News

Opening speech of Tallinn Music Week conference by the Director of Music Estonia Ave Sophia Tölpt

President, colleagues, and friends,

Firstly, Music Estonia is truly proud of the continuing and growing partnership with the Tallinn Music Week conference. By representing music companies, we collaborate to bring the most time-valuable topics on board, from practical market entry insights to cross-sectoral collaborations, and addressing the challenges facing our planet.

Each year, Tallinn Music Week conference captures the essence of our industry, reflecting the current zeitgeist. Despite the very difficult continuing situation in the world, it’s remarkable how many anniversaries we can celebrate this year together, including the 10th year of our export office. Over the past decade, numerous powerful international networks have flourished, paving the way for a more structured and supportive international music scene — fostering inclusivity, nurturing future leaders, promoting exchange, and much more. I strongly believe it’s a moment for us to add new layers to the strong foundation we have already established and continue building upon it with all the creativity in the sector. We all know the complexity and beauty of this effort, but the way forward is waiting.

Among the many celebrating networks, Music Estonia is proud to welcome EMEE, the European Music Exporters Exchange, to Tallinn. We concluded the annual forum just yesterday with a focus on environmentally and socially sustainable music export. This topic is also featured in today’s conference program, where we will present possible guidelines. It’s inevitable for us to be globally aware in every sense, planning our activities thoughtfully, with care for our planet and the diversity around us. This year, the conference also features more market insights than ever showcasing our global interconnectivity. And as I mentioned yesterday, already from the beginning of the week Tallinn has been busier than ever, buzzing with activities awaiting presentation at Tallinn Music Week, such as the first European music sync camp, new forceful leadership ideas, venue exchanges, and much more. The moment is there for us.

Last but not least, I find it important to highlight the collaboration with the Estonian Business and Innovation Agency, with whom we have closely worked to create more opportunities for our industry within this amazing conference. Valuing culture also as a business is a key mindset for further development. 

Thank you to my team who has put a lot of effort into this. Thank you, Helen, and Tallinn Music Week’s team – it’s impressive work that you have pulled together for all of us!