Icelandic Music Industry

Iceland Sync are pioneers in the field of music publishing in Iceland, while also working in management, bookings, and releasing music.

Wise Music is an international publishing company with a branch in Iceland. It handles the publishing and promotion of its composers’ works and song catalogues, with a particular focus on use in film, television, radio, and advertising.

Crescendo is an Icelandic company that promotes and supports composers and performers of contemporary music through publishing, events, event management, and education.

Flame Productions is an Icelandic marketing company that helps musicians bring their music to audiences at home and abroad.

Overtune is an Icelandic music and technology company that develops music production software. Its goal is to make music creation accessible to everyone, regardless of experience or technical knowledge.

CALMUS is a digital composition system powered by artificial intelligence.

The Intelligent Instruments Lab is an interdisciplinary research lab at the University of Iceland that develops and tests new instruments embedded with creative artificial intelligence.

Mussila is a tech company that offers creative digital learning solutions for children. It was founded in Iceland in 2015 by experts in computer science, music, and pedagogy.

Genki Instruments is a music technology company where engineering, design, and music come together.

Moombix offers a complete solution for online music education.

Heimildin is a news outlet with distributed ownership, basing its operations—and thereby its interests—on a broad group of the general public.

Reykjavík Grapevine is an Icelandic magazine in English, aimed at tourists and English-speaking residents of the country. Founded in May 2003, its mission is to serve as a comprehensive source of information on culture and events in Reykjavík.

Morgunblaðið is an Icelandic daily newspaper published every day of the week except Sundays. In 1997, it became the first media outlet in Iceland to launch an online news site.

X-ið 977 is a radio station owned by Sýn that primarily plays rock music.

FM 957 is an Icelandic radio station owned by Sýn. It is the fourth most popular station in the country and focuses on a youth audience.

Sýn is a leading force in telecommunications and media in Iceland.

Rás 2 is an important part of the nation’s cultural life, covering music, news, current affairs, and events.

Rás 1, or The National Broadcasting Service (sometimes called Gufan or Gamla gufan), is an Icelandic radio station that began broadcasting on 20 December 1930. Like other divisions of RÚV, Rás 1 places Icelandic culture at the forefront.

BYLGJAN is the oldest privately owned radio station in Iceland. Its programming focuses on popular culture for the general Icelandic public.

Vísir, or visir.is, is an Icelandic news website owned by Sýn. It was founded on 1 April 1998. The site features content from various other Sýn media outlets, including its TV channels, Bylgjan, FM957, and X-ið. Vísir also maintains an extensive events calendar.

RÚV is collectively owned by the Icelandic people and delivers news, knowledge, culture, and the arts through television, radio, and online media.

Glitský er umboðsskrifstofa fyrir framúrskarandi tónlistarfólk með alþjóðlegan metnað.Meðal skjólstæðinga má nefna Elínu Hall og Magnús Jóhann.

Vagninn is a restaurant, bar, and event venue in Flateyri. In recent years, it has hosted an ambitious summer programme featuring a wide range of musicians. Vagninn places particular emphasis on bringing culture to rural communities.

The cultural centre Hof opened in 2010. It offers excellent facilities for a wide variety of events and is home to the North Iceland Symphony Orchestra. The main hall, Hamraborg, features a 280-square-metre stage with an orchestra pit and can be adapted to the needs of each event.

Bæjarbíó was founded in 1945 and is the oldest operating cinema in Iceland. Today, it serves as a cultural centre for Hafnarfjörður, enlivening the town centre with concerts and a wide variety of events.

Græni Hatturinn is one of Iceland’s best-known concert venues, boasting a diverse and ambitious programme throughout the year. It is located in the basement of one of the most historic buildings in downtown Akureyri.

Bird is a newly opened concert venue in Reykjavík. Since opening its doors in June 2024, it has hosted around 150 music events featuring 140 bands. Bird is equipped with a spacious stage and a high-quality sound system.

LEMMY is a restaurant and concert venue located in the heart of Reykjavík. Since its opening in October 2021, LEMMY has carved out a distinctive place in the Icelandic live music scene, focusing on booking emerging artists and hosting concerts every Thursday since its launch.

Austurbæjarbíó is one of Reykjavík’s best-known cultural venues. It was inaugurated as a cinema in 1947 and has since served many roles, including as a cinema, concert hall, theatre, and more. Recently revitalised as a concert venue, Austurbæjarbíó now features three halls accommodating up to 1,000 guests.

Over the years, the hall has gone by many names, and many remember it as the concert and entertainment venue Nasa, where countless concerts have taken place.

Dillon offers a diverse music programme featuring both Icelandic and international artists, making it a hub for live music in the city.

Prikið was founded in 1951 and is one of Reykjavík’s oldest cafés. In recent decades, it has evolved from a traditional café into a popular bar and gathering place. Prikið hosts a wide variety of events and concerts, and many of the country’s most popular musicians took their first steps on its small but “big” stage.

Salurinn is the first purpose-built concert hall in Iceland, opened in 1999. Since then, it has hosted on average two concerts per week.

IÐNÓ is a historic cultural house by Reykjavík Pond that has been a major part of the city’s cultural life since it was built in 1896. Over the years, it has served many purposes but has remained a hub for arts and culture, and today it is a popular concert venue.

Harpa is the concert hall of the Icelandic people, a home and refuge for all musical genres. It offers first-class facilities for performance and places emphasis on professional excellence and diversity, ensuring that the music presented in the hall reflects a living cross-section of Icelandic musical life

Hannesarholt is a cultural institution and concert venue in the heart of Reykjavík, serving the whole community by giving equal prominence to both “high” art and popular art.

Mengi is an artist-run space in Reykjavík. It hosts art events of all kinds and has released music by many of Iceland’s leading musicians.

Gamla Bíó is a historic building in Reykjavík that once served as a cinema and opera house, but today functions as an event venue hosting concerts, conferences, weddings, and more.

Vetur er tónlistarfyrirtæki sem býður upp á fjölþætta þjónustu, þar á meðal dreifingu og bókanir.

A record company, publisher and a creative house specialising in film scores

An arts collective, record label, and events company championing female and queer voices.

OPIA Community is an arts collective founded by Ólafur Arnalds, operating both as a record label and an events company.

A record label run by Prikið, the social hub of the Icelandic hip hop scene.

An experimental record label that has established a strong international presence with forward-looking releases in contemporary, electronic, and experimental music.

A forward-thinking record label specialising in electronic music.

Alda Music holds the rights to a large share of Icelandic music and is the country’s largest record label. In 2022, it was acquired by Universal Music Group (UMG).

A record label run by Ægir Sindri Bjarnason, who also operates the concert venue R6013. Why Not has released a large part of the Icelandic grassroots scene.

A record store and label specialising in releases by Icelandic jazz musicians.

The oldest active record label in Iceland. Founded by The Sugarcubes in 1986, it releases a diverse range of music.

The Iceland University of the Arts is a university for all art forms. It is unique on an international scale in that its course offerings are highly diverse, while the number of students is relatively small in proportion to the range of programmes. As the only university in the field of arts in Iceland, it carries a broad responsibility towards the nation.

MÍT is an upper secondary school of music that began operating in 2017. It offers programmes in both rhythmic music (jazz, pop, and rock) and classical music.

Ung Nordisk Musik (UNM) is an annual festival showcasing the youngest generation of Nordic composers and sound artists. The festival is hosted in turn by each of the Nordic countries.

The Association of Music School Teachers and Directors (FT) was founded on 21 November 1982 and is today one of seven member associations of the Icelandic Teachers’ Union (KÍ). It has around 500 members working in about 80 music schools across the country.

The Association of Icelandic Concert Promoters (BÍT) is an interest group for companies and individuals working in live music promotion in Iceland. The association was formally founded in September 2020 in response to major changes in the concert market following the COVID-19 pandemic.

STS was founded in 1969 as a joint platform for professional issues concerning music schools. The association has represented the schools both in Iceland and abroad and has worked with educational authorities on the development and shaping of music education in the country.

The purpose of the association is to strengthen music education in the country’s primary schools and to encourage musical practice among children and young people.

SÍL is the association of wind bands in Iceland, serving as a forum for consultation and promoting increased communication and cooperation between wind bands in the country.

FÍK, the Association of Icelandic Choir Conductors, is a professional organisation with the aim of fostering communication, cooperation, and continuing education for choir conductors, as well as strengthening international relations.

The aim of the association is to strengthen the activities and cooperation of women’s choirs, to foster relations with women’s choirs abroad, and to collect and share information about the activities and history of Icelandic women’s choirs.

The Association of Mixed Choirs in Iceland

The Association of Men’s Choirs in Iceland

SÍTÓN is an interest group for publishers and authors of published Icelandic music books, such as sheet music, teaching materials, and scholarly writings on music.

The role of KÍTÓN is to safeguard the interests, rights, visibility, and opportunities of women, non-binary, and trans people in the Icelandic music scene, while also fostering solidarity, empowerment, and connections among them within music in Iceland.

FHF is an interest organisation for record labels in Iceland. Its purpose is to advocate for the interests of its member companies, safeguard their rights, and improve their conditions, both in terms of market access and strengthened rights.

FÍT was founded in 1940 as a professional association of Icelandic musicians, soloists, singers, and conductors. The association is now operated as a division within the Icelandic Musicians’ Union (FÍH).

FÍH is the trade union of performers in Iceland. Since its founding in 1932, it has represented professional musicians and music teachers and safeguarded their interests.

The Society of Composers and Lyricists (FTT) is a professional association of composers and lyricists, formally founded in 1983. FTT works to protect copyright, promote the performance and dissemination of its members’ works, and foster solidarity among authors.

Samtónn is an umbrella organisation of music associations. Its purpose is to work for common interests and strengthen the position of authors, performers, producers, and other music rights holders. Samtónn represents Icelandic music rights holders collectively.

SFH is a collecting society for music performers and record producers. Its purpose is to safeguard the right of performers and publishers to remuneration for the use of sound recordings in public performance.

STEF is a copyright society. Its role is to protect and strengthen copyright in the field of music. On behalf of rights holders, STEF collects fees for the public performance of music.

The Icelandic Composers’ Society is a professional association of composers and sound artists, working to foster creation, protect copyright, and increase the visibility of Icelandic music. It also organises the music festivals Dark Music Days and Nordic Music Days.

Reykjavík Orchestra is a world-class Icelandic ensemble based in Harpa. The orchestra specialises in film recordings and has access to three purpose-built halls within Harpa.

SinfoniaNord is a symphonic orchestra in Akureyri specialising in recordings for film, television, and video games. Founded in 2014, the project brings together outstanding musicians, strong industry networks, and state-of-the-art facilities.

The North Iceland Symphony Orchestra is a project-based orchestra based in Akureyri. Founded in 1993, it has established a strong position with a focus on both classical repertoire and the premiere of new Icelandic symphonic works.

The Iceland Symphony Orchestra was founded in the spring of 1950 and has for decades ranked among the leading orchestras in the Nordic countries. The orchestra has received outstanding reviews for its recordings as well as for its concerts at home and abroad.

Elja is a chamber ensemble of young Icelandic musicians, focusing on energetic and vibrant performances with a close connection to the audience.

Barokkbandið Brák is an Icelandic ensemble specialising in historically informed performance of baroque music and has established itself as one of the leading performers of this repertoire in Iceland.

Kammeróperan is a young music company working to make opera more accessible and informal for a wider audience in Iceland.

Nordic Affect is an Icelandic chamber ensemble that combines period instruments, contemporary music, and an experimental approach to performance. Founded in 2005, the group has carved out a unique position by connecting music from the 17th and 18th centuries with new works and cross-disciplinary artistic collaborations.

Cauda Collective is a chamber ensemble exploring new approaches to musical performance. The group works across disciplines, combining performance and composition while interpreting music in dialogue with the present.

The chamber choir Schola Cantorum has for over two decades been among the country’s leading choirs under the direction of Hörður Áskelsson. The choir places special emphasis on music from the 20th and 21st centuries and has premiered numerous works by Icelandic and international composers.

Cantoque Ensemble is a professional vocal group of 8–12 of the country’s leading singers in the fields of opera, early music, and contemporary music.

The Reykjavík Chamber Orchestra is one of the oldest active chamber ensembles in Iceland and has been an integral part of the country’s musical life since its founding in 1974.

Caput Ensemble is a dynamic music group that has been at the forefront of contemporary music in Iceland since its founding in 1987. The ensemble places special emphasis on new Icelandic and Nordic music but has also performed and premiered works by composers from all over the world.

Seigla is a chamber music festival in Harpa that offers a variety of events where the traditional form of tonality is broken up. The festival takes place annually on the second weekend of August.

WindWorks in the North is the only tmusic festival in Europe dedicated solely to wind instruments

Aldrei fór ég suður takes place in Ísafjörður every Easter weekend.

The aim of the festival is to highlight the compositions of early women composers and the creative work of women.

Eyrarrokk aims to enrich the cultural life of Akureyri with concerts featuring bands whose musical styles are otherwise rarely heard in the area.

Reykjadoom is a Doom Metal festival held annually in Reykjavík

Berjadagar is an annual music festival that has established itself as one of the cornerstones of cultural life in North Iceland.

The Hammond Festival in Djúpavogur is a four-day music festival that aims to showcase Icelandic musicians performing their own music while at the same time honouring the Hammond organ.

BIG BANG is a European music festival for young audiences, offering a diverse and ambitious programme of concerts, installations, and music-related workshops led by professional musicians.

ErkiTíð is an annual festival in Reykjavík that brings together music, technology, and innovation in an unconventional and experimental way.

HÁTÍÐNI is an annual platform and sanctuary for the vibrant grassroots activities of young people in Iceland.

The Reykjavík Early Music Festival is an annual international baroque festival held in Harpa. The festival focuses on historically informed performance of baroque music and brings together Icelandic and international musicians in a diverse and ambitious programme.

Andkristnihátíð is a heavy metal festival held in Reykjavík in December.

Reykjavík Deathfest is an annual metal festival held in the heart of the city. The festival brings together Icelandic and international bands and attracts extreme metal fans from all over.

The Summer Concerts in Skálholt have been running since 1975, presenting concerts in Skálholt Church for 5–6 weeks each summer.

Innipúkinn is an annual music festival in Reykjavík held during the first weekend of August, usually in and around the city centre.