Following a successful bid to the European Union’s Creative Europe programme, the European Music Managers Alliance (EMMA) has launched EMMpower, a three-year programme to provide support and capacity building to thousands of music management businesses throughout Europe.
With music managers playing an increasingly crucial role in the career development of artists, songwriters and other music creators, EMMpower will work to understand the needs and challenges facing management businesses and to promote further growth and exports across Europe’s €81.9bn commercial music sector.
The newly formed Danish music managers association Danske Artist Managers (DAM) has joined the pan-European alliance of music managers, which includes representative bodies for music managers in Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the UK.
Delivered via EMMA’s network, EMMpower will operate across multiple strands, providing new market research, alongside mentoring, networking, professional development and advanced training opportunities.
To encourage participation, the project will also incorporate a diversity taskforce and host focus groups on specialist genres.
The EMMpower programme will start with a dedicated series of Market Spotlights, focused on key European and international music markets. Led by local experts, these free monthly online presentations will provide comprehensive information about the business structures of each individual territory.
The first Market Spotlight will focus on Germany, followed by a dedicated session on the UK in April.
I believe this is a landmark opportunity for every type of music entrepreneur
Per Kviman
EMMA has also today opened applications for mentees interested in joining the EMMpower Mentorship Programme. Running from April 2023 to December 2023, the programme will connect early-stage managers around Europe with more experienced peers for periods of tailored online consultancy. Participants will also benefit from monthly online educational workshops.
The initiative builds on EMMA’s previously successful mentorship programme run in partnership with YouTube Music.
Per Kviman, chair of EMMA, said: “Music managers are the incubators, developers and business-builders of Europe’s creative talent. In a fragmented digital market, where most artists and songwriters operate as self-contained businesses, the role of the manager has never been so important, or so all-encompassing.
“Through rigorous research and by providing strategic mentoring and professional development, the EMMpower project is aiming to support music managers throughout Europe and to create new networks and communities. I believe this is a landmark opportunity for every type of music entrepreneur, and on behalf of EMMA would like to thank the team at Creative Europe for the responsibility they have invested in us.”
Tessy Schulz, of Tessy Schultz International Artist Management Music Consultancy and a previous mentor for EMMA, said: “EMMpower will provide music managers across Europe a unique opportunity to increase their knowledge, grow their business and develop new international networks. As a previous participant in EMMA's mentor programme, I know first-hand how valuable these cross-border initiatives can be - allowing more experienced managers to pass on their knowledge, support and know-how to a younger generation, and creating new connections around Europe.”
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