DON'T MIND THE FUTURE / Talks

DON'T MIND THE FUTURE / Talks

Five days, five conversations, five topics. During the Week of Belgian Music, we focused on the future of the Belgian music industry. VI.BE, Het Depot, OLT Rivierenhof and Trix have put together a program to inspire you and bring new insights.

Rewatch all the conversations right here

The themes and interlocutors:

1 / How digital will the music industry be in 2025?

The central theme of 2020 was digitizing projects. Many progressive initiatives emerged from this chaos. Are we leaving these initiatives behind in the corona era? Or are they the start of an evolution in new models for our music industry?

Keynote: Aly Gillani (Label Representative Bandcamp)

Panelists:
Fredo De Smet (Media & Culture Fast Forward)
Ineke Daans (Head of [PIAS] Branded Communications)
Birger De Geyter (Co-founder META, Commercial Director & e-sports Expert)
Hervé Verloes (Director XR Production Poolpio, immersive content studio)

Moderator: Noonah Eze (Dj Black Mamba)

2 / The economic impact of the Corona crisis: how strong will we start the relance?

How big is the economic damage of the Belgian music sector after 2020? How much blood have we really lost and how much income has been lost? Today we take stock. A diverse number of players from the sector demonstrate the impact on their organization in concrete terms.

Keynote: Kurt Melens (Managing Director Trade Fair)

Panelists:
Herman Schueremans (Rock Werchter / Live Nation)
Christian Pierre (Founder Musickness)
Coralie Berael (Venue Manager Forest National)
Toon Martens (Managing Director Sony Music)

Moderator: Mike Naert (Het Depot, Live Sector Consultation, Crisis Cell Culture)

3 / What is the impact of Belgian music culture on society?

What is the effect of Belgian music culture on our society? And above all, what can we learn about this during period without any physical cultural experience? In this conversation, a number of experts within the sector pool their expertise. Because if Belgian music culture does have a positive effect on our community, how do we ensure that it stays that way?

Keynote: Tom Kestens (Artist & Strategy Consultant, Advisor to Minister Vandenbroucke)

Panelists:
Rrita Jashari (UK Programmer)
Frederik Sioen (Coordinator Arts Consultation Ghent)
Flor Houter (Aid worker JAC Flemish Brabant)
Lady Blaxx (Musician)

Moderator: Annelies Moons (Radio 1)

4 / Towards an inclusive live sector

Inclusivity is the new normal, but as a live sector we are falling short. And we urgently need to do something about that. How can we get away from the check box culture, and how can we tackle it more sustainably instead? We invite experts to discuss and help lay the foundation for a "road map". This can provide guidance on the way to an inclusive live sector. VI.BE, Het Depot, Trix and OLT are committed to actively work on this and invite everyone from the live sector to join.

Keynote: Bart Rogé (Director Demos)

New voices: Preview by Koolcast with extra guest DJ Masai (banker, DJ and entrepreneur)

Panelists:
Mehdi Maréchal (Coordinator Darna)
Elisabeth Severino Fernandes (Founder of Mama's Open Mic)
Rachida Lamrabet (sCan & Do Social Performing Arts Fund)
Dieter Sermeus (General Coordinator Trix)

Moderator: Jaouad Alloul

5 / Musical conclusion

To conclude the week, we look back on the previous conversations. We bring out the strongest, most striking quotes and ideas, and look for an appropriate conclusion for this inspiring week.

Interviews with Jan Jambon, Frank Vandenbroucke & Hilde Crevits

Panelists:
Leen Laconte (Director oKo)
Esther Lybeert (Musician)
Jan Van Esbroeck (CEO Sportpaleis Group)
Mike Naert (Het Depot, Live Sector Consultation, Crisis Cell Culture)

Moderator: Jan Pauly (VI.BE)