Tallinn Music Week 2026 sets out full conference programme exploring how music drives cities, shapes societies and survives an AI-saturated world

Tallinn Music Week has unveiled the complete programme for the conference, taking place at Nordic Hotel Forum in Tallinn from 10–11 April. The two-day programme examines music’s role in boosting cities and regions, the live industry’s future in an era of consolidation, AI’s operational takeover of the music ecosystem, and the mental health of those who keep the sector running and inspired. 

Newly announced speakers include Ian Huffam, Partner at X-Ray Touring; Gunvor Kronman, CEO of Hanaholmen; Patrik Tengwall, Head of Event Strategy for the City of Stockholm; Helena Tulve, Composition Professor at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre; Estella Reed, Co-Founder of the AI in Media Institute; Robert Fitzpatrick, President of the European Arenas Association and Mirkka Rautala, Group Director of Operations at Live Nation Finland.

TMW 2026 conference programme is curated in collaboration with Music Estonia.

The conference opens at Nordic Hotel Forum on Friday, 10 April at 10am with welcoming speeches from Minister of Culture of Estonia Heidy Purga; Gunvor Kronman, CEO of Hanaholmen — the Swedish-Finnish Cultural Centre; Director of Music Estonia Ave Sophia Demelemester; and Founder and Head of Tallinn Music Week Helen Sildna.

The opening keynote of Finnish cultural strategist Gunvor Kronman will draw on a rare breadth of leadership experience spanning the private, public and third sectors: she currently chairs the boards of Helsinki’s Amos Rex museum and the Konstsamfundet cultural foundation, serves as Vice Chair of the Crisis Management Initiative and Plan International, and is one of the foremost figures strengthening Nordic-Baltic cooperation.

The following panel, “The Music Ecosystem — A Global Network of Local Players That Makes Cities and Regions Thrive”, places the conversation in immediate local context: at a time when Estonia is actively debating the prospect of a new arena and the future of Linnahall, it brings together the leading minds behind Europe’s cultural institutions. Patrik Tengwall, Head of Event Strategy for the City of Stockholm, opens with a presentation on the measurable impact of music on Stockholm’s economy and society, followed by a panel featuring Mirkka Rautala, Group Director of Operations at Live Nation Finland, and Robert Fitzpatrick, President of the European Arenas Association. 

Among the newly announced highlights, Ian Huffam — Partner at X-Ray Touring London and one of the most respected agents in the live music business, who has represented an iconic roster of artists, including Gorillaz, Robbie Williams and Moby — joins for an in-depth conversation with Nick Hobbs, Founder of Charmenko, Charmworks and Charm Musics, on the agent–promoter relationship, three decades of industry change, and the strategic realities facing artists and promoters in an increasingly consolidated landscape.

The conference dedicates a special session to wellbeing and mental health in the sector. Psychologist and lecturer Tiina Saar-Veelmaa leads the session examining burnout and the structural conditions for thriving in the arts, followed by “The Show Must Go On (But Can You?): Navigating Risk and Burnout”, which applies a burnout framework to the specific pressures of music — where deadlines, performance schedules and public exposure compound the risks already embedded in the work. Ben Nothnagel, Senior Adviser at Aalto University Executive Education, explores the cognitive dimension: why we often know what is good for us yet struggle to act on it, and how motivation and empathy shape performance under conditions of risk and uncertainty.

“Accessibility All Areas” extends the wellbeing strand into questions of inclusion, asking not only how DEI — diversity, equity and inclusion — belongs in policy, but how it can become a genuine driver of innovation. The session features Sami Helle, founding member of Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät — the punk band whose appearance at Eurovision Song Contest in 2015 became a cultural phenomenon — in a discussion that challenges the sector to move beyond theory and consider whether learning disabilities might function as a creative asset rather than an obstacle.

Gender equity receives dedicated attention through Keychange, the global gender equality initiative in music, with sessions examining intersectional equity across the industry, a workshop on structural change, and the Keychange Talent Leadership Programme gathering emerging leaders from across the music sector.

Newly announced speakers joining the programme include Estella Reed, Co-Founder of the AI in Media Institute: Albert Saprykin, composer and Head of Kyiv Contemporary Music Days; Helena Tulve, Composition Professor at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre; Taavi Kerikmäe, Head of the Estonian Centre for Contemporary Music; Kristjan Randalu, composer and pianist; Matthias Rauch, Head of Cluster Creative Economy and UNESCO Creative City of Music focal point in Mannheim; Martin Sutton, Founder of Very Syncable Music Licensing; Hildur Maral, Managing Director of OPIA Community and artist manager at Ólafur Arnalds management; Rana Bassil, President of PETZI and Live DMA Board Member; Andra Vasile, Co-Founder of Sync About It; and Rannar Park, Head of Business Engagement at E-Estonia.

Previously announced highlights include public interviews with Magne Furuholmen of a-ha; Martin Goldschmidt of Cooking Vinyl, and Paul Clement, who built Resident Advisor from a bedroom project into the world’s leading platform for electronic music culture. The programme also features Matt Black of Coldcut and Ninja Tune speaking on art and political responsibility, alongside panels on Ireland’s Basic Income for the Arts, art music in times of war, night culture and democracy, and the economics and ethics of live events.

Sessions also address the shifting landscape of music media, alongside sync and pop culture, music visuals in the post-attention era, and the tension between virality and narrative integrity. Market-focused sessions cover Baltic–Nordic industry synergies, and spotlight markets spanning the Western Europe, the Caucasus and the Americas. 

The education strand explores the relationship between music institutions and the industry, including a dedicated workshop and a panel on designing concert experiences for young audiences. Practical sessions cover royalty generation across borders, getting music into games, playlist and radio promotion, music and tech innovation across the Baltic Sea region, speed meetings with bookers, mentoring and legal advice — forming a programme that engages with the full breadth of the contemporary music world.

TMW also introduces the DIY Panel — a new format that hands the microphone directly to the sector. Through an open call, the industry and audience are invited to submit the most pressing and overlooked topics in current music discourse. The most compelling proposal will be developed into a full conference panel on 11 April, curated by its author. Submissions are open until 30 March.

The full TMW 2026 conference schedule is available at pro.tmw.ee/schedule.

TMW 2026 conference topics

Keynote Interviews

• Magne Furuholmen of a-ha
• Martin Goldschmidt, Co-Founder of Cooking Vinyl
• Paul Clement, Resident Advisor
• Ian Huffam, Partner at X-Ray Touring

Music Ecosystem, Cities and Live Music

• The Music Ecosystem — A Global Network of Local Players That Makes Cities and Regions Thrive
• Resilient Music Ecosystems: How City Networks Connect Local Action with European Responsibility
• The Role and the Challenge of Festivals in a World That Never Stays Still
• Democracy After Dark — Putting Night Culture at the Centre
• Residencies: Case Studies from the Baltic Music Ecosystem and Beyond

Artist Career, Creative Freedom, Wellbeing and Policy

• Creative Survival or Creative Freedom? The Future of Artists
• The State of Emergency
• When the Balance Holds Its Breath: Orchestra in the Age of Fracture
• Mental Health Session by Tiina Saar-Veelmaa
• The Show Must Go On (But Can You?): Navigating Risk and Burnout
• Cognitive Function and Leadership: Ben Nothnagel, Aalto University Executive Education
• Children of the Diaspora — In Search for an Imagined Homeland
• Teosto presents: Small Markets, Big Opportunities — Generating Royalties Beyond Borders

AI, Technology and the Music Industry

• Music and AI in 2026 — Entering the Operational Era
• Too Much Music — AI Is Flooding the Market. Who Survives?
• Beyond the Frame: Music Visuals in the Post-Attention Era
• TechTrack World Café: Where Ideas Get Stuck
• Workshop: Getting Your Music Into Games — Practical Entry Points

Media, Promotion and Digital Culture

• The New Media Order: Vibe-checks & Lore-core
• Chronically Online: How to Get Likes and Influence People?
• Juke Box Jury: TMW 2026 Artists
• Loud but True: Promotion Without Selling Your Soul
• Sync Meets Pop-Culture Meets Sync

Markets, Touring and Industry

• Regional Beat: Connected Markets, Shared Synergies — Baltic–Nordic Industry
• Spotlight Markets: France, Armenia and Georgia
• Spotlight Markets: Latin America and Canada
• Estonian Companies in Spotlight
• Canadian Industry Connect

Education, Inclusion and Equity

• Music Education and its Ecosystem: A Collective Deep Dive
• Beyond the Stage: Designing Concert Experiences with Young Audiences
• Accessibility All Areas — Rethinking Inclusion in Practice
• Keychange: The Missing Voices
• Keychange: From Pledge to Practice — Transforming Commitment into Structural Change
• Workshop: GreenBeat Nexus — Needs for the Green Transition of the Music Sector

Networking, Practical Sessions and Artist Development

• How to Showcase: Make the Most of Your Time at TMW
• FAAR Music Artist LAB: Getting Your Music on Playlists & Radio
• FAAR Music Artist LAB: Songwriters Talk
• FAAR Music LAB A&R Sessions
• Mentoring Sessions
• Speed Meetings: Meet the Bookers
• Legal Clinic by Sorainen
• DIY: Open Mic!

TMW 2026 runs 9–12 April in Tallinn, with the conference at Nordic Hotel Forum from 10–11 April, the showcase programme across the city’s venues from 9–11 April, and city festival events throughout the festival.

TMW 2026 passes are available from the TMW webshop. The PRO Pass (€225, end price €250) provides access to the conference and DigiPRO networking platform, as well as priority access to the music festival. Festival Passes granting access to all music events are available for €89 (end price €95).

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About Tallinn Music Week

Now in its 18th edition, TMW stands as one of Europe’s premier music industry gatherings, attracting around 1,500 industry professionals and delegations from around the globe to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia.

TMW 2026 is organised by Muusikanädal NGO in collaboration with Shiftworks and a range of partners and co-curators. The conference programme is developed alongside Music Estonia, the national music industry development centre and export office.

The festival is supported by Nordic Hotel Forum, Telliskivi Creative City, Cultural Endowment of Estonia, the City of Tallinn and UNESCO City of Music Tallinn, and the Canadian Embassy.

From 2026–2028, the European Cohesion Fund is supporting Tallinn Music Week’s marketing efforts, promoting Tallinn and Estonia as an attractive cultural tourism destination.

TMW is a founding member of the FoMC federation uniting international music conferences and showcase festivals, a member of the European talent exchange programme ESNS Exchange, and a partner festival of the global gender equality initiative Keychange and the European global music platform UPBEAT.