Summer Festival Guide

Go Green with Rockness 2011

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Understanding the magnitude of the environmental issues that festivals can face RockNess have taken a mammoth stride in securing a ‘greener’ festival in 2011 by offering FREE TRAVEL from all major cities in the UK. From as little £135 (£125 Student ticket) music fans the length and breadth of the country can guarantee they’ll be Loch Ness-bound for next summer’s massive Highland extravaganza without breaking the bank. What’s more, by using coach travel and choosing to ‘GO GREEN’, they’re saving the planet as well as their cash.

For travellers from Glasgow or Edinburgh, that means the event ticket is costing only £105. The further they travel, the more incredible the savings, with the cost of a weekend ticket for London-based RockNess fans costing as little as £75 for a ticket in real terms.

Now the good times keep on rolling with the Early Bird on sale. Speaking about the next phase, Festival Director Jim King said “The response to the launch has simply been incredible. The system crashed and we sold out the 3,000 special ’99’ tickets in a day which exceeded all expectations. To cope with continued demand we have now had to go straight into launching the EARLY BIRD ticket and signs are these too are being snapped up fast. We would urge people to avoid delay in securing their great value Early Bird. For only £135 they can get a 3 day ticket including camping plus FREE COACH TRAVEL from all major cities across the UK. For some lucky people this means the actual ticket is even cheaper than the £99 offer. Oh and students even get a discount!”

Approximately 80% of harmful emissions from festivals come from car travel and whilst it might look good for us to throw up the odd windmill here and there, the positive impact of this is marginal when compared to the improvements we can make by cutting car travel.

To help our customers make the transition from car to coach we’ve come up with this amazing early bird offer and want as many people to ‘GO GREEN’ and travel free from any major city in the UK at our expense.

RockNess will also be fully endorsing car share schemes to help people who have no choice but to come by car reduce their carbon footprint, and there will be car parking offers available nearer to the show.

RESPECT THE ‘NESS AND GO GREEN.

Adding to the excitement is the news that the RockNess Friday and Saturday Main Stage headliners have now been confirmed, with negotiations at an advanced stage for Sunday’s illustrious Main Stage slot.

RockNess 2011 takes place across three days on 10, 11 and 12 June and is shaping up to be one of the most fun weekends of next summer. Attractions expected to return to the banks of iconic Loch Ness include the spectacular Arcadia Afterburner arena, exclusive parties from the likes of Sub Club and Soma Records plus comedy which was headlined in 2010 by Kevin Bridges to a full capacity Clash Arena. BBC Radio 1 and Radio Scotland broadcast the action from site in 2010 along with STV.

Early Bird tickets are on sale now but SELLING FAST.

General offer – £135 weekend camping/non camping plus free coach travel in Scotland and selected UK destinations from Citylink pick up points.
Student offer – £125 weekend camping/non camping plus free coach travel in Scotland and selected UK destinations from Citylink pick up points.

Payment plans over three months are available again as part of the Early Bird offer.

General tickets

Student offer – £145 weekend camping/non camping plus free coach travel in Scotland and selected UK destinations from Citylink pick up points.
General offer – £149 weekend camping/non camping
General offer – £159 weekend camping/non camping weekend camping/non camping plus free coach travel in Scotland and selected UK destinations from Citylink pick up points.

 

Together NYE 10th Anniversary

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On 31st December 2009 4500 clubbers packed out the Academy to the sounds of Simian Mobile Disco, Annie Mac, Chase & Status, Switch and Sub Focus. Twelve months later and the baton is passed to Together who have assembled a bigger and pound-for-pound better lineup to celebrate our 10th Anniversary.

2010 has been a truly magnificent year for Together having welcomed a whole host of world class talent to our events along the way. Our fifteen nights at The Coronet Theatre with the likes of The Bloody Beetroots, Vitalic, Kelis and Yoda were nothing short of spectacular, whilst our arena at South West Four on Clapham Common was unquestionably one of the highlights of the festival! We now turn our attention to the biggest night of the year as Together welcomes the most exhilarating lineup seen in the UK this NYE to the O2 Academy Brixton.

TOGETHER NYE – 1ST FIVE ACTS ANNOUNCED:
MARK RONSON, ANNIE MAC, FAKE BLOOD, HERVÉ & ZINC!!

Internationally recognised as one of the world’s finest DJs, producers, solo artists and band leaders, Together is delighted to welcome Mark Ronson to headline our 10th Anniversary. Having reinvented party-friendly hip hop with his debut album, followed by one of the defining albums of the second half of the Noughties, Grammy and BRIT Award winning artist Ronson returned to our airwaves this summer with the release of his third studio album, ‘Record Collection’. Featuring the likes of Simon Le Bon, Q-Bert and Spank Rock, the album extended Ronson’s esteemed list of collaborators, following in the footsteps of Christina Aguilera, Robbie Williams, Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen, Adele and Daniel Merriweather. Fresh from winning the ‘Best Innovation in Sound’ title at the Q Awards and without doubt one of the most influential, inspirational and electrifying artists of the past decade, we feel Ronson is the man who will make Together’s New Years Eve celebrations go off with a Bang, Bang, Bang!

Having entertained us thoroughly at last year’s NYE at the Academy, the first lady of electronic music Annie Mac returns to Brixton with her melting pot of cutting edge sounds. The last twelve months has been outstanding for Annie as she continue to showcase new talent through her Radio 1 flagship dance show and international ‘Annie Mac Presents’ tours. Now unquestionably one of the biggest names on the dance music scene, we’re very excited to welcome Annie Mac back to the O2 Academy Brixton for yet another NYE showcase, this time for Together.

After his 12 months stint shrouded in mystery, Fake Blood has risen to become one of the most talked-about remixers and producers in dance music. His global crossover hits ‘Mars’, ‘Blood Splashing (Fake Blood Theme)’ and ‘I Think I Like It’ have been three of our favourite tracks from recent years, whilst his remixes for the likes of UNKLE, The Kills, Underworld, Armand Van Helden and Calvin Harris have been nothing short of exceptional. Arriving at the Academy for his Together debut, come and get a touch of blood!

A regular fixture at our events over the past twelve months, we welcome Hervé to Together’s 10th Anniversary. Having played storming sets at Brixton Academy last year New Years Eve as well as the main stage at this year’s South West Four it was only right we asked him back for more of the same. 2010 has proven to be Hervé’s most successful year to date having released two double-disc mixes and his debut album ‘Mega Mega Mega’ alongside Sinden (on which he appears as The Count). His label Cheap Thrills continues to set the pace in the electro scene, whilst his productions alongside Fatboy Slim and DJ Sneak have provided some of this year’s most memorable clubbing moments.

Completing the first wave of acts announced for Together’s NYE spectacular is DJ Zinc. Having already carved a legendary status for producing some of the scene’s biggest anthems such as ‘Super Sharp Shooter’ and ‘138 Trek’, Zinc in 2010 is leading the charge in producing and playing a new form of house, in the loosest sense of the term. Tracks such as ‘Nexx’, ‘Louder’ and the monumental ‘Wile Out’ are examples of his blatant disregard of genre blueprints and the fact that you can never be exactly sure of what’s coming next. Therein lies half the charm, the other comes in his ability to continuously devastate dancefloors the world over. Expect him to bring the house down when Together takes over Brixton Academy this New Years Eve.

GET YOUR EARLY BIRD TICKETS BEFORE THEY SELL OUT!

Since last week’s announcement that Together will be celebrating its 10th Anniversary at the venue of legends, the mighty O2 Academy Brixton, the demand for early bird tickets has been absolutely relentless… and that’s all before we announced a single act! Now that we have made public the first five acts playing Together NYE we expect these to go into overdrive! Don’t forget that these early birds are limited and are priced just £25 + BF, a saving of £15 on the standard ticket price! Don’t snooze any longer if you haven’t got your hands on any; with five more main room acts, another huge headliner and a colossal room 2 lineup this is your chance to be a part of the UK’s biggest dance party this NYE and Lock N Load’s final event of 2010 at an unbeatable price! You cannot miss this!

Open from 9.00pm – 6.00am
Limited Early Bird tickets: £25 + Booking Fee
Fully licensed bar until close
Nearest Tube: Brixton (Victoria Line) / Stockwell (Northern Line)

TICKET OUTLETS:
www.ticketweb.co.uk – 08444 771000
www.ticketmaster.co.uk – 0844 844 0444
www.seetickets.com

 

 

U2, Prince, and Coldplay to headline Glastonbury 2011?

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Eavis, a massive fan of Prince, stated that he it was a “big but welcome shock” that he managed to tie up the deal so quickly.

Tickets for Glastonbury 2011 which takes place in June, sold out in just over four hours.

Some ticket returns will go back on sale in March so keep an eye on the site for when they do.

The Summer Festival Guide will be reporting live from Glastonbury 2011, one festival we are very much looking forward to.

Eurosonic Noorderslag Announce First Confirmed Acts

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This will be the events 25th Birthday and the first artists confirmed to play and help the celebrations go off with a bang are; Ginga (AT), Selah Sue (BE), Balthazar (BE), My Little Cheap Dictaphone (BE), Akaga (BG), Květy (CZ), Vinnie Who (DK), Aides (EE), Villa Nah (FI), Ben L’Oncle Soul (FR), La Brasse Banda (DE), E.Z. Basic (HU), Dikta (IS), Malika Ayane (IT), Heathers (IE), Traumkapitän (LU), Cuibul (MD), Kvelertak (NO), Sean Riley & The Slowriders (PT), Anni B Sweet (ES), Britta Persson (SE), Junip (feat. José González) (SE), Filewile (CH), Oy (CH) and Islet (UK)

Eurosonic festival presents a broad variety of the best European talent throughout the city of Groningen and is an important platform for new European talent. With the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), Yourope and Network Europe giving additional exposure to the performing artists, Eurosonic Noorderslag plays a vital role in the development and circulation of talent in Europe and beyond. Instrumental in this circulation is our own ETEP (European Talent Exchange Program). Since the start of the ETEP program in 2003 a total of 1145 shows by 418 European artists were presented at the 60 ETEP festivals (2003 – 2010) www.etep.nl

Many bands have showcased at Eurosonic Noorderslag and gone on to be successful and established festival acts including; Franz Ferdinand, Kaizers Orchestra, The Soundtrack of Our Lives, Moneybrother, Within Temptation, Wir Sind Helden, Beatsteaks, Disco Ensemble, Infadels, Goose, Gabriel Rios, Seeed, Digitalism, Loney Dear, zZz, Blood Red Shoes, Lykke Li, The Do, Surkin, The Ting Tings, Yelle, Baddies, White Lies, Yuksek, The XX, Sophie Hunger, Charlie Winston and FM Belfast.

“At first we were a bit intimidated by the thought of playing mostly for industry people and we started worrying, but as soon as we started playing we realized that they are of course people too and like to dance and listen to music. The show ended up being incredibly fun with a jumping crowd and wet walls and sweaty dancers. We got offered to play at really nice festivals after this show and that made it even more worthwhile.” FM Belfast, Iceland (IS)

Noorderslag festival has been the main barometer of Dutch pop music for 24 years. On Saturday 15 January, Noorderslag presents the very best Dutch acts in every genre, from hip-hop and urban to pop music, avant-garde, dance, alternative and everything in between.

Taking place in the picturesque university town of Grongingen the Netherlands from 12th – 15th January 2011, Eurosonic Noorderslag is Europe’s premiere live music industry conference and showcase festival. With over 2800 delegates, showcases by 260 artists and a conference with 100 panels, keynote speakers, interviews and meetings, EuroSonic Noorderslag is the key exchange and networking platform for European music, European artists, international music industry professionals and organizations.

Artist Testimonials:
“We got offered a lot of good festival slots and started to sell out our Dutch club shows really quickly after doing it, so I reckon it was worth it. It’s also in a really fucking cool town.” Blood Red Shoes (GB)

“The whole event is in the beautiful town of Groningen and has a great vibe that comes with all early shows in bands careers. It just so happened that after our show, some of the audience became fans and thus asked us to play on some of the festivals and shows that they book and that was very flattering. From that show we were allowed to discover some beautiful areas of Europe over the summer.” Charles Cave, White Lies (GB)

“It’s quite simple: we made a car called De Staat, and Eurosonic Noorderslag was our ticket to the freeway. Sure, we’ve done our share of dirt roads, playing local bars and small festivals. People might have heard of De Staat, but Eurosonic Noorderslag really got the thing moving. After our showcases we started playing clubs, and before we could hear one bird whistle, we were set for the summer. Festivals like Pinkpop, Lowlands, Dour, The Great Escape and Sziget are now gigs we can proudly brag about.” De Staat (NL)

“Eurosonic Noorderslag is an important event for any band who wants to get gigging in mainland Europe. Tonnes of fun and seriously worthwhile.” James Yuill (GB)

“Eurosonic 2010 was our first show outside the UK and honestly one of the very best we’ve ever played. All the venues we visited were great, all the bookings were great, all the organisation was meticulous, and the atmosphere lent by the Dutch punters and camaraderie between the bands was unlike any other festival/conference type event we’ve ever been to.” Jeremy, Everything Everything (GB)

“Due to their gig at Eurosonic Noorderslag, The Megaphonic Thrift signed an European booking deal with top agent Steve Zapp of ITB.” The Megaphonic Thrift (NO)

Register for EuroSonic Noorderslag:
To attend Eurosonic Noorderslag as a conference delegate you need to be registered. Registration rates go up as the event gets closer, so book early and save! To register click here http://www.eurosonic-noorderslag.nl/en/conference/about/register/

Rates & deadlines:
All Early Bird and Medium registration passes are sold out!
Late € 275 register before 17 December
Walk-up € 295 from 17 December onwards

 

Rockness 2011 Early-Bird Tickets

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Heaps of exciting plans are well under way for RockNess 2011 – confirmed today as being staged on 10 – 12 June, 2011 – and organisers are keen to stress that revellers will need to be fast off the mark in securing the fan friendly briefs – once the £99 tickets are gone there will be no re-release at this price.

Speaking about the £99 launch ticket offer, festival boss Jim King commented, “Rock Ness was amazing last year with great performances from a host of acts. We had ridiculously high levels of fun and unbelievably low levels of crime, and we want to reward our most loyal customers with this incredible offer which in terms of value is unbeatable. This is officially the ‘Year of the Ness’ so please book early as it’s going to be a great show.”

This latest feel good news follows the recent praise of the festival’s audience after crime levels were revealed as being at an all time low. Under the SafeNess message, Police, Local Authorities and Emergency Services applauded multiple crime prevention successes which saw over 30,000 fans rock out in a trouble free environment to world class acts including The Strokes, Leftfield, Blondie, Fatboy Slim, Plan B, Ian Brown, Aphex Twin and Pendulum.

A raft of new additions to RockNess, many Scottish exclusives, made it one of the most fun weekends to be had anywhere in 2010. These included the debut of the spectacular Arcadia Afterburner arena, Howard’s End Pub with landlord extraordinaire Howard Marks and side splitting comedy headlined by Glasgow’s Kevin Bridges.

BBC Radio 1 and Radio Scotland broadcast the action from site along with the roving team from STV and a host of fantastic new entertainment was added – including The Big Wheel, allowing fans a bird’s eye view of the most beautiful festival in the world!

The £99 launch tickets go on sale at 9am on Thursday 28 October via WWW.ROCKNESS.CO.UK and are on a first come first served basis.

Upon selling out, Early Bird tickets will be launched at:
General offer – £135 weekend camping/non camping plus free coach travel in Scotland from Citylink pick up points.
Student offer – £125 weekend camping/non camping plus free coach travel in Scotland from Citylink pick up points.

Payment plans over three months will be available again as part of the Early Bird offer.

 

Glastonbury 2011 SOLD OUT

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A frenzy of Glasonbury registrants were online from 9am this morning to snap up around approximately 180,000 tickets for next years event.

The See Tickets website initally failed to cope with the demand frustrating a number of punters trying to get tickets, however that problem sorted itself out and it was a matter of waiting in a queue for up to around 2 hours before getting to the purchase page.

For those that have missed out, keep an eye out in Spring 2011 when returned tickets go back on sale.

The Summer Festival Guide crew will be at Glastonbury 2011 and will be reporting live from the site each day.

Keep an eye on the site as we will keep you posted on the latest lineup news for Glastonbury 2011.

Rockness Report shows Festival Crime at an all time low!

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Assessed by the Local Authority, Police and Emergency Services, the summary highlights the three day festival’s numerous positive achievements generated by rigorous action taken by organisers to keep antisocial behaviour away from rockness.

Over 30,000 music fans attended RockNess across the whole weekend and an increase in Community Policing and the general security operation is credited as making a real and positive effect on the festival ensuing in a drop in crime across key areas. It has also been noted that levels of tent theft at RockNess in comparison to other festivals is regarded to be one of the lowest.

Other notable achievements include a reduction in medical incidents across the site from the previous year as well as a fall in the number of people taken to hospital.

Overall, police say RockNess 2010 saw one of the lowest levels of reported crime with the good natured crowd enjoying a weekend of festival fun and exceptional music from world class acts including The Strokes, Leftfield, Blondie, Ian Brown, Doves, Plan B and Fatboy Slim in a trouble free & friendly environment.

Speaking about the debrief findings, Festival Director Jim King said, “Rockness is about great music and having fun. Ensuring that RockNess remains as one of the UK’s most enjoyable festivals to attend will always be our focus and these results just go to show what an amazing crowd we have. I’d like to thank our security team and Northern Constabulary for the massive effort they make to ensure RockNess does not go down the path of some other shows that suffer antisocial behaviour.”

Plans are already well under way to guarantee the fifth RockNess next summer is extra special, including more active measures to reinforce the SafeNess message, and organisers are advising festival goers to watch the website for updates coming soon.

Glastonbury 2011 Tickets on sale this Sunday

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If you havent yet registered on the Glastonbury website http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/ you need to do so in order to be able to buy tickets this Sunday.

Ticket Information
Tickets for Glastonbury Festival 2011 will go on sale at 9am on Sunday, October 3rd, costing £195 (+ £5 booking fee and P&P).

You will be able to book up to 8 tickets per transaction by paying a £50 deposit per person, either online at www.seetickets.com/g2011 or on the booking line: 0844 412 4635. You will need the registration number and postcode for each person for whom you are booking a ticket.
There will then be no further UK payments taken until the booking site re-opens on April 1st 2011, when you will have a week to pay your balance of £145 per ticket, and to book everything else you might need (tipis, campervan tickets, parking, insurance). To clarify – it will not be possible to pay for a ticket in full in October, when only deposits will be taken.

Please note, the balance payment window for international buyers will be for one week from February 25th to March 3rd 2011.
 
Anyone who decides not to pay their balance in 2011 will be refunded their deposit, minus a £10 administration fee. Those tickets will then be put forward to a re-sale, which is likely to be in April or May 2011.
 
You will need to be registered to buy a ticket. To register to buy a ticket for Glastonbury 2011, click here. To check whether you’re already registered for next year, click here. If your address/name has changed since you registered, you can either register again or choose a different delivery address when you buy.
 
Ticket Prices

Standard Ticket: £195 + £5 booking fee per ticket + £4.95 P&P per booking (a £50 deposit per ticket is payable from October 3rd 2010)

You may wish to purchase the optional TicketPlan Protection for an additional £4.50 per person when paying the balance for your tickets. Should you be unable to attend the Festival, this may enable you to receive a refund for the face value of your Festival tickets. For more information visit  the Cancellation section.

Car Park Ticket: £20 – available Spring 2011
Campervan Ticket: £75  – available Spring 2011

We will announce details of tipis and combined coach and festival tickets along with other transport options in the New Year,

Car Park and Campervan Tickets

Available Spring 2011 

Car Parking and campervan/caravan tickets are £20 and £75 respectively. You will not be able to book Car Park or Campervan Tickets until April when you have paid the balance for at least one of the tickets on your booking.

Only campervans or caravans with fitted sleeping, and washing or cooking facilities will be allowed into the campervan field. Please check the website for more information about which types of vehicles can use these fields.

To add a car park or campervan ticket to an existing booking, telephone 0844 412 4626 or visit Seetickets.com to make the purchase. You will be required to provide your booking reference number confirming that you have already bought Festival tickets. Campervan passes usually sell out well before the Festival, so it’s best to book them when you book your tickets!

Car park tickets, campervan tickets and routing stickers will be sent out with your Festival tickets; unless bought in a later transaction, in which case they will be sent separately and will have a separate booking reference for use on the ticket tracker.

As with your Festival tickets, car parking and campervan tickets are non-transferable, and attempts to re-sell them may result in their cancellation. However, you have the option to cancel campervan ticket purchases, prior to May 6th, by contacting Seetickets on 0844 412 4626.

Bestival 2011 Early Bird Tickets

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EARLY BIRD TICKET PRICES
Adult Weekend Ticket (inc. camping) – £150
Adult Tickets are for anyone aged 16 or over on 08/09/2011. Ticket holders under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a Ticket holding parent or guardian over the age of 21*

Student Weekend Ticket (inc. camping) – £140
For full-time students only. Valid NUS or ISIC ID required at the box office – no other student ID accepted.

Age 13 to 15 Weekend Ticket (inc. camping) – £75
Age 13 to 15 Weekend Tickets are for anyone aged 13 to 15 on 08/09/2011. These ticket holders must be accompanied by a Ticket holding parent or guardian over the age of 21*

Age 12 and Under Weekend Ticket (inc. camping) – FREE (but you must obtain a ticket)**
Age 12 and Under Weekend Tickets are for anyone aged 12 and under on 08/09/2011. These ticket holders must be accompanied by a Ticket holding parent or guardian over the age of 21

Campervan Ticket – £60 (per vehicle)

* One ticket holding parent or guardian can only accompany up to 4 people under the age of 18.
** All Children aged 12 and under will need to a (free) ticket this year. No exceptions.

Early Bird Tickets on sale via www.ticketline.co.uk/bestival-tickets / 0844 888 4410
from 9am tomorrow (Friday 17th September)

NB: Ticket Payment Plan available – pay a quarter of the total ticket cost (plus booking fees & postage) now, with the further three payments spread across the following three consecutive months. 

Eurosonic Noorderslag latest

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Eurosonic Noorderslag is Europe’s premiere live music industry conference and showcase festival for European talent, taking place in the picturesque university town of Groningen the Netherlands from 12th – 15th January 2011. 

For this special 25th edition, Eurosonic Noorderslag is proud to present two keynote speakers from America. The first being Bob Lefsetz, whose provocative industry email newsletter provides an independent, sometimes visionary, take on the state of the music business around the world. And the second, US journalist Fred Goodman who has extensive knowledge of the industry and with his ability to access people “in the know”, he has been dissecting the global music industry woes and exposing in details its colorful characters. Expect an hour full of revelations, provocative views and entertaining anecdotes with one of the music industry’s foremost chroniclers.

The event will also start a day earlier on Wednesday 12th January and will feature the European Border Breakers Awards (open for all delegates) and the European Festival Awards (Festivals and Promoters only). Both events will take place in the evening. The conference starts on Thursday and during the three day program over 100 panels and meetings will address the current developments and state of affairs within the European music industry, focusing on European music, touring, festivals, the (live) music industry and media developments. The conference also features industry meetings by: Yourope, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), European Talent Exchange Program (ETEP), The European Export Office(s) and Network Europe.

Norwegian artist success at Eurosonic:
Norway was chosen as focus country for Eurosonic 2010, with 22 acts performing showcases during the event and as a result more than 80 festival shows and 40 club shows and tours have been offered to the Norwegian artists. Several acts also ended up with agent representation in new territories and received massive press interest and radio airplay. At least 15 agent deals were signed during or after the event. This is especially important, as these deals will generate business for a longer period of time and has given artists a wide variety of valuable exposure, which in turn will increase the interest in Norwegian music in the European market. 

One example of an act that obtained great results from Eurosonic 2010 is The Megaphonic Thrift. They were offered 8 festival shows and signed a deal with an agent for Europe, which in turn resulted in 35 shows. They also got UK radio airplay after the Eurosonic gig. Another example is the jazz-metal band Shining, who received 15 festival offers and two tours, in addition to massive mainstream press coverage and increased record sales in the Benelux territory. 

This proves that Eurosonic has become a very important arena for Norwegian bands in alternative genres. 

“Eurosonic is by far the most important European festival for people in the live music industry”  says Vegard Strømsodd of Amber Booking, who represented the five acts Shining, Audrey Horne, Rockettothesky, The Low Frequency In Stereo and Major Parkinson at Eurosonic 2010. 

Artists that performed at Eurosonic 2010 were; Audrey Horne, Mari Boine, Diskjokke, Donkeyboy, Harrys Gym, I Was a King, Jarle Bernhoft, Kaizers Orchestra, Kvelertak, Major Parkinson, Marit Larsen, The Megaphonic Thrift, Monolithic, Noora Noor, Pony the Pirate, Rockettothesky, Serena Maneesh, Shining, Sivert Høyem, The Low Frequency In Stereo, Ungdomskulen, Wardruna. 

For more info visit the Music Export Norway site http://www.musicexportnorway.no/norway-invaded-groningen.4666192-149133.html

Updated ETEP Results:
As the exchange and support of new European music in Europe is one of the main goals of Eurosonic Noorderslag, the special European Talent Exchange Program (ETEP) was introduced in 2003.  Each year ETEP brings together the leading European festivals, radio and other media and stimulates them to ‘exchange’ a selection of artists and since the start of the ETEP program in 2003 a total of 1145 shows by 418 European artists were presented at the 60 ETEP festivals (2003 – 2010). The top 2 acts in 2010 were Mercury Prize winners the XX and Iceland’s FM Belfast. To see the full results click here www.etep.nl

European Festival Awards:

With hundreds of festivals being nominated, fans are getting themselves ready for the first round of voting when the longlists are announced. Over the following weeks, hundreds of thousands of votes will be cast as festival-goers and expert industry juries select their favourite events for categories such as Best Major, Medium and Small Festival, Best Indoor Festival, Artist’s Favourite European Festival, and Best European Festival Line-up. 

Following its successful debut at 2010’s Eurosonic Noorderslag, the European Festival Awards, produced in co-operation with Yourope and Virtual Festivals Europe, returns as a key opening event, this time at the larger Stadsschouwburg venue, where festival organisers from across the continent will gather to find out who’s won, and celebrate the achievements of the past 12 months at a special gala ceremony. The event builds on the success of the UK Festival Awards, which has been running since 2004. For more information, see www.festivalawards.com 

Popview Music Photography Competition:
In January 2011 the fourth edition of the Popview Music Photography Exhibition will take place at the Noorderlicht photo gallery in Groningen. Every year Popview showcases the artistic work of ten upcoming European music photographers and working together with EuroSonic Noorderslag the best photographer is presented the Lex van Rossen Award. With this award the organizers want to encourage young music photographers in Europe and winners from the past three years are Annie Hoogendoorn, Graham Smith and Tom Verbruggen. The Popview competition is open for all photographers under 35 years, please see www.popview.eu for more details. The deadline for entries is 1st October 2010.

Register for EuroSonic Noorderslag:
To attend Eurosonic Noorderslag as a conference delegate you need to be registered.  Registration rates go up as the event gets closer, so book early and save!  To register click here http://www.eurosonic-noorderslag.nl/en/conference/about/register/ 

Rates & deadlines:
All Early Bird passes are sold out
Medium       € 235    register before 15 October
Late            € 275    register before 17 December
Walk-up      € 295    from 17 December onwards

Testimonials:
‘The best organized music conference on earth’ Folkert Koopmans, Fpk Scorpio, (DE)

‘The whole event is in the beautiful town of Groningen and has a great vibe that comes with all early shows in bands careers. It just so happened that after our show, some of the audience became fans and thus asked us to play on some of the festivals and shows that they book and that was very flattering. From that show we were allowed to discover some beautiful areas of Europe over the summer’. Charles Cave, White Lies (GB)

‘One of the most important platforms there is for bands looking to break into the Europeean Market’ Music Week (GB)

“At first we were a bit intimidated by the thought of playing mostly for industry people and we started worrying, but as soon as we started playing we realized that they are of course people too and like to dance and listen to music. The show ended up being incredibly fun with a jumping crowd and wet walls and sweaty dancers. We got offered to play at really nice festivals after this show and that made it even more worthwhile.” FM Belfast (IS)

‘Due to their gig at Eurosonic Noorderslag, The Megaphonic Thrift signed an European
booking deal with top agent Steve Zapp of ITB’. The Megaphonic Thrift (NO)

“Eurosonic is by far the most important European festival for people in the live music industry” Vegard Strømsodd, Amber Booking (NO)

‘The most important gathering in the European live music business calendar’ Pollstar (USA)

‘I found the conference extremely valuable. The delegates are valuable connections in the
European music business. The showcase artists were top notch. Best of all is the proximity of the venues to each other, allowing the delegates to see a huge variety of music in one night.’ Tom Windish, The Windish Agency (USA)

Additional event info: 
Eurosonic Noorderslag is Europe’s most important live music industry conference and showcase festival for European talent. With over 2800 delegates, showcases by 260 artists and a conference with 100 panels, keynote speakers, interviews and meetings, EuroSonic Noorderslag is the key exchange and networking platform for European music, European artists, international music industry professionals and organizations.

2011 is the events 25th birthday and as Eurosonic Noorderslag focuses each edition on a different European country, featuring performances by the best artists and organizing panels about the specifics of that market, it only felt natural to do the 2011 focus on The Netherlands.

Wednesday 12: The European Festival Awards / The European Border Breakers Awards
Thursday 13: Eurosonic Festival and Conference
Friday 14: Eurosonic Festival and Conference
Saturday 15: Noorderslag Festival and Conference

Eurosonic festival presents a broad variety of the best European talent throughout the city of Groningen. Being the largest European showcase festival in Europe, EuroSonic Noorderslag is the most important platform for new European talent. With the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), Yourope and Network Europe giving additional exposure to the performing artists, EuroSonic Noorderslag plays a vital role in the development and circulation of talent in Europe and beyond. Instrumental in this circulation is our own ETEP (European Talent Exchange Program). Since the start of the ETEP program in 2003 a total of 1145 shows by 418 European artists were presented at the 60 ETEP festivals (2003 – 2010) www.etep.nl.

Noorderslag festival has been the main barometer of Dutch pop music for 24 years. 
On Saturday 15 January, Noorderslag presents the very best Dutch acts in every genre, from hip-hop and urban to pop music, avant-garde, dance, alternative and everything in between. 

Conference: During the three day conference over 100 panels and meetings will address the current developments and state of affairs within the European music industry, focusing on European music, touring, festivals, the (live) music industry and media developments. The conference also features industry meetings by: Yourope, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), European Talent Exchange Program (ETEP), The European Export Office(s) and Network Europe.

Awards: Eurosonic Noorderslag is the proud home of various awards ceremonies such as The European Border Breakers Award, The European Festivals Awards, The Interactive Award and more. In 2010 The show of the European Border Breakers Awards 2010, presented by TV legend Jools Holland, will be broadcasted on TV in 12 different European countries.

International media coverage: Eurosonic Noorderslag receives international coverage in Europe and beyond, working closely with European media to give more exposure to the performing artists. During 2009, a total of 334 artist performances were broadcast on 21 European Broadcasting Union radio stations. With the EBU group firmly behind the festival, radio shows containing EuroSonic and Noorderslag concerts will reach out as far as Eastern and Southern Europe and beyond…an audience of millions.