Tallinn Music Week hosted 233 artists, 17 038 concert visitors and 748 conference delegates

The fifth edition of Tallinn Music Week presented 233 artists and hosted 17 038 music fans and 748 delegates. The festival concerts took place in most prominent music clubs and concert halls in Tallinn – 233 artists and bands from 19 countries performed, 167 of them from Estonia. The Citystage programme that was started last year had another successful edition, bringing the festival buzz to bookshops, music stores, galleries and cafés with free afternoon concerts.

Tallinn Music Week music industry conference was opened by the president of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves, the minister of culture Rein Lang, director of Nordic Hotel Forum Feliks Mägus and head of TMW Helen Sildna. In his opening speech the president suggested to rename Tallinn Music Week as „North by Northeast“, referring to the world’s biggest music event South by Southwest (SXSW).

President Toomas Hendrik Ilves opening the TMW conference:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4g26aFD9ts

The festival welcomed a true legend of music industry, Seymour Stein, who was presented with an Award for Cultural Diplomacy by the ambassador of the United States in Estonia Jeffrey Levine, who commented: „We created this award to honor those individuals and groups whose outstanding work in the field of culture advances the Embassy’s goals of mutual understanding and the deepening of friendship between the United States of America and our friends overseas. With the profound influence Mr. Stein has had on the musical culture of the United States, I can think of no one more deserving of this award.“

748 music entrepreneurs and representatives of music organizations participated at the conference, 381 of them from abroad and 367 from Estonia. There were participants from 30 countries, a large number from Finland, Latvia, Germany, UK, Russia, Lithuania, Sweden, Norway, Poland and Denmark.

There were representatives of festivals like Spot, Music & Media Finland, Tampere Biennale, Turku Music Festival, Helsinki Festival, Flow Festival, Ilosaarirock Festival, Berlin Music Week, Nordlichter Festival, Iceland Airwaves, Positivus, Festival Galapagai, Eurosonic Noorderslag, and International Chamber Music Festival present at TMW. Also present were record companies like FatCat Records, Matador Records, Svart Records, Sony, Fonal, Soliti, Inverse Records, Exogenic Music Group, Stupido Productions Ltd, Rockadillo Records, Full House Records, Jiffel Music Group, Fullsteam, Universal Music, Playground Music, Eastblok Music, BOOST Music, Anova Music, I Love You Records, Bomba-Piter inc., and Baltic Sub.International media was represented byDanish Broadcasting Corporation, YLE, Radio Helsinki, Soundi, Helsingin Sanomat, Classica, Bayerischer Rundfunk, MusikWoche, Resident Advisor, Burda Media, Der Spiegel, The Reykjavik Grapevine, Diena, Latvian Television, Lietuvos rytas, Polskie Radio Dwójka, PopUp Music, The St. Petersburg Times, GAFFA, Musicity, Dazed Digital, The Line of Best Fit, MOJO magazine, POLLSTAR, Clash, KCRW-FM and many others.

The “TMW Talks” side programme, launched this year, hosted public discussions on music related matters in a cozy atmosphere. The restaurant festival “TMW Tastes”offered special menus and discounts for festival pass holders in TMW’s favourite restaurants in Tallinn.

The vote is on for the prestigious Skype’s Go Change the World Award. One of the Estonian acts of this year’s TMW will be chosen by TMW delegates, press, Skype’s team and the public. The awarded artist/band has to show fresh ideas and an innovative DNA, be original, outstanding and professional enough to succeed in the international arena. The Skype award is presented with a very specific goal in mind – to offer the winning act a chance to advance their career in a real manner, and is accompanied by 3500 EUR. The vote is open on TMW website www.tmw.eeuntil 18th April.

Tallinn Music Week 2009 Skype award winner was Popidiot, in 2010 Iiris, in 2011Ewert and The Two Dragons and in 2012 Talbot.

Photos for press: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tallinnmusicweek/sets/

TMW in numbers:

2013
33 stages
233 artists from 19 countries
167 artists from Estonia
17 038 festival visitors

748 delegates, of whom 367 from Estonia
381 international delegates
65 043 unique visits on the website from 122 countries

2012
27 stages
183 artists from 13 countries
150 artists from Estonia
11 200 festival visitors
589 delegates, of whom 283 from Estonia
306 international delegates

61 549 unique visits on the website from 110 countries