Now that everyone is back from vacation, we would like to do a quick wrap up of everything that has happened so far this year. 

We started the year off as a brand new organization filled with new opportunities and lots of ambition. We moved into new offices, built our team, bought furniture, painted and worked on our new image. On 23rd of April, when we had settled in, our grand opening took place at our headquarters showcasing the new offices, logo and overall brand. 

On top of launching the new expansive Iceland Music office we’ve been getting our hands dirty in all sorts of projects.

Eurosonic

At the beginning of the year in January Leifur went on behalf of Iceland Music to the annual showcase festival Eurosonic where Árny Margrét, Vévaki, gugusar and LÓN performed.

‍Nordic Film Music Days

February brought Signý Leifsdóttir to Berlin for the Nordic Film Music Days and HARPA awards which  the Icelandic Composer, Eðvarð Egilsson won this year.

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SXSW - Iceland Airwaves artist showcase

Iceland music worked with Business Iceland and Iceland Airwaves to put on an Icelandic showcase at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas in March. The event took place at the Driskill Hotel and featured Myrkvi, JFDR, Axel Flóvent and Árny Margrét. 

Prior to the show, Record in Iceland hosted a happy hour. The entire event was packed from the happy hour through the end of the showcase. Leifur was also involved with the Nordic Music Biz Mixer in collaboration with the other Nordic music offices where networking was the key word. 

Jazzahead

In April, Sigtryggur attended Jazzahead with a delegation of Icelandic jazz projects, all eager to engage in Europe's largest jazz gathering. They participated in panels, meetings, and day and nighttime showcases.

From Jazzahead grew a lasting connection between Iceland Music and other associations in Europe leading to exciting project developments that are on the horizon.

Later in April Sigtryggur also met with the team at Universal Music in New York and their sublabels such as Verve, Tommy Boy and Island Records, as well as the studio team at 18th street studios, about the Record in Iceland program. 

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Tallinn Music Week

Our director María Rut Reynisdóttir was invited by Music Estonia to participate in Tallinn Music Week, where she spoke on a panel alongside Colm O’Herlihy from INNI, discussing the Icelandic music market.

Classical:NEXT

In May, we found ourselves busier than ever. Signý represented Iceland Music at Classical:NEXT, collaborating with leading Nordic music organisations. 

Four Icelandic delegates attended and successfully established valuable networking connections. We showcased Icelandic music projects, participated in engaging panels, and coordinated with the embassy. The trip was highly beneficial, boosting Icelandic music and fostering valuable new collaborations.

Nashville trade mission

María Rut joined other Nordic export offices in a trade mission to Nashville. She was joined by Colm O’herlihy, from INNI, and Soffía Kristín Jónsdóttir, from Iceland Sync, both independent music companies based in Reykjavík. The program consisted of deep talks with industry professionals from various companies and organizations, company visits to Warner Chappel, Round Hill Music, Concord and Third Man Records, attending the conference program at Nashville Music Biz and individual networking.

‍Soffía was accompanied by our local pop queen Bríet, who spent her time in Nashville working on new music with local musicians, including our very own Thorleifur Gaukur Davidsson, and doing a little showcase in a ultra cool space in East Nashville called The Coliseum. A great few days in Nashville!

‍Nordic Folk Alliance

Sigtryggur attended Nordic Folk Alliance in Roskilde where the folk band Árstíðir represented Iceland. but they weren't the only Icelanders at the festival. Svavar Knútur, Marína Ósk and Martin Sörensen made an appearance and even performed at the festival. 

Read more about Nordic Folk Alliance 2024 here>>

Iceland Music in the UK‍

Leifur was in the UK in triple fashion, first in support of the showcase set up by Icelandic Label Alda Music for three of their artists, namely Hylur, Kári Egilsson and Superserious. The showcase took place prior to the Great Escape festival in Brighton where he co-produced a networking brunch with the Swedish and Finnish music exports but also helped getting Kári and Superserious a slot at the festival, alongside Sunna Margrét who was already booked to play.

Taste of Iceland Denver

Taste of Iceland Denver featured singer-songwriters Arny Margret and Axel Flóvent, and they played for an appreciative audience at the legendary Globe Hall venue in the Globeville neighbourhood with Dj Hermigervill spinning Icelandic sounds in between. Sigtryggur was there and met with management companies, labels and booking agencies to promote the Record in Iceland program.

EMEE

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EMEE turned its attention to Iceland and brought a group of 14 export professionals to Reykjavík. This visit marked a significant step in fostering collaborative opportunities between Iceland and other European countries. 

The delegation's visit came on the heels of EMEE's recently published Market Report on Iceland.

‍Read more about EMEE’s visit here>>

As all of this wasn’t enough, we’ve also been busy strategizing and planning the new national Music Fund, which our office now oversees on behalf of the Ministry of Culture and Trade. We’ve done two allocations this year, the first one in January and the second one in July, allocating a total of 170 million ISK to 188 projects in music. Additionally we hand out bi-monthly travel grants to musicians and industry professionals touring and travelling abroad.

We look forward to an exciting fall ahead with so many projects like our biggest showcase music festival, Iceland Airwaves that is set to take place in November.