AS TOLD BY: critical talks about the music industry

The music industry is a fascinating place. She fizzes, she sparkles, she falls and gets up at least as quickly. There is tons of creativity, entrepreneurial spirit and fun. But we can also do things better. In AS TOLD BY we discuss how.

In this series of roundtable discussions, we take a closer look at a number of social issues that play a role in the sector. A dynamic music sector calls for new challenges. It's equally important to discover them.

Esther Nwanu steers every conversation in the right direction and sits around the table with some interesting key figures.

Come listen and join the conversation in our Trix Café.
Admission is completely free. Doors open at 19:30, the conversation always starts at 8 p.m. sharp.

Please note that these conversations will be in Dutch!

S01E01 — Erasure in hip hop. Gatekeeping and cultural appropriation

Despite its rich global history and multitudes of sub-genres, hip-hop's origins are often lost in new movements. Especially when it is predominantly white hip-hop that gets airplay. Where lies the problem?

Guests
- Gailor Kiaku (Jeunes Boss: artistic development, production, management, publishing, radio & events; radio host at Bruzz)
- Selene Alexa (PR agent en A&R, o.a. Reinel Bakole en Blck Mamba)
- Sacha Van Der Speeten (music journalist at De Morgen, among others)
- Darrell Cole (artist)

Listen to the conversation here

S01E02 — Who runs the world? Not teen girls. The cultural impact of teenage girls.

They are often condescendingly referred to as hysterical fangirls, but teenage girls hold a lot of cultural capital in their hungry hearts. For decades they have been the tastemakers who define playlists and lineups, fill the pockets of record executives and launched the careers of the Beatles, Harry Styles and Taylor Swift, among others. Why is their impact still not recognized?

This talk is inspired by Vox's 2021 article of the same name.

GUESTS
- Manu Lammens (music coordinator MNM)
- Annebeth Bels (PhD, researcher Antwerp Management School)
- Kimberley Haesendonck (International Project Manager Sony Music)
- Katrin Swartenbroux (journalist De Morgen)

S01E03 — (Not) Saved By The Norm.For whom is the music sector (not) a safe place?

The term 'safe space' has been floating around regularly since the industry reopened. But how far are we with our safe(r) places, both in concert halls and at festivals? How do we ensure that the fight against discrimination and micro-aggression also finds its place within a safe(r) space policy?

GUESTS

- Eva Destoop & Lise Goossens (co-founders meldet, co-owners queer feminist bar BLOND)
- Pieter D'Hooghe (concertgoer, co-founder Amplify, artistic coordinator Needcompany)
- Khalid El Hatri (local resident, founder Young Fenix, teacher social work KdG)
- Fayrouz Gazdallah (concertgoer)