Building Collaboration in Arctic Music / Luleå 1-2 April 2022
Producers Network invites all Northern Swedish, Finnish and Norwegian music industry professionals and upcoming young producers to join forces with building better collaboration in the Arctic Europe.
During the two-day seminar programme, we explore new potential in themes of digitalization, internationalization and fresh European opportunities under the brand of Arctic Pulse. Meet your colleagues from the Northern parts of Scandinavia and spice up your work with inspiration and new tools!
Seminar Schedule
DAY 1: Friday 1 April
12.00 Lunch Service at the Clarion Hotel Sense
13.00 Welcoming Words of the Arctic Pulse Producers Network
13.15 Rubbing Elbows: Facilitated Arctic Pulse mingling among the seminar guests
14.00 Break
14.15 Asta Salomaa & Heikki Myllylahti (Oulu2026):
New Prospects with Arctic Culture Capitals
How can the European Capital of Culture programme boost the Northern music industry?
Cultural Climate Change starts from the North! Oulu, together with 32 municipalities from the Northern Finland, hosts European Capital of Culture title in 2026. The Oulu2026 cultural programme includes hundreds of cultural events and projects with strong European artistic content. In this presentation, Oulu2026 Producers Asta Salomaa and Heikki Myllylahti intorduce you to various ways of co-operation and participation in the Oulu2026's cultural programme.
Asta Salomaa is an Oulu-based cultural producer with a background in music and performing arts. In Oulu2026, Salomaa coordinates mostly projects which combine nature and local culture together with arts. Salomaa also hosts and curates weekly Oulu-themed music section at Radio Helsinki.
Heikki Myllylahti is a cultural producer and cultural anthropologist, specializing in urban culture, culture of work and youth culture. In Oulu2026, Myllylahti coordinates youth projects and the theme line of creative villages. Myllylahti is also working as a part time executive director of the non-profit Oulu Urban Culture.
15.00 Coffee Break
15.30 Laura Olin (Zoan) & Liina Rislakki (Fullsteam Agency):
Digital Thrills in Music – What Possibilities Do They Offer for Arctic Music?
Virtual concerts were not just a pandemic experiment but a beginning of a new era. Digital platforms and the metaverse offer interesting opportunities for music and other creative industries.
Liina Rislakki (Fullsteam Agency) and Laura Olin (ZOAN) worked together already in 2020 with a record-breaking Ikuinen vappu (The Eternal First of May) virtual concert of the successful Finnish rap duo JVG. In 2021, the same team got together to produce the An Evening with Nightwish in a Virtual World concerts. Attracting audience from 108 countries, fans got to join live in the fantasy world of Nightwish, one of the most successful Finnish metal bands of all time. In this Producers Network session, we will hear about the art and craft of virtual concert production, as well as future possibilities for music industry professionals in the Arctic Europe.
Liina Rislakki is a long-standing professional in the music industry who has a strong background with record labels. Previous years she has been working at Fullsteam Agency, one of the leading music agencies in Finland. During her career, Rislakki has worked with hundreds of artists and has experienced the digital transformation and learned different opportunities it brings.
Laura Olin is the chief operating officer at the Finnish virtual studio ZOAN which has produced some of the most pioneering XR work, such as virtual concerts and art pieces. Olin’s background is in marketing and journalism.
17.00 Check in at the Clarion Hotel Sense
18.00 Dinner Service at the Clarion Hotel Sense
DAY 2: Saturday 2 April
9.00 Start of the Arctic Pulse Producers Network
9.10 Minna Huuskonen (Music Finland):
How to Get Your Arctic Pulse Up and Rising?
Arctic pulse is beating and spreading wide, yet there is still more to gain. The Arctic is a perfect ground for Nordic collaboration, and the local assets are strong for even more international game. The Producers Network’s inspirational speech is to show the potential and power of the Arctic music industry, and to feed the need to take the pulse to higher rates. Instead of thinking globally, acting locally – think locally, act wherever you want!
Minna Huuskonen works at Music Finland, a national organization helping Finnish music professionals build international success stories. She is an export manager for folk, world and art music, and responsible for projects in Finland and abroad, which promote Finnish music and help strengthen the networks internationally.
Huuskonen is also mentoring artists and other music industry professionals. She has been speaking at conferences and training programs in several countries, such as Estonia, Czech Republic, Norway, Poland, Spain and South Korea. With over 25 years of experience, Huuskonen is accomplished in working with artists, organizing festivals, producing concerts, and conducting international projects.
10.30 Break
10.45 New Starts: Brainstorming the Arctic Collaboration, part 1
12.45 Lunch Service at Restaurang Waldorf (Skeppsbrogatan 28)
14.00 New Starts: Brainstorming the Arctic Collaboration, part 2
14.45 Arctic Pulse Producers Network Conclusion
15.00 End of the Day 2
NOTE! The schedule is in Swedish time, UTC +1.
Both seminar days also include elbow rubbing activities, mingling and workshopping. We reserve the right to make minor changes to the seminar programme. The seminar venue is Clarion Hotel Sense (Skeppsbrogatan 34).
Participants of the Producers Network are also invited to the Arctic Pulse Presents event on Saturday night, see more details here.