Tallinn Music Week 2026 unveils conference topics exploring music ecosystem as a driver for cities and regions to boom, artistic freedom and AI

Tallinn Music Week (TMW) has revealed the programme for its 2026 conference, taking place at Nordic Hotel Forum in Tallinn on 10–11 April. The programme addresses the dualities of the modern industry—balancing AI and digital saturation with the need for artist autonomy. It explores the music ecosystem as a driver for cities and regions to boom, cultural policy, global touring routes, festival market trends and music’s role in democratic societies.

Newly announced conference speakers include Matt Black of Coldcut and Ninja Tune, Atlas Festival Programming Director and Music Saves Ukraine Partnership Manager Vlad Yaremchuk, Amsterdam’s Night Mayor Freek Wallagh, Secretary General of the European Music Council Ruth Jakobi, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival Graham McKenzie, co-founder of Linear Festivals Vishruti Bindal, and artists Sami Helle, Goldielocks and Kaisa Ling.

Highlights of the programme include public interviews with Magne Furuholmen of a-ha, founder of Resident Advisor Paul Clement and co-founder of Cooking Vinyl Martin Goldschmidt.

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 alike are invited to submit topics that are pressing yet overlooked in current musical discourse. The most compelling proposal will be developed into a full panel on 11 April, curated by its author. Submissions are open until 27 March.

Friday, 10 April

The conference opens with a welcome speech from Estonian Minister of Culture Heidy Purga.

“The Music Ecosystem – A Global Network of Local Players” explores how cities leverage music for economic and social impact, whilst “Resilient Music Ecosystems” examines how city networks and European structures can build lasting cultural infrastructure.

Resident Advisor co-founder Paul Clement reflects on RA’s story—building independent music media rooted in community and purpose. “Creative Survival or Creative Freedom?” features Xenia Joost, Deputy Chancellor of Creative Affairs at the Estonian Ministry of Culture, Sibelius Academy Dean Kaisa Rönkkö and artist Kaisa Ling to ask whether today’s economic pressures leave room for genuine artistic risk.

“When the Balance Holds Its Breath”, featuring Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival Artistic Director Graham McKenzie and Ukrainian composer Albert Saprykin, examines art music in times of war and political turbulence. “Children of the Diaspora – In Search of an Imagined Homeland” explores how Estonian-Swedish creatives such as journalist Andres Lokko have turned inherited memory into artistic inspiration.

“The Role and the Challenge of Festivals in a World of Turmoil” examines how festivals navigate hyperinflation, geopolitics and shifting audience habits, whilst Keychange’s Pledge Panel addresses gender equity in the industry.

AI and technology loom large on Friday’s agenda. “Music and AI in 2026 – Entering the Operational Era” examines how AI tools reshape industry practice, while Teosto presents a session “Small Markets, Big Opportunities: Generating Royalties Beyond Borders”. The TechTrack World Café, part of the MI-RAP programme, brings together music and tech practitioners to share experiences from pilot projects.

Media and attention are explored from several angles. “Sync Meets Pop-Culture Meets Sync”, featuring music supervisor and co-founder of Linear Festivals Vishruti Bindal, examines the tension between virality and narrative integrity, “Vibe-checks & Lore-core” looks at who sets the cultural agenda in a post-gatekeeper media landscape, and “Loud but True: Promotion Without Selling Your Soul” asks whether heavier music can grow without losing identity. The TMW classic Juke Box Jury sees critics analyse music by the TMW 2026 artists.

Practical sessions include “How to Showcase: Make the Most of Your Time at TMW”, a workshop on getting music into games, a Greenbeat Nexus sustainability workshop exploring the needs for the green transition, the FAAR Music Artist LAB, a B2B session with the Canadian industry, speed meetings with bookers and legal consultations hosted by Sorainen.

Saturday, 11 April

Public interviews with Magne Furuholmen of a-ha and Cooking Vinyl co-founder Martin Goldschmidt offer perspectives on sustaining artistic integrity and independence across decades.

“Everything Is Political” features electronic music pioneer Matt Black of Coldcut and Ninja Tune alongside cultural strategist Dinaz Stafford and Music Saves Ukraine Partnership Manager Vlad Yaremchuk, examining why artists are speaking out more than ever, and the costs involved.

Ben Nothnagel, Senior Adviser at Aalto University Executive Education, leads a session on cognitive function, decision-making and performance in a fast-changing industry. “Music Education and its Ecosystem” explores how education and the music ecosystem can better support each other. Inclusion and audience are at the heart of “Accessibility All Areas” — featuring Sami Helle, founding member of Finland’s ESC 2015 representing punk band Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät — and a panel “Beyond the Stage”, exploring concert experience design for young audiences.

AI and marketing topics return in “Too Much Music: AI Is Flooding the Market. Who Survives?” with A&R at Somewhere Soul Josh Mason-Quinn, “Chronically Online: How to Get Likes and Influence People?” featuring the rising star of Finnish pop Ella Mäntynen aka Goldielocks, and “Beyond the Frame: Music Visuals in the Post-Attention Era.”

Markets and touring are explored through sessions ranging from “Planning, Touring and the Markets” to “Residencies — An Opportunity for the Baltic Music Ecosystem!”, featuring case studies from Estonia to Croatia. The Spotlight on Markets series covers Estonian innovation and Baltic–Nordic synergies, alongside market insights spanning from Western Europe and the Caucasus to Latin America and Canada.

Further sessions include the Keychange Pledge Workshop, mentoring sessions, FAAR Music LAB A&R sessions, the DIY Open Mic, booker speed meetings and legal clinic sessions by Sorainen.

TMW 2026 introduces the DIY Panel, inviting the industry to submit pressing topics via an open call. The most compelling proposal will be developed into a curated conference panel on 11 April. Submissions are open until 27 March.

TMW 2026 Conference Topics by Day

Friday, 10 April

• Interview with Paul Clement — Resident Advisor 25
• The Music Ecosystem — A Driver for Cities and Regions to Boom
• Music and AI in 2026 – Entering the Operational Era
• Festivals in a World of Turmoil
• When the Balance Holds Its Breath: The Orchestra in the Age of Fracture
• Democracy After Dark – Putting Night Culture First
• Children of the Diaspora – In Search for an Imagined Homeland
• Keychange, Music and the Future: The Missing Voices
• Creative Survival or Creative Freedom? The Future of Artists
• Loud but True: Promotion Without Selling Your Soul
• Techtrack World Cafe: Where Ideas Get Stuck
• Teosto presents: Small Markets, Big Opportunities: Generating Royalties Beyond Borders
• Workshop: GreenBeat Nexus: Needs for the Green Transition of the Music Sector
• Workshop: Getting Your Music Into Games – Practical Entry Points
• How to Showcase: Make the Most of Your Time at TMW
• Juke Box Jury: TMW 2026 artists
• Sync Meets Pop-Culture Meets Sync
• The New Media Order: Vibe-checks & Lore-core:
• FAAR Music Artist LAB: Getting Your Music on Playlists & Radio
• Canadian Industry Connect
• Speed Meetings: Meet the Bookers
• Legal Clinic by Sorainen
  

Saturday, 11 April

• Interview with Magne Furuholmen of a-ha
• Interview with Martin Goldschmidt, Co-founder of Cooking Vinyl
• Leadership session by Ben Nothnagel, Senior Adviser at Aalto University Executive Education
• Regional Beat: Connected Markets, Shared Synergies — Baltic–Nordic Industry
• Spotlight Markets: Insights from France, Armenia and Georgia
• Spotlight Markets. Navigating Latin American and Canadian Markets
• Estonian Companies in Spotlight
• The Role of an Artist Agent: Planning, Touring and the Markets
• Residencies: Case Studies from the Baltic Music Ecosystem and Beyond
• Chronically Online: How to Get Likes and Influence People?
• Beyond the Frame: Music Visuals in the Post-Attention Era
• Beyond the Stage: Designing Concert Experiences with Young Audiences
• Music Education and its Ecosystem: A Collective Deep Dive
• Accessibility All Areas Rethinking Inclusion in Practice
• Everything is Political
• Too Much Music. AI Is Flooding the Market. Who Survives?
• Keychange: From Pledge to Practice: Transforming Commitment into Structural Change 
• FAAR Music Artist LAB
• FAAR Music LAB A&R Sessions
• Mentoring Sessions
• Speed Meetings: Meet the Bookers
• Legal Clinic by Sorainen
• DIY: Open Mic!
  

The full conference programme and schedule will be announced next week.

The TMW conference brings together artists, industry professionals, entrepreneurs and policymakers for two days of discussion, collaboration and networking at the intersection of music, technology, culture and society.

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

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 €79 (end price €95).