confirming fears of even more concentration and market dominance in the music market. Do independent record labels – which are exclusively responsible for the majority of all music released today (80%) – stand a chance to survive in such a concentrated market?

Representatives of key European independent record labels told us how they cope with recent changes, what they identify as their key challenges in an ever-changing music world, how they develop their indie spirit and what lies ahead of them.

Speakers: Charles Caldas (Merlin), Jorge Bizzaro (AMAEI), Mark Kitcatt (Everlasting Records), Horst Weidenmüller (K7), Robin van Beek (8ballmusic) Moderator: Rhian Jones (Music Week) 17 SYNC AND PUBLISHING: NEW MODELS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS This panel looked at the new business models based on the synchronisation of music in cinema, TV, advertising and other formats, as an important source of income for authors, labels and publishers with the objective of analysing new forms of business and its implications within the current framework of the sector. The speakers included an expert in synchronisation and brands, an expert in soundtrack synchronisation and a lawyer specialised in authors’ rights.

Speakers: Borja Torres (Lovemonk), Daniel Cross (Record-Play), Eric Jordi (mmm&m Abogados), Mark Gordon (Score Draw Music), Matt Harris (Rough Trade Publishing) Moderator: Jordi Puy (Sound Diplomacy)

10 WAYS FOR YOUR MUSIC TO WIN ONLINE: CONTENT AND AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES TO HELP AMPLIFY YOUR ARTISTS' SUCCESS ON YOUTUBE Music is one of our most searched for and watched content categories on YouTube. And it’s extremely active, according to Nielsen’s Music 360 Report (2012) YouTube is the #1 place to listen to music for those under 35. In a multi-platform reality saturated with voices that come from all over the world it's becoming increasingly challenging for artists and labels to keep the hot spot.

At YouTube they work in order to help music content creators to design effective strategies that will ensure their artists' success on their platform from building a consistent brand to the keys of producing relevant contents for you and for your fans. Fans have a voice on YouTube and the track of unique stories keeps proving it: how creativity can break a star like Soko, who became the 2nd artist ever to debut at #1 on Billboard’s Top 100 after Bauer’s “Harlem Shake” thanks to the sync of song “We Might be Dead Tomorrow” in the viral video First Kiss (currently at +75M views).

Speaker: Eduard Castelló (YouTube)

GIBSON BRANDS AND 66RPM EDICIONS PRESENT THE BOOK: “ESPÍRITUS EN LA OSCURIDAD. VIAJE A LA ERA SOUL” IN COLLABORATION WITH GIBSON GUITARS This panel took us on a tour through North America in search of the best soul music scenes and the Gibson instruments that have made their mark on decades of music, accompanying legendary artists, classic record labels and unforgettable songs. Sister Rosetta Tharpe with her Gibson Les Paul Custom 61, Robert White with his Gibson L5, Steve Cropper and his precious Birdland, Dennis Coffey and his inseparable Gibson Firebird, ES-345, ES-355 and ES-335 or Duane Allman with his Gibson Les Paul 59. The panel was based on the book published by 66rpm edicions “Espíritus en la oscuridad. Viaje a la era Soul” and the author, Andreu Cunill, took us on a journey in the company of David Moreu (writer, screenwriter and journalist), Aitor Rioja (product development specialist at Gibson), Raúl Fernández (guitarist in Pájaro), Iván Muench (DJ and promoter) and Alfred Crespo as musical guru.

Speakers: Andreu Cunill (journalist, musician and author of “Espíritus en la oscuridad. Viaje a la era Soul”), David Moreu (journalist - Esquire, Soul Nation, La Vanguardia -), Aitor Rioja (Develop Product Specialist of Gibson), Iván Muench (DJ and promoter) and Raúl Fernández (guitarist of Pájaro) Moderator: Alfred Crespo (Ruta 66, 66rpm edicions)

18 PRESENTATIONS

FIM VILA-SECA PRESENTS: THE RESERVE OF EMERGING MUSIC IN CATALONIA Music fairs are key events to connect bands, programmers, press and other professionals from the sector. For the past 15 years FiM Vila-seca has been the reference emerging music market in Catalonia and the window on the latest Catalan musical creation. The objective of the FiM programme is to promote the most risky creative and avant-garde music. In order to do this, every year they put out a call for bands and collect more than 900 musical proposals making it the event that receives the most proposals in the country. Under the motto “come and discover the bands of tomorrow” more than 280 professionals and 20,000 people meet annually at FiM to participate in the FiMPRO activities and to discover over 40 newcomer bands.

Speakers: Kike Bela (Artistic Director of FiM Vila-seca), Yolanda Jiménez (General Coordinator of FiM Vila-seca)

WICKSTEED WORKS PRESENTS: DIRECT TO FAN, WHICH PLATFORM? A SURVEY OF TEN LEADING SERVICES The concept of direct to fan has matured since Topspin made the cover of Billboard in 2008, hailed as Indie Visionary of the Year. While Topspin remains a formidable player, there are now a number of choices available to artists, labels and brands looking to take advantage of the direct to fan channel. No longer viewed as an optional extra, those in the know now view direct to fan as a vital component of every release plan, as well as an important route-to-market for communications and community-building. Reviewing Bandcamp, Crowdsurge, Generator, Music Glue, PledgeMusic, Sandbag, Stagebloc, Sunshine HQ, Topspin and TM Stores, we reviewed the question now facing marketers and managers: "Which platform?

Speaker: Jessie Scoullar (Director of Wicksteed Works)

ACLAM RECORDS PRESENTS: LET'S GO BACK TO THE BEGINNING Aclam Records was born with the vocation of being a production company where the different parts of audio- visual creation could meet in quality professional atmosphere in the centre of Barcelona. In collaboration with excellent partners in the creation and diffusion of music contents of the country, their research vocation is focused on enabling them to internationalise a dynamic and multidisciplinary work model for professional musicians and technician from the sector.

Speakers: Víctor Partido (Operation Manager of Aclam Records), Jose Cattaneo (Chief Engineer of Aclam Records)

KITEBIT PRESENTS: THE WORLD OF DIRECT TO FAN SELLING, A SOLUTION FOR MAINSTREAM AND INDIE ACTS Nowadays recorded music seems to have lost its value. From big names to small indie artists they all struggle to find a way to sell their work and make a living out of it. The direct to fan approach has existed forever but this is the first time in history that artists can use it to engage globally with their audience. This direct communication through social networks or artists’ own channels is the key to regaining the lost value of music. Big data, conversion rates, monitoring growth, variable pricing or directly transferring every penny into your account; let KiteBit introduced us to the exciting world of Direct to fan selling and its multiple possibilities.

Speakers: Marc Monguió (Founder and CEO of KiteBit), Xavi Sala (Director of Client Development of KiteBit)

19 COONCERT PRESENTS: TOGETHER, NO CONCERT IS IMPOSSIBLE Cooncert is a new concept of social promoter of concerts where fans can propose what artists they want to see live in their cities. From Cooncert all the proposals are analysed and those that are really viable are putt o the vote. Thanks to the participation of fans, the promoter can negotiate a date with the artist and put the tickets on sale with the maximum guarantee of success. Its motto is: Together, no concert is impossible.

Speakers: Pau Corbalán (CEO and cofounder of Cooncert), Pol Hortal (CTO and cofounder of Cooncert)

QULTURAL PRESENTS: THE FIRST CULTURAL QUALIFICATION COMPANY The first tool that Qultural has presented is www.qultural.com, a simple and self-sufficient web environment designed to receive information from all operators, from bands to programmers or service companies. The project started in 2012 and is active in BETA phase in Catalonia alone, but the objective is to extend it around the world. The current challenge for Qultural is the creation of new agile and sustainable web environments that permit the collection and management of information and details of the cultural market.

Speakers: Albert Ferré (CEO of Qultural), Ferran Martínez (CTO of Qultural)

BRING GIG PRESENTS: THIS MUST BE THE PLACE For many newcomer artists it is difficult to find their audience and for that reason difficult to know the ideal place to play their music live. Bring Gig presented The Music Wiki Week, a free music platform that gives the artists the opportunity that they deserve. This platform tells us where the audience is at all moments and it is therefore possible to programme the concerts where the fans are waiting. No more empty venues or concerts cancelled due to low ticket sales: it is time to put music where it belongs.

Speakers: Jaume Monés (CCO of Bring Gig), Luca Di Prima (CEO of Bring Gig)

CORD PRESENTS: SONIC BRANDING, HOW TO MAKE A STRATEGIC MUSIC PLAN Nowadays music is essential to create a solid brand identity and that is why the music agency Cord is looking for new ways to connect brands to their consumers through music. At this presentation they introduced all the elements that a strategic music plan must have, such as music supervision and planning, licenses for synchronisations, the relationship with the composers, innovation, the discovery of talent, music production and Sonic Branding, amongst other aspects related to strategic music plans in advertising, all of this illustrated with examples of music strategies and creative campaigns that have already been tried.

Speaker: Jaime Nieto (Music Planner of CORD)

DIGITALIA – DIGITAL MUSIC AND CULTURE PRESENTS: PROPOSALS OF INTEGRATION SALVADOR - BARCELONA Digitalia is a festival, a congress and a digital music and culture observatory that is in permanent activity- it is public and free- and it sets up a series of activities in the field of music and the new technologies, which is known as “Digital Culture”. The festival takes place in (Bahia, Brazil) and programmes all types of activities such as conferences, workshops and courses; presentations of scientific research; development of online music products and platforms; musical and multimedia spectacles; and an observatory of digital culture policies.

Speaker: Messias Bandeira (Universidade Federal da Bahia / Digitalia)

20 WOMEX PRESENTS: THE WORLD'S BIGGEST WORLD MUSIC TRADE FAIR WOMEX, the world's biggest world music trade fair, celebrates its twentieth edition in Santiago de Compostela from the 22nd to 26th October. It is an event that attracts around 2500 professionals from all over the world, amongst whom there are 800 programmers and more than 300 journalists. As well as a showcase festival with over 60 concerts, it also hosts Womex DJ Summit, films, conferences and “mentoring” with 80 speakers from over 25 countries. At this edition there will be a stage called ‘Atlantic Connection’ on which music from the Iberian Peninsula and Latin American will be represented.

Speaker: Vítor Belho (CEO of Nordesia)

LUSITANIAN.PT PRESENTS: A NEW PORTUGUESE PUBLISHING COMPANY A new publishing company and one-stop-shop based in Lisbon, Lusitanian represents some of the best new talents in Portugal. In the absence of an export office, Portugal's new artists and vibrant independent music scene rely increasingly on the web and brand partnerships so as to get their music out to the rest of the world; master-synch licensing has the potential to be an important driver for Portuguese new music.

Speaker: Nuno Saraiva (Director of Lusitanian.pt), Guillermo de Llera (Music producer of Lusitanian.pt)

TICKETEA PRESENTS: 3 "MUSTS" FOR YOUR EVENT TO BE SUCCESSFUL For the last 5 years ticketea.com has been developing technological solutions to help events organizers. Innumerable events pass through their platform everyday and although they have different contents they share one common denominator, the fact that their success lies in the good management of 3 key aspects: the sales channels, promotion and access control. At this presentation ticketea.com talked about good practice and shared some of the lessons learned during their extensive experience as a technical partners of music event promoters.

Speaker: Javier Andrés (CEO of ticketea.com), Amandine Delpierre (Music responsible of ticketea.com)

GLOWNET PRESENTS: THE FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE REVOLUTION Glownet is the UK start-up that is revolutionising the live event experience for promoters, customers and sponsors. They use the latest RFID technology to deliver access control, cashless payments and customer insight solutions for music festivals and other outdoor events. Over the past two years they’ve gained significant traction in the UK, the Netherlands, Taiwan and most recently delivered their cashless solution to all 26,000 attendees at the Rhythm & Vines festival in New Zealand.

Speakers: Scott Witters (Founder and CEO of Glownet), Nicholas Couch (Founder and CCO of Glownet)

TRÀNSIT PROJECTES PRESENTS: A LOCAL PRODUCTION COMPANY Trànsit Projectes is a production company that is born of the sociocultural activity that is to say, from the continuous praxis that intersects the territory, the people and culture as a motor for bettering a community. From concrete examples, they will explain how they design and carry out projects where music is the general leitmotif that generates this cultural philosophy. Through projects as varied as national and international music festivals, music equipment and cycles of conferences, Trànsit Projectes has one clear objective: to make cultural available to everybody for the collective enrichment.

Speakers: Francesc Sau (Responsible of Cultural Production Area of Trànsit Projectes), Jose Arias (Music Area Responsible of Trànsit Projectes)

21 DESBERDINA FILMS PRESENTS: VJ 4 LIVES Desberdina Films presented an audio-visual proposal orientated towards live bands and Dj sessions through the fusion of the concepts of VJing and multi-camera production. It gives touring artists a new possibility giving them visuals of their show without needing a big production set up and with short preproduction periods. The versatility of the equipment used together with the conjugation of the visual and the musical vastly improves the artistic expression, making the live concert an unforgettable experience.

Speakers: Carmen V. Albert (Creative Director of Desberdina Films), Natxo F. Laguna (Production Director of Desberdina Films)

PLANDEGIRA PRESENTS: HOW TO DO A PROFITABLE TOUR IN SPAIN IN 2014 FOR INTERNATIONAL BANDS Each day it is becoming harder and harder to organise a profitable tour in Spain, even more so if we are talking about a foreign band or artists. plandeGira, the online platform for the organisation of concerts, showed us the successful case of a foreign band that managed their whole tour in Spain using the platform and making a profit in doing so.

Speakers: María Godoy Orellana (Content Responsible of plandeGira), Alejandro Esteve Oliver (Audiovisual of plandeGira)

SAMYROAD PRESENTS: #SAMYMUSIC, YOUR ROAD TO SUCCESS The music industry isn’t what it was 10 years ago: “Streaming killed the radio star”. The most important thing for the artist today is not to “reinvent yourself or die” it is now “adapt or die”. There are many channels to promote your music but it is difficult to be heard above all the noise. Samy helped to focus the promotion in a community of trendsetting users who are passionate about music.

Speakers: Patricia Ratia (Cofounder of SamyRoad)

QUEMASUCABEZA PRESENTS: 15 YEARS OF THE INDEPENDENT CHILEAN RECORD LABEL AND ITS ARRIVAL ON THE INTERNATIONAL SCENE The Chilean label Quemasucabeza started in 1998 with the aim to release the records of its creators, Congelador. Now after more than a decade on the independent scene, its catalogue has artists who are well known nationally and internationally such as Pedropiedra, Gepe, Caravana, Felicia Morales, Fakuta, Protistas, Ases Falsos and Coiffeur. It is also the producer of the festival Neutral that last March celebrated its sixth edition in Chile and which also has winter editions and editions abroad in countries such as Argentina, Mexico and Spain.

Speaker: Rodrigo Santis (Artistic director and founding partner of Quemasucabeza Producciones)

APM PRESENTS: THE APM PORTAL For 5 years now, this association publishes the Yearbook of Live Music, a publication of great prestige and impact that analyzes the live music industry in Spain. It presents the main festivals, tours and concerts of the year and all the annual music industry data.

The APM will hold its 15th anniversary in 2015 and took the opportunity to strengthen its position as a leading institution of the sector. One of the major actions of the campaign within the framework of the 15th anniversary will be the creation of a new corporate website that will become the meeting point for the live music industry and the main news reference for the sector. Speakers: Albert Salmeron (Producciones Animadas / APM), Francesc Castanyer (Communication of APM), José Luis Martínez (Communication of APM) 22 ENDERROCK PRESENTS: THE WEEKLY DIGITAL MAGAZINE "EDR" Enderrock, the first publishers of Catalan music, known for their reference publication of the same name, presented the digital magazine “edr”, a new weekly multimedia medium of promotion and diffusion of the musical scene, created as a new model of the publishing business.

Speakers: Jordi Novell (Manager of Enderrock), Elisenda Soriguera (Director of Enderrock)

BANDEED PRESENTS: SELF-MANAGEMENT FOR LIVE MUSIC The traditional way of attracting talent and of creating a musical product has been showing signs of exhaustion for years now: society has changed and the music industry must adapt to this change. More and more artists understand their audience, know how to connect with their fans and make them a central part of their career. It is very probable that in the next few years, self-management by the artists themselves will become a fundamental key to success. Bandeed wants to take one step forwards and to provide the tools for artists to look after their fans.

Speakers: Anxo Armada (Director of Bandeed), Miquel Montalvo (UI/UX Developer of Bandeed)

GLOBAL CLUB MUSIC NETWORK PRESENTS: CONNECTING UNDERGROUND LIVE & ACROSS THE GLOBE GCMN is a recently set up worldwide collective that is made up of professionals involved in the live presentation of . Among its members we can find DJs, bands, labels and booking agents. It has several years of experience in concerts and the organisation of events, from big festivals to local events. GCMN presented its vision on the connection of the existing electronic music scenes illustrating it with successful projects and ideas to implement in the future.

Speakers: Dave Watts (Director of Earconditioning and Label Manager of Post World Industries), Kosta Kostov (Director of DJ Kosa Kostov, Balkan Express Cologne and Board Member of GCMN), Miriam Leah Brenner (Director of Kokako Musicand and Board Member of GCMN), Berta Ribas (Booking agent and manager of Post World Industries)

LIVE DMA EUROPEAN NETWORK PRESENTS: LIVE MUSIC IN EUROPE Live DMA is a young European network of live music venues and festivals created in 2012. For two years now its members are involved in the development of survey process and methodology in order to collect reliable data about live music venues in Europe. Live DMA presented the results of its first survey regarding the 2012’ data (economy, activity, employment).

Speakers: Arne Dee (VNPF), Clothilde Fery (Live DMA), Stéphanie Thomas (FEDELIMA)

INDUSTRIAMUSICAL.ES PRESENTS: THE BEST OF THE MUSIC BUSINESS After its first year of activity, IndustriaMusical.es presented its story, its scope and its potential as a means of communication in the sector. On the same level and in a complementary way, its creators looked at the worldwide music panorama, highlighting the most important happenings in the music business in the last few months and put the changing world of the music industry into context.

Speakers: Ángel Navas (Cofounder of IndustriaMusical.es), Carles Martínez (Cofounder of IndustriaMusical.es)

23 LIVING INDIE PRESENTS: LIVE STREAMING, A NEW WAY OF EXPERIENCING LIVE MUSIC Technology makes it possible to live and experiment music in new ways. Watching concerts in live streaming is a trend that is growing exponentially. Living Indie, a startup that is specialised in the broadcasting of live concerts online and has been chosen by Wayra UK, Telefonica/O2’s accelerator, presents its experience in this field looking at the trends in the sector, identifying the main players and underlining the difficulties encountered on the way. The presentation aimed to open a debate with the audience about the current situation of this market and to look into the future of this type of service.

Speakers: Andrés Sánchez (CEO of Living indie), Alfonso Fiz (Director of Living indie)

LIVEUROPE PRESENTS: A NEW EUROPEAN PLATFORM FOR POPULAR CONCERT VENUES The Liveurope Platform is an initiative gathering 13 popular concert venues established in various countries across the European continent. The label identified European concert halls which are active in the promotion of upcoming European talent, in order to create lasting effects in terms of programming. The Liveurope Platform aims to build a wider and more diverse audience for European music, and to fully unleash the potential of our continent’s immense artistic potential.

Speakers: Dirk De Clippeleir (General Director of Ancienne Belgique - Belgium), Eyvind Brox (General Manager of Blå - Norway), Fabien Miclet (Coordinator of Liveurope Platform), Laurent Sabatier (Director of Nouveau Casino - France), Olivier Toth (CEO of Rockhal - Luxembourg)

NVIVO INTERNET PRESENTS: EVENTPRO – PROMOTION OF MULTICHANNEL AND MULTI-SUPPORT ONLINE EVENTS Nvivo.es, the largest online agenda and aggregator of concert tickets in Spain, presented EventPRO, a system of online promotion of events for promoters, venues and bands amongst other professionals of the industry. It aims to increase the visibility of all types of events and to boost the sale of tickets in a very simple way through a multichannel and multi-support system that promotes an event on the web, through marketing emails and mobile apps.

Speaker: Carlos Sánchez (Director of nvivo.es)

MENTORING SESSIONS

This program was designed to put you in direct contact with some of the most important professionals in the music business. Experts in various areas of the music industry will be available to give advice and resolve your doubts.

Mentoring Session 1 With: Robb Harker (Supermodified Agency) and James Smith (SMASH / Fuji )

Mentoring Session 2 With: Carrie Tolles (4AD), Jason Mayall (SMASH / Fuji Rock Festival) and Ilya Bortnuk (Light Music Company)

Mentoring Session 3 With: Anna Kopaniarz (Tauron Nowa MuzyKa), Jack Shankly (Domino Records) and Priya Dewan (Feedback Asia)

24 NETWORKING SESSIONS

Italy Networking Session Israel Networking Session Meet the Catalan Networking Session

COCKTAIL PARTIES

Inauguration breakfast PrimaveraPro & Headbirds Cocktail Party A Buzz Supreme and Sfera Cubica Cocktail Party Sounds From Valencia Cocktail Party Reeperbahn Festival Cocktail Party A Construtora música e cultura Cocktail Party El Segell del Primavera and Headbirds Cocktail Party Baltic Cocktail Party APM Cocktail Party Culture.pl and Don't Panic!We're from Poland Cocktail Party IMI Chile Cocktail Party SXSW Cocktail Party

MEETINGS

ARC The Catalan Association of Representatives, Managers and Promoters (ARC) is a group of 80 companies dedicated to live music. Its objective is to unite the common interests of its members and professionalize the sector, making it more prestigious and recognized as one of the strongest markets in Spain. This year ARC took advantage of PrimaveraPro bringing together representatives of the festival sector and creating synergies between them, reinforcing their position as fundamental pillars of the music industry, and guaranteeing their present and future development.

ASACC ASACC, founded 10 years ago, is the first association of private concert venues in Spain. It inspired the creation of similar associations in , Galicia, Euskadi, Aragón and Andalusia. Its objective is to protect the common interests of concert venues and fight to obtain their social, cultural and economic recognition. ASACC’s achievements include changing municipal norms and regional laws, setting a precedent those associations in other regions and communities have followed. The attendance at PrimaveraPro of ASACC members - the directors and programmers of 50 concert venues – created a unique opportunity to share experiences between national and international professionals.

25 IMPALA IMPALA was established in April 2000 to represent independent music companies. Almost 100% of Europes music companies are SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises). Known as the “independents”, they are world leaders in terms of innovation and discovering new music and artists - they produce more than 80% of all new releases. It also has its own award schemes to help promote cultural diversity and new talent, and highlight the artistic contribution of independent music. IMPALA award winning artists include , , , , Agnes Obel, Caro Emerald and Sigur Rós. For the first time IMPALA participated in this key event for independent artists, holding its board meeting in Barcelona at PrimaveraPro.

LIVE DMA Live DMA was established in May 2012 to represent small and medium sized popular music venues and festivals. It is an umbrella association made up of 8 national networks of venues and festivals. Its members are ACCES (Spain), Club circuit (Belgium), Court Circuit (Belgium), Dansk Live (Denmark), FEDELIMA (France), Live Musik Kommission (Germany), D’Orfeu – (Portugal) and VNPF (Netherlands). Live DMA represents 800 venues and festivals in Europe. Live DMA and their members sustain and participate actively in artistic discovery, emergence and innovation, thus playing a key role in structuring the live music sector. They also base their activities on a global approach towards artistic and cultural practices, both amateur and professional. Projects and activities set up by organizations within the network must support the diversity of artistic forms and current and future cultural practices.

LIVEUROPE The Liveurope Platform is an initiative gathering 13 popular concert venues established in various countries across the European continent. The label will identify European concert halls which are active in the promotion of upcoming European talent, in order to create lasting effects in terms of programming. The Liveurope Platform aims to build a wider and more diverse audience for European music, and to fully unleash the potential of our continent’s immense artistic potential.

YOUROPE Founded in November 1998, Yourope has 80 members from 26 countries that work to improve the European festival scene in terms of working conditions, health and safety issues, environmental awareness, exchange of knowledge and information and promoting the cross-border exchange of live music talent. The overall aim of the association is to collaborate, share experiences and pinpoint areas that would benefit from a joint approach. Having gained respect within the industry and at government level, Yourope also has the power to lobby for all legal and industry issues related to the European festival industry on behalf of its members and together with other associations in the live music business. Yourope also focuses on other key issues for festivals, such as the exchange of information regarding marketing and sponsoring, contracts, production riders and radio/TV/internet rights, among others.

26 UFI The Spanish Association of Independent Record Labels (UFI) was created in 2003 as a non-profit association, its objective is to bring together enough members to be able to represent the phonographic production sector in dealings with institutions and national and international organisms. Furthermore, UFI aims to promote and internationalize music released by independent companies, provide training and information and supporting cultural diversity. Currently, it has as members 60 independent record companies and organizes events such as the Premios de la Música Independiente and the Día de la Música. It also participates in international trade fairs and commercial missions to the US, Mexico, China, Japan and Argentina to achieve its objectives.

SPEED MEETING

SPEED MEETING SESSION WITH LOOP & IN-EDIT

Meeting between visual artists and musicians and record labels in order to find synergies between the professionals from both sectors.

VISUAL ARTISTS: Irma Marco, Juamma Carrillo, Laura Llaneli, Ryan Rivadeneyra, Sergi Botella, Tots Sants, Waaau TV, Furious Sessions, RV Fims, Daniel Arasanz

WORKSHOPS

SONIC VISIONS WORKSHOP: DIGITAL TOOLS FOR ARTISTS & MUSIC MANAGERS IN 2014: FROM PROMOTION TO REVENUE

This workshop introduced and established the bases that Sonic Visions, the professional meeting in Luxembourg, presented in the panel that they did at the DayPro Conference. In the workshop that lasted 90 minutes, the essential digital tools for artists and music managers wre scrutinized, how to strike the correct balance between marketing and earning money were looked at and how artist royalties work on a national and international level amongst many other things.

Speaker: Matthias Brinkmann (Believe Digital)

WIN WORKSHOP: THE IMPORTANCE OF METADATA FOR REVENUE

Workshop run by Charlie Phillips, head of legal and business affairs of the Worldwide Independent Network, an organisation of independent labels worldwide. This session presented resources for publishers, artists and cultural managers to improve their understanding of the rights and revenue sources available, with special emphasis on the importance of metadata to ensure the correct identification of the uses of their works, with practical performing examples in the physical and digital environments, as well as on national and international levels.

Speaker: Charlie Phillips (Head of Legal & Business Affairs of WIN)

27 INVESTMENT FORUM

1st COMPETITION OF IDEAS AND INVESTMENT FORUM IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY

An event organised by Seed&Click and PrimaveraPro at which the best the ideas and projects from the national and international panorama of the music industry were presented. At the Competition the most innovative, creative, original, viable and feasible ideas were revealed to help turn them into business projects. Meanwhile at the Investment Forum the best entrepreneurs from the music industry looked for capital to start or to expand their business projects.

Ideas Competition Investment Forum Projects

Finalists: Finalists:

Playwitme Pypna Development of a line of T-shirts “Dressed in music”. Audio-visual platform that awards videos that reach http://bit.ly/1ggpK6z a certain number of visits. http://www.pypna.com/

Club SQ Vibook Broadcasting of live online sessions by internationally famous Platform to select and hire artists http://www.vibook.es/ DJs. http://bit.ly/1jN01NN

Sing Master Splyce Application to help people learn how to sing. Mobile App music player with auto-mix. http://vimeo.com/92674350 http://www.splyceapp.com

You Sound Cooncert Platform that modernises the jukebox. Social media concert promoter. www.cooncert.com

Winner: Winner:

Artists First Conductr Platform that puts artists in contact with young professionals Music controller App Ableton Live Controller for iPad. who can offer them services that can be of interest. http://www.conductr.net/ http://bit.ly/1hXFMxq

28 SHOWCASES DAYPRO

Wednesday May 28 Thursday May 29

INTERNATIONAL SHOWCASE STAGE INTERNATIONAL SHOWCASE STAGE

La Seca - Espai Brossa La Seca - Espai Brossa

1.00pm – Anthony Chorale 11.30am – The Secret Sea 1.45pm – Coldair 12.15pm – Vaadat Charigim 2.30pm – Móveis Coloniais de Acaju 1.00pm – Lola Marsh 3.15pm – Single Parents 1.45pm – Hokei 4.00pm – Black Drawing Chalks 2.30pm – Furia 3.15pm – Él Mató A Un Policía Motorizado 4.00pm – The Fuckin' Bollocks 4.45pm – Furia 5.30pm – Tenfold Rabbit

Friday May 30 ELS VERMUTS DEL PRIMAVERA AL PARC AMB MARTINI INTERNATIONAL SHOWCASE STAGE Saturday May 31 La Seca - Espai Brossa Parc de La Ciutadella 12.15am – Junkfood 1.00pm – Firejosé + Sander Mölder Stage 1 12.30pm – C+C=Maxigross 1.45pm – Niklavz (LV) Stage 2 1.00pm – Say Yes Dog 2.30pm – C+C=Maxigross Stage 2 2.00pm – LNRipley 3.15pm – Natas Loves You 4.00pm – Say Yes Dog 4.45pm – LNRipley Sunday June 1

Parc de La Ciutadella

Stage 1 12.00pm – Junkfood Stage 2 12.30pm – Natas Loves You

29 SHOWCASES NIGHTPRO

Tuesday May 27 Thursday May 29

PRIMAVERA ALS CLUBS PARC DEL FORUM

La [2] de Apolo adidas Originals Stage

8.00pm – Coldair 5.00pm – Vaadat Charigim 9.00pm – Anthony Chorale 6.00pm – Móveis Coloniais De Acaju 10.00pm – Hokei 7.00pm – Niklavz 11.00pm – Furia 8.00pm – Lola Marsh 9.00pm – The Secret Sea 10.00pm – Coldair 11.00pm – Tenfold Rabbit 12.00am – Anthony Chorale 1.00am – Single Parents 2.00am – LNRipley 3.00am – Firejosé + Sander Mölder

Friday May 30 Saturday May 31

PARC DEL FORUM PARC DEL FORUM

adidas Originals Stage adidas Originals Stage

5.00pm – The Saurs 5.00pm – The Vickers 6.00pm – Fabián 6.00pm – Christian Tiger School 7.00pm – C+C=Maxigross 7.00pm – Matías Cena 8.00pm – The Soda Club 8.00pm – Nanga Parbat 9.00pm – Dezervers 9.00pm – Dënver 10.00pm – Hokei 10.00pm – Congelador 11.00pm – Furia 11.00pm – Daze Of Dawn 12.00am – Black Drawing Chalks 12.00am – Natas Loves You 1.00am – Bongeziwe Mabandla 1.00am – Say Yes Dog 2.00am – Mise En Scene 2.00am – Junkfood 3.00am – Nomisupasta 3.00am – Motormama

30 Press Clipping

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5 38 by Jenn Pelly and Lindsay Zoladz June 2, 2014 Photo by: Tom Spray

Check out a photo gallery from this year's Primavera Sound Festival by Tom Spray and Morten Krogh, along with Jenn Pelly and Lindsay Zoladz's discussion about 's highs and lows.

See More In The Gallery

Lindsay Zoladz: ¡Hola Jenn! The circles under my eyes and the Big-Gulp-sized iced coffee on my desk means we have just returned from the festival that never sleeps, Primavera Sound in Barcelona. The music was (mostly) incredible, and the Mediterranean backdrop was so idyllic that everyone thought my Instagrams had been Photoshopped. Thank you for agreeing to power through your jet lag with me so we can debrief on our experiences at the fest—from the legacy acts (Television! The Artist Formerly Known as Pixies!), to the new discoveries (Za!, a Spanish duo who sound like Lightning Bolt beating up a mariachi band!), to that time we unsuccessfully tried to explain to some Spaniards why so many Americans like Rascal Flatts. We’ll zoom in shortly, but first, what were your overall impressions of Prima 2014? Jenn Pelly: ¿Cómo se dice “jet lag” en español? I first attended Prima in 2012 and have since been convinced it is the best music festival in the world. Because (yes) it is extremely Grammable (#nofilter) but also impeccably curated. In my experience, Primavera has catered to those of us who want to hop from one corner of our disparate musical identities to the other until the sun comes out, by which I mean see metal and noise and rock and pop, and then get sucked into the Boiler Room dome for hours at a time. It also makes it very easy to discover music from Spain and other Spanish-language artists from around the world. LZ: True. This was my first Primavera, and I had a blast. Usually I am not much of a festival person—for me, the rhythm of most summertime American music festivals is day-drinking watery beer in the oppressively hot sun and then wanting to lay down in the obligatory mud for a siesta-esque nap by the time the headliners come on. But I am very into the way Prima is scheduled, on European time. (Also, the lack of mud! Grass is pretty and all, but standing on concrete at a festival makes those inevitable midday downpours much less catastrophic.) Most of the stages at Prima don’t start going until 6 or 7 at night, and the music keeps going long enough for you to catch a gorgeous Barcelona sunrise on the stumble home. As someone coming to the festival from out of town, I was glad that this schedule allowed us at least a few hours to explore the city during the afternoon, whether it was the uncannily Tolkienesque Sagrada Familia church, the Joan Miró Foundation, or the impressive One Direction section at Barcelona’s largest Claire’s. There was a bit of music during the day too, though, and one of my favorite performances of the weekend came from Julia Holter, who played a late-afternoon set in a huge auditorium at the Museu Blau that felt like a cross between a concert hall and a mermaid cove—basically the Platonic ideal of “a place I’d like to watch a Julia Holter set.” The room was packed, and it was nice to see a festival-sized crowd transfixed by music of such delicate beauty. Holter gets better and better every time I see her, and the live arrangements of the Loud City Songs were particularly gorgeous.

Julia Holter. Photo by Morten Krogh. JP: Loud City Song was one of my favorite records of 2013, but I was especially glad to hear Holter play Tragedy’s “Try to Make Yourself a Work of Art”—the auditorium had me thinking that the most ideal place to see her might be an ancient Greek coliseum made of stone, so, pretty close. Later, I saw Kim Gordon and Bill Nace’s noise guitar duo Body/Head play for 45 uninterrupted minutes in the same auditorium, as well, which was totally entrancing. It held some personal significance for me—the tour doc 1991: The Year Punk Broke was my introduction to the idea (and strange romance) of European festival culture. Gordon still treats her guitar and its relativity to an amp like a sculpture. (Also, where did she get her sequined shorts and metallic boots? Please write me if you know.) The pair literally attack their instruments and wield them towards each other in ritualistic cycles, and when Gordon wailed into her harmonica, I was reminded of how very American this music is, a mix of no wave and blues. And: Their entrance music was Nicki Minaj. It was perfect. As far as other highlights, Disclosure, who played late Thursday night at one of the biggest stages, were phenomenal. Throughout their set, I could not shake the question of who does their stage lighting while staring at that giant, hologram-esque Face situated between the Lawrence brothers. It was so creepy. I hoped it would give me nightmares, but no such luck. Disclosure. Photo by Morten Krogh. LZ: Agree with you about Disclosure! What a perfect finale for the first night. I found myself wishing they’d close by playing “Latch” six or seven times in a row, Watch the Throne style, so the set would never have to end. Prima does a good job as any festival at balancing the epic sets with the more intimate. The biggest crowd I saw all weekend was there for Arcade Fire (though to be fair, Macaulay Culkin’s band the Pizza Underground canceled at the last minute), but I had mixed feelings about their hour-and-a-half set. They sounded great (you know you’re in Western Europe when people are singing along to the French parts of “” as loudly as the English ones), but I spent the first few songs of their set considering ditching it for something less crowded, just because the audience was so unruly and bro-heavy. I was not entirely sure that the Arcade Fire are the sort of band best experienced while risking being stampeded by strangers sipping molly water out of well-disguised spray bottles (Euro ingenuity!). Then again, by the end, I was thinking… maybe they are? Though they’re coming off an artistic triumph of a record, Arcade Fire have stumbled a bit in the past year when they’ve tried too hard to defend their “underdog” status. Because, as their headlining sets at almost every major festival this summer have been reminding us, they’re not underdogs anymore; they’re one of the biggest bands in the world. And on Thursday night, it was pretty powerful to watch them step up to that role and let the universal appeal of their music take over. The choruses of Funeral cuts “Wake Up” and “ (Lies)” rippled through the crowd like soccer chants. Jenn, I know we both enjoyed Future Islands’ set for a similar reason: One of the great things about a festival of this size (50,000 attendees total) is getting the chance to see a once-small band get the chance to come into the grandeur of their vision. Future Islands. Photo by Tom Spray. JP: It’s funny: Future Islands have officially entered their “I knew them when” period. I am guilty of this. I turned to a friend during their triumphant Prima set to recount that time I bartended this tiny Future Islands gig at the old Silent Barn kitchen-venue in Queens. Later, you told me you saw them in the basement of Black Cat. There is always this idea floating around that bands who have recently emerged from a grassroots kind of scene are best suited to small venues, but watching frontman Sam Herring own the crowd with his now-signature dance moves at Prima, I just thought, “This is what this man was born to do.” Herring is clearly trying to push the boundaries of what Future Islands are now capable of, including a moment during their set when he sang a slower ballad and noted how “people always tell you not to do this at festivals, but we are going to do it anyway.” Also, his on-stage grinding. LZ: The Sam Herring dance move that most people talk about is of course the Letterman-approved Rubber-Legged Ape Walk, but I would also like to shout out this very feminine and Yonce-esque slow-grind he does during some of their ballads. I’ve always thought there’s some interesting gender play at work in Herring’s whole schtick; in the same way that Nicki Minaj’s exaggerated and artificial-on-purpose vocal tics remind us that femininity is a performance, Herring’s over-the-top chest thumps and Cowardly-Lion-fronting-a-hardcore-band growls show that machismo is nothing but a performance, too. Like Arcade Fire, Future Islands are a band that are grappling with their newfound mass appeal, and Herring has said in interviews that some of his moves are meant to make the more macho dudes in the audience feel uncomfortable. And as a girl who regularly attends music festivals, I salute any and all attempts to make Festival Bros uncomfortable. Speaking of which! What was the worst pick-up line someone used on you at Prima, Jenn? Mine was a drunk American dude who overheard me speaking English and used it as opportunity to open with the winner, "Uh, is your bag from Urban Outfitters?" When I told him I bought it in Germany, he vanished into thin air. JP: As I was leaving Body/Head, a seemingly very inebriated Italian guy asked me if I knew where Kim was going after the gig because I look like her—worst or best? Speaking of Germany, we were in prior to Barcelona and visited the storied club Berghain, which had me primed for Prima’s Boiler Room tent—maybe the festival’s best spot to catch an unreal 5 a.m. sunrise—and Demdike Stare and Andy Stott were easy highlights. Most of the time I spent in the Boiler Room dome, though, I was blissfully unaware of who was playing until looking at the Primavera iPhone app afterwards (two of these DJs turned out to be Barcelona's Marc Piñol and Berlin's Dani R. Baughman). This, to me, is the most appealing part of festival culture—how it enables you to push the boundaries of your own tastes and experience sets you might not otherwise naturally gravitate towards at home. The big headliners at Prima were epic, but I’ve seen Nine Inch Nails, and I’ll see Kendrick and the Slowdive reunion in the States. And I am so glad I had an opportunity to see 71-year-old Caetano Veloso on a stage packed with four canvases on easels and some very entertaining interpretive dancing. He looked like he was having a total blast playing to the biggest crowd I saw all weekend, moving from full-band waltzes to elegant a capella folk. Although I’d known of Veloso’s legend in spearheading the Tropicalismo movement in Brazil, I was unfamiliar with his catalog before watching his hour-and-a-half set Saturday evening. Most of his songs are sung in Portuguese and the lyrics passed too quickly for me to understand their meaning—I promise, the most fun you will have at a music festival is surrounded by thousands of people singing and dancing (much better than I ever could) to songs in a language you can not understand, and still completely sharing in their sheer joy. So even though I was unfamiliar with most of Veloso’s songs, I enjoyed his set more than the full-album performance of one of my favorite records in the world, Television’s Marquee Moon. You’d have to be kind of soulless to not enjoy hearing “Venus” and “Marquee Moon” live, but that album is fixed into such a vivid and sacred part of my imagination that it felt somewhat uneasy to see it performed in a way that was kind of lackluster and boring to watch.

LZ: Yeah, I too was underwhelmed by the Television reunion. It sounded impeccable—Verlaine’s shredding in the final minutes of the title track was particularly killer—but nothing about it really transcended the familiar concept of “influential band way past its peak plays an amazing album from start to finish.” That whole enterprise is starting to feel so rote, and (s/o Pixies) even more so when an integral member of the band very visibly sits it out. Somewhere in America, Richard Hell is still laughing. Kim Deal, too. For the modern festivalgoer, nostalgia is becoming a thing. In an age when it is all but inevitable that your favorite band will someday reunite to recreate their glory days on a much larger $tage than the ones they used to play, it can start to feel like nothing is sacred. I am definitely in the throes of reunion-show fatigue these days, and more and more I find myself choosing to preserve the romance of old memories rather than risk being disappointed. God bless the exceptions to the rule, though. My former hometown heroes the Dismemberment Plan killed it on Saturday night—and to think I almost decided to skip their set, for fear of writing over the memory of an absolutely perfect reunion show I saw them play in 2011. I am not too hot on their latest album, Uncanney Valley, but they do bring a fun energy to the new songs live. More importantly, though, they play the old shit like they are still engaged with and excited by it; sang “The City” and “OK, Joke’s Over” like he just wrote them last week. At any major music festival, tough choices are unavoidable and FOMO is a part of the game. But I found a lot of my scheduling decisions driven by something you said the first night, Jenn, when we were debating whether or not to skip Future Islands for Neutral Milk Hotel: “I’d rather see a band I love playing at their peak than a band I love trying to recapture it.” In that spirit, one of my favorite sets of the weekend came from an artist who just put out the best and most stirring album of her career, Sharon Van Etten, and another was from Majical Cloudz, a band that I am excited to report, judging by the absolutely heart-stopping new songs they played, likely still have their best work ahead of them.

Majical Cloudz. Photo by Tom Spray. JP: We were totally both in tears within the first hour of our proper Primavera experience, watching Majical Cloudz play these new songs by the sea. I had to grab my notebook and write down this lyric—”I am always perfect when I am holding onto you”—because it is so notably different from the mortal themes of 2013’s Impersonator, but just as intense, maybe more. These new songs are like little love poems, pure Cummings. Not that they’ve changed the script all that much; before “Bugs Don’t Buzz”, singer Welsh said, “This song is about love, despite what it may seem.” It reminded me of a line in Mark Richardson’s recent piece on Sun Kill Moon for The Pitchfork Review: “Songs about death are really songs about love, because without love, death has no significance. We yearn to be in a place where death matters.” I felt like we could all hear the totality of this band coming into focus. There is no way I was going to miss Majical Cloudz playing a place as surreal as the glowing Mediterranean coast, but throughout the festival I had this constant internal negotiation: Am I seeing too many American sets and missing opportunities to find Spanish music I might not otherwise see? One of my favorite Barcelona bands from my last Primavera trip in 2012 was a krauty analog synth pop duo called SVPER (fka Pegasvs), and it was great to see them play a hugely attended set after dark (with very cool projections). They toured the U.S. after playing Austin in March, but I still feel they have potential to gain a bigger foothold in America. Just as the fest was starting, I spoke on a music-industry panel at PrimaveraPro called “Music in the U.S.” The description I was provided read, “Why is it that the U.S. music industry is so progressive (hip hop) yet so behind (EDM)? Why do so many Americans like country music?” I was really ready to explain the greatness of Loretta Lynn and Kitty Wells, but promptly realized that this is not what the panel was going to cover. Instead, we spent an hour or so discussing why it’s hard for bands from places other than the UK or Scandinavia to garner attention in the States. This is something I’ve thought about a lot over the past few years, covering festivals in Poland (OFF) and Mexico (Nrmal). I think a lot of this falls heavily on the fact that American music journalists can be very lazy. At the panel, I ended up getting into a discussion with a Norwegian music journalist, who asked me if it seems weird that European festivals typically list big headliners primarily from the U.S. and UK when there are native artists in these countries who could also be headlining. Primavera typically democratizes this by listing artists alphabetically on posters, but I think more festivals should take advantage of their power to use headlining slots as a form of cultural activism—to reverse the idea that American artists are the most popular in these settings, and to educate international audiences. If I leave a festival feeling like I really learned something in addition to indulging in sets by my pre-existing favorites (s/o Blood Orange and Sky Ferreira), it feels much more worthwhile. LZ: Hear hear. Jenn, let's move to Barcelona? We can go to Prima every summer, live in an old apartment with bay windows that overlook the sea, and get jobs at Claire’s as professional ear-piercers. JP: ¡Vamos!

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