International Cooperations

With the aim of supporting musicians and music professionals from Germany in their internationalization efforts, Initiative Musik, as GERMAN MUSIC EXPORT, is actively involved in various international networks. As the official German representation at ESNS Exchange, it particularly promotes festival performances from Germany in European countries and participation in the ESNS Festival in Groningen.

Additionally, GERMAN MUSIC EXPORT is a partner through Initiative Musik in EMEE, the European Music Exporters Exchange. This alliance of 33 music export offices from 28 European countries is a strategic network that seeks to enhance the international dissemination of European repertoire within and beyond Europe.

Another component of our international collaborations is represented by the thematic journeys organized by GERMAN MUSIC EXPORT as part of the Visitor Program of the Federal Foreign Office. Each thematic journey focuses on a specific theme and invites international guests from the music industry and journalism to visit music festivals and conferences in Germany, providing them with an authentic and nuanced impression of a musical scene.

EMEE

As a member of the European Music Exporters Exchange (EMEE) network, GERMAN MUSIC EXPORT is involved in the development of export strategies and projects with the aim of supporting European music creators.

EMEE members are the national or regional funding organizations in their respective countries.
They also act as central points of contact for music exports. By working together, incomparable synergies are created, as each music export office is an expert for the music market in its own country.

The support provided by EMEE includes for example:

Promoting the cross-border distribution of music
Sharing information and expertise
Strategic advice and training for artists, labels, publishers, festivals, etc. on music export issues
Development of programs to enable equal access to professional training and networks throughout Europe
Strengthening cultural diversity, visibility and mobility within and outside Europe
Representation of members’ music export interests before European and international institutions

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EMEE Partner

ESNS Exchange

With the aim of supporting musicians and festivals in their internationalization, GERMAN MUSIC EXPORT acts as the official German representation at ESNS Exchange (formerly ETEP).
The EU program opens up new perspectives for all musicians performing at Eurosonic (ESNS) in Groningen.

The showcase festival takes place every year in January and is one of the industry meetings for the international music scene. Selected bands are given the unique opportunity to present themselves to an international audience of professionals and impress them with their talent. Concerts arranged via ESNS are supported by the EU program ESNS Exchange. This creates a strong additional incentive for the participating festivals to book European newcomers.

A total of 133 European festivals are taking part in the programme, which is organized by the Noorderslag Foundation and BUMA Cultuur and aims to discover new artists for their line-up through Eurosonic.

The project funds for Initiative Musik’s participation in ESNS Exchange are made available through the budget of the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM).

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Visitor Program

The Initiative Musik regularly organizes themed pop culture tours for the Federal Republic of Visitor Program. With financial support from the Federal Foreign Office, international music journalists and experts are invited to Germany to give them an authentic, up-to-date and differentiated picture of the German music scene. Each themed trip is tailor-made and individually planned.
The multi-day program can include festival visits, networking meetings with artists, label makers and club operators as well as themed lectures and discussions.

The Visitor Program of the Federal Republic of Germany enables foreign opinion multipliers to gain an impression of Germany through first-hand experience and information. Participants spend an average of one week in Germany at the invitation of the Federal Government.

Visitor Program 2011 – 2023