Recommendations of the Editorial team
The 40th birthday of Eurosonic/Noorderslag, or ESNS for short, represents a real success story. From a regional Dutch-Belgian industry meeting to a Europe-wide multi-talent festival. Five questions for festival director Anna van Nunen.
What were the most important steps on this path for you?
Looking back, I would say: think big, act small! Although I have only been responsible for two years, ESNS has grown from the very beginning as a clearly structured platform in which conferences, festivals, talent promotion and international exchange are consciously interlinked.
This couldn’t happen overnight. Like Rome, ESNS was built step by step. Every year new elements were added, refined and integrated – always with the same goal: to create the best possible launching pad for European talent.
A crucial component is the “Exchange Program”, which we have been running for over 20 years. Its strength lies in its simplicity and concrete impact: acts playing at ESNS can be booked by festivals across Europe – supported by a financial incentive that reduces the risk for bookers. This has led to thousands of performances and real touring opportunities over the years. That’s exactly what ESNS is about: sustainable careers instead of short hype moments.
In 2026 you are consciously not relying on looking back and retro. What topics and problems are at the top of the agenda for the next few years?
A mega topic is the influence of AI on revenue models and authorship. The speed and scale of this development raises serious questions about fair pay and sustainability.
At the same time, smaller clubs, initiatives and the European festival segment are increasingly coming under financial pressure – yet they are essential for artistic development. And the opportunities for European artists are still very unevenly distributed, depending on the region and access to networks.
But for me, what stands above all is the desire for a real European music market. Economically and culturally, we need more cooperation and coordination if Europe wants to remain independent and relevant. This is exactly where ESNS would like to continue to play a unifying role.
What is more relevant right now: AI in pop studio production or the upheavals in live music?
You shouldn’t play these off against each other – the two are closely related. In the end, it’s always about the income models of artists, especially newcomers. With AI, we see tens of thousands of AI-generated tracks landing on streaming platforms every day. This particularly affects the lower levels of the system.
Something similar is happening in the live sector: there are more stadium and large-scale shows than ever before, while the space for up-and-coming acts is shrinking. The market is growing at the top and becoming more fragile in the middle and at the bottom.
If we want a healthy ecosystem, we must continue to fight for talent to grow. Pop music has its own value and tells important stories – and this requires the entire breadth of the system, including the protection and support of young artists.
What does it mean to you that the Dutch Queen Máxima is coming to Groningen for a rock’n’roll visit? Apart from more security measures…
To be honest: I’m personally a little bit “queening out”. Almost queen-flashed.
Of course, this entails extra logistics and security costs. But it is a great pleasure to be able to welcome Queen Máxima here in Groningen. She is very popular and has long been committed to music education and cultural participation. Your visit is a strong sign of appreciation for the value of music – and makes all the extra effort totally worth it.
How important are the German market and the German music scene – represented by the “Initiative Music” – for ESNS?
We have been working very closely and trustingly with the “Initiative Music” funding platform for many years. They play a central role in supporting German artists internationally: They prepare acts specifically for ESNS, recommend talent and help to create sustainable perspectives beyond the festival. This is extremely valuable.
Germany has consistently presented outstanding artists at ESNS over the years – from Zimmer90 last year to Ray Lozano this year, plus a total of 12 other German acts in the 2026 program. The German music industry has a strong infrastructure, with important centers such as Hamburg and Berlin. This basis is at least as important as what happens on stage.