University of Groningen Showcasing European Music Festival Networks Ahlers, Rob DOI: 10.33612/diss.159223878 IMPORTANT NOTE: You are advised to consult the publisher's version (publisher's PDF) if you wish to cite from it. Please check the document version below. Document Version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Publication date: 2021 Link to publication in University of Groningen/UMCG research database Citation for published version (APA): Ahlers, R. (2021). Showcasing European Music Festival Networks: the case of Eurosonic Noorderslag. University of Groningen. https://doi.org/10.33612/diss.159223878 Copyright Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license (like Creative Commons). 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Download date: 04-10-2021 Showcasing European Music Festival Networks The Case of Eurosonic Noorderslag Robertus Bernardus Ahlers Showcasing European Music Festival Networks The Case of Eurosonic Noorderslag Doctoral thesis, University of Groningen, the Netherlands © Robertus Bernardus Ahlers, 2021 ISBN 978-94-6332-742-8 Cover by Elzo Smid Layout by Loes Kema Printed by GVO Drukkers & Vormgevers, Ede All rights reserved. No part of this thesis may be reproduced in any form, by print, photocopy, digital file, internet or any other means without permission from the author or the copyright-owning journals for previously published chapters. Showcasing European Music Festival Networks The Case of Eurosonic Noorderslag PhD thesis to obtain the degree of PhD at the University of Groningen on the authority of the Rector Magnificus Prof. C. Wijmenga and in accordance with the decision by the College of Deans. This thesis will be defended in public on Monday 1 March 2021 at 14.30 hours by Robertus Bernardus Ahlers born on 16 August 1976 in Schoonebeek Supervisor Prof. S.M. Strandvad Co-supervisor Dr. K.A. McGee Assessment Committee Prof. L.C. Bieger Prof. E.H. Bisschop Boele Prof. G. McKay Dedicated to the loving memory of my mother J.A. (Anneke) Ahlers-Geerdink Table of Contents Abstract 8 Acknowledgments 9 Introduction 11 Theoretical Roadmap 13 Methodology 16 Dissertation Structure 18 Chapter 1 European Festival Cultures: Definitions and Histories 21 1.1 Traditional Festivals and Anthropological Perspectives 22 1.2 Post-Traditional Festivals 26 1.3 Three Festival Ages 27 1.4 The Age of Translocalism 32 1.5 Digital Revolution and Social Media in the Age of Translocalism 35 1.6 Conclusion 37 Chapter 2 Eurosonic Noorderslag: Emergence and Historical Development 39 2.1 Holland vs Belgium 39 2.2 Institutional Dynamics 41 2.3 Award Culture 52 2.4 Genre and Selection Criteria: towards a European outlook 57 2.5 Place and Cultural Representation 60 2.6 Conclusion 72 Chapter 3 ESNS and European Identity Formation 75 3.1 Identity formation 76 3.2 Towards a United States of Europe 79 3.3 Protection from what? The infiltration of American Culture in Europe 81 3.4 EuroSonic and European Repertoires: Showcasing European Identity 84 3.5 Conclusion 98 Chapter 4 Breaking EU Borders: European Border Breakers Awards and Focus 101 Countries 4.1 Introduction 101 4.2 EBBA: Europe’s Symbolic Cultural Capital 102 4.3 2004: The EBBAs at MIDEM 106 4.4 2009: The EBBAs at ESNS 108 4.5 2019: MMETA (Music Moves Europe Talent Award) 112 4.6 ESNS Country Focus (2005, 2011, 2018) 118 4.7 2005: France 120 4.8 2011: The Netherlands 123 4.9 2018: Denmark 126 4.10 Conclusion 129 Chapter 5 ESNS Live Music in Practice: Battle of the North 131 5.1 Introduction 131 5.2 Methods 134 5.3 Imagining Markets: A European Invasion in Groningen? 137 5.4 Journey of Discovery 142 5.5 CV Enhancement: Capitalizing on the Symbolic 149 5.6 Building networks: Professionalization over time 153 5.7 Conclusion: When the Smoke Clears 160 Chapter 6 “Showcasing Europe”: European Showcase Festival Networks 163 6.2 Showcase festivals: Definition, Formats, and Historical Context 166 6.3 Case study 1: SPOT festival (Aarhus, Denmark) 170 6.4 Case study 2: Reeperbahn Festival (Hamburg, Germany) 179 6.5 Case study 3: MENT (Ljubljana, Slovenia) 186 6.6 Conclusion 197 Chapter 7 Conclusion 199 7.1 Summary of findings 200 7.2 Areas for Future Research 204 7.3 Final thoughts 206 Bibliography 207 Abstract in Dutch 221 Abstract In recent years, and before the dramatic downturn of festivals under the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the European popular music festival market has seen a considerable growth in the number of showcase festivals: those music industry events which showcase new musical talent, provide a platform for music industry networking, and are often held across multiple days, primarily in urban spaces. These events represent the annual (re) configuration of the European (live) music industry; it solidifies and extends the often rhizome-like connections and updates the knowledge canon of the ways in which festivals function in society. Despite their multi-faceted cultural significance, however, there is a notable gap in academic research which critically investigates these showcase events and traces their connections to local and translocal networks. This lacuna is addressed here by exploring the ways in which the Eurosonic Noorderslag festival has become the main fulcrum of the European transnational music industry. In its 35-year existence, the European Music and Showcase Festival Eurosonic Noorderslag has developed into the leading platform for the promotion of European music repertoire. Each year in January, the northern Dutch city of Groningen takes central stage in positioning European popular music as a core component of contemporary European culture. A detailed account of its history explores how this festival’s social, ethnographical and cultural processes have facilitated its successful development from 1986 until the present. Its explicit focus on the circulation of European repertoire – as opposed to Anglo-American repertoire – invokes questions about European identity formation and utilization. In other words, how is it performed and how is it perceived? Then, the artistic reality of participating festival musicians will be examined. Due to its award culture and mediated character, Eurosonic Noorderslag serves as a stepping-stone for upcoming groups and artists internationally. But what is the significance for participating artists? What does participating in this festival do for the sustainability of artists’ careers? These questions are addressed by focusing on career trajectories of artists from the northern part of the Netherlands. Narratives and experiences from musicians from this specific area trace back to debates about local representation in early festival editions and provides a new – and often obscured – perspective on the utility of showcase festival performances. Finally, three other showcase festivals provide the foil to which Eurosonic is compared and contrasted. Taken together, these perspectives present an original contribution to knowledge about the (European) music industry and its culture, in that it introduces the first multi-perspective account on the showcase festivals specifically. It reveals why these festivals matter for culture in society and synthesizes practical and theoretical perspectives upon which festival scholars can build. 8 Acknowledgments When I decided to “go back to school” and pursue an academic career back in 2011, I never thought that acquiring a PhD degree would eventually become reality. At that point I had been a professional musician (drummer) and teacher for about ten years, with nothing else in my pocket but my practical musical skills and experience – and curiosity. While it has been a great privilege, one can imagine that conducting research and writing a dissertation is also challenging at times. It is a mostly solitary undertaking and having a deadline somewhere on the distant horizon can easily make you lose focus and look for some welcome distractions. Also, it was not always easy to find out which perspectives were important to elaborate on, and which claims to substantiate. After all, the more answers I got, the more questions arose. Needless to say, I couldn’t have done this by myself and I owe gratitude to many people. First of all, I am indebted greatly to my “daily” supervisor and co-promotor Dr. Kristin McGee, who has been a guide throughout my academic development as a scholar and has never failed to provide useful and substantive feedback on my drafts. Also, her efforts in providing opportunities to further my academic career, such as drawing attention to job positions, conferences and publishing opportunities have been invaluable to my academic career trajectory. To Prof. Sara Malou Strandvad I remain grateful for her thoughtful and insightful guidance throughout the process, which has made all the difference to me. I am also greatly indebted to the members of our PhD group, Niels Falch, André Arends, Harm Timmerman, and Dr. Chris Tonelli. Special thanks is in order to Dr. Tonelli, whose suggestions and insightful comments have greatly improved my work. Our regular group meetings – which I would sometimes refer to as the “Friday morning roast,” in times my insecurities got the better of me – were invaluable to the quality of my research.