THE IMPF NETWORK PROJECT
Development Grants
(Work Package 3)
2024

Summary
A call went out to IMPF members in January this year offering Development grants to IMPF member companies in Creative Europe countries.
Activity
The key objective of the grants made available to IMPF members in European countries was to help independent publishers engage in cross-border activities of either a creative or business development nature, with a focus on supporting and nurturing the talent of emerging artists. The range of eligible activities was broad. As long as the activities had a cross-border dimension, they could be supported, and applications were open to composers as well as music publishing professionals. Activities could include attending or organising conferences, cross-border songwriting sessions and residencies, and developing capacity-building or networking workshops for music publishers.
In August IMPF informed its members about three additional subsidised B2B Trade visits to UAE; Saudi Arabia and Miami. Members were offered subsidised travel and accommodation for 4 writers from European countries to MENA 1 and similarly for 4 publishers from European countries to MENA 2: Subsidies were also available for MIAMI.
Beneficiaries
The grant recipients and the activities made possible by the Creative Europe funding are detailed below.
22D Music Group – (based in France) and Active Music Publishing (based in South Africa) decided to organise a songwriting camp between Regis Kole (22D’s writer), and South African local artists from Active Music: Shekhinah; Iman; Gemma Fassie; Jimmy Nevis; Dave Pearce; Ameen; Tamara Dey; Ayo; Paxton; Ami Tjasink; Chaise Williams; Xavier Hupt; Colin Sher; Anthony; Amy Jones. They also invited one producer, Jaydon Lewis, based in Cape Town, from Ultra Publishing.
Seven demo tracks were created during the camp, three of which will be released (Show Me the Way, released by Gemma Fassie; Dive, released by Jimmy Nevis; and Too Much, released by Paxton). Three more will be pitched to other artists and for sync. The other three will be pitched to other artists and for sync purposes.
The camp initiated new collaborations and expanded artists’ international networks. It was an amazing opportunity for those involved, who were living in different countries, to meet and collaborate. It allowed them to develop and extend their network beyond their country.
Bonatarda Publishing (Arts & Crafts Music Inc.) – ACM used the grant to attend IMPF’s Global Music Summit Palma 2024, with Director Amy Eligh travelling to represent the company. The conference was very productive and has already proven to be successful. Eligh was introduced to a team from Denmark with a catalogue of over 2,000 works, looking for a new sub-publisher in Canada. ACM subsequently received a fully executed contract for the business. Eligh also connected with ACM’s partners from various territories and was happy to see that the relationships are proving very productive. The meetings led to further collaboration with our writers.
ACM strongly believes that the company expanded its contacts, strengthened the ones it already has and grew its brand within the independent music publishing community as a result of attending the conference.
Copyright Power International – In October, Copyright Power International organised a successful writing session and networking event in Amsterdam, funded by a grant from IMPF and Creative Europe.
The event took place during the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) – a globally recognised festival and conference – and was designed to create a collaborative and cross-border experience for music industry professionals and creatives. Copyright Power International rented studios in the heart of Amsterdam at Public Audio to create a dedicated space for international talent from the music industry to come together. The event fostered creative collaboration and meaningful networking, attracting music professionals, composers, and business representatives from various countries across Europe. The writing session during the day saw producers and singer/songwriters from diverse backgrounds, working on a music brief from Passa Sports – a Dutch brand with global ambitions. The result was two original tracks that resonated with Passa Sports’ slogan, ‘Beat Your Best’, intended to be used in brand outings at the Amsterdam Run the following day.
An evening networking event followed, gathering approximately 60 professionals from across the music industry, drawing attendees from The Netherlands, Germany, the UK, and other European countries. Music supervisors, representatives from Buma/Stemra and Sena, publishers, and artists all engaged in valuable cross-border exchanges, discussing opportunities, trends, and collaborative ideas.
FAAR Music used grant funds to organise songwriting sessions for songwriter Emili Jürgens in Seoul with local songwriters and producers, and to send the FAAR Music’s Kertu Mägar to Seoul’s MU:CON 2024 conference.
The songwriting sessions were organised with independent publishers such as MusicCube, Oceancave, KYTE, and Beyond Love. They aimed to foster collaboration with local K-pop songwriters and producers, creating new music as well as establishing meaningful connections.
At MU:CON, Mägar significantly expanded FAAR Music’s network, making around 50 new contacts – 30 with Korean companies and 20 with European, US, and other Asia-based companies, primarily consisting of publishers, labels, and management. Additionally, Mägar was invited to attend a Nordic delegation dinner and a reception at the Swedish embassy. The event strengthened FAAR Music’s ties with the Korean market and opened doors for future collaborations, new releases, and greater global exposure.
Golba Music is owner of rights and royalties’ management software. The software is currently used entirely for Golba Music’s business activities and purposes. The development grant funding allowed for a set of meetings to take place in Lisbon (26.02.2024) and in Dublin (24-27.04.2024) with publishers (IMPF members), tech consultants and software providers, with a view to make the aforementioned software a commercial product. The meetings allowed for several user tests (done by small publishers and an IMPF tech consultant), which in turn resulted in a functional specification draft.
Ink Music GmbH organised a ‘Publishers Open House’, part of a networking and artist development strategy, which saw artists/writers from very different backgrounds (geographically and artistically) invited to the company to inspire creativity and drive cultural exchange. The initiative gave young artists the opportunity to write with more experienced ones; to learn about different cultures and processes of writing; and to extend networks and friendships. Ink invited young writers from Ukraine, Estonia, Romania and Greece, as well as hosting one Irish writer residing in Switzerland and a half-Dominican Austrian artist. Songs were written in Greek, Spanish and English; sometimes all at once. The participants made strong bonds during the camp, resulting in continuous sessions beyond the actual event. Ink will now work to get the songs that came out of the camp released and promoted.
Loose Club Edition di Mario Manganelli used development grant funding to attend Berlin Dance Music Event and Amsterdam Dance Event. At Berlin Dance Music Event, the company’s representatives successfully engaged in a series of networking opportunities and attended industry panels, as well as hosting its own Loose Club Meet & Greet event, which was attended by more than 100 people, including several who were looking to network and elicit advice. It was a good opportunity to make new connections and promote the Loose Club brand.
Building upon the success at BDME, Loose Club’s participation at the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) 2024 proved to be a strategic and fruitful endeavour. The company’s representatives focused on fostering meaningful connections with key industry players and exploring new collaborative opportunities, including significant meetings with representatives from SENA, PRS UK, BUMA-STEMRA, MCPR, Mainline PR, Freibank, Spotify, and Nexus Radio, discussing potential partnerships and initiatives.
Additionally, the company had promising conversations with potential new clients, including Melvin Spix, Joshua from Hadron Sounds, Man With No Shadow, and Frankstorm, which may lead to exciting projects ahead.
A central goal for attending ADE was to initiate the groundwork for an official panel at ADE 2025. The proposed panel aims to educate composers, producers, and artists about publishing and neighbouring rights, a topic of vital importance yet still relatively underexplored in the EDM industry.
Next Era Publishing hosted a four-day songwriting camp in partnership with GL Music in Copenhagen. The Next Era team took four of the company’s writers to the camp, which was hosted over four days. It focused on hip hop, pop, R&B, and afro genres, bringing together Dutch and Danish songwriters and artists, fostering creative collaboration across borders.
Nordic Music Society hosted a songwriting camp at Kansjerf Farm – a cultural B&B nestled in the Finnish countryside. With spacious accommodations, daily meals, and the on-site Amiral Music Studios, the farm was perfectly suited for fostering a songwriting camp. Furthermore, the farm’s kitchen focuses on using mainly local food making its CO2 footprint as little as possible. Organised in partnership with Mantik Music Group, the camp brought together songwriters, producers, and emerging artists from Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, including artists such as Tatia (Sweden), Joel Sundkvist (Finland), Joli (Finland), Carmen Forbes (Norway), and Arüna (Finland). The camp exemplified Nordic Music Society’s commitment to working with up-and-coming artists, helping shape their careers at an early stage through tailored collaboration with a diverse field of writers. Over three days, nine songs were written, five of which will be released by the participating artists, while the remaining songs are being pitched globally, including one already receiving interest from a Chinese artist. Moving forward, Nordic Music Society aims to expand the camp with additional participants and studio space while maintaining its culturally and musically diverse spirit.
ROBA Music Publishing In conjunction with IMPF, ROBA hosted a songwriting camp from September 15 – 17 at Reeperbahn Festival. Three studios were rented at the O2 Music Studio in Hamburg by DIY for the three days, with three different sessions held each day. The camp was concluded with a listening session on the final day. 11 artists attended in total, travelling from Germany, Estonia, UK and Australia. The camp produced a total of eight new demos. Feedback from participants, managers, publishers and labels was very positive.
On Wednesday, September 18, ROBA invited guests to the ROBA Reception 2024 – Drinks On Us! at the beginning of the Reeperbahn Festival. This is a networking event for all music industry professionals. Over 600 people took part this year, as well as the participants of this year’s ROBA x IMPF Songwriting Camp. It was a perfect opportunity, for songwriters in particular, to exchange ideas and network with labels, publishers and management.
Steam Music Publishing utilised development funding to take advantage of three different opportunities, attending IMPF’s 2024 General Assemblies in Dublin; MUSEXPO in Los Angeles; and SPOT+ conference in Aarhus.
At the IMPF GA’s, Steam Music created and moderated a discussion panel titled ‘Europe’s (sync) independence from Hollywood’, which brought together Julia Aichholzer (Sentric/Believe), Luana Martins (Blut), Amelia McCloskey (AM Licensing and Ultimate Sync Access).
En route to Los Angeles for MUSEXPO, Steam representatives were able to stop at Portland to meet up with Jeff Buehner and sign a global publishing deal, which had been in negotiations for more than a year at that point. The company took Buehner to LA, to MUSEXPO, to meet with music executives from around the world, including A&R’s, to arrange songwriting opportunities and find partners for his upcoming release.
Steam reps also met with several music supervisors and subsequently managed to place a song in ‘The Cleaning Lady’.
At SPOT+, Steam’s main goals were to meet with Danish and international music publishers, take part in sync related sessions, find new collaborators, expand the company’s network with music supervisors and gain new partners for representation. The company was also looking for new artists to sign and had a number of meetings with that in mind.
As a result of attending SPOT+, Steam has signed a collaboration deal with Danish company Parachute Sync Agency, and is negotiating a sub-publishing deal with another Danish company, Target Music Group. It also agreed collaborate more closely with music supervisors such as Maxime Rouge (Prodigious), Henan Wensink (HenanX), Connie Farr (ThinkSync) and Jesper Gadeberg (Music stylist).
Strictly Confidential Music Publishing used grant funds to host a songwriting camp that saw 11 writers and composers gather at the Edmond studios in Molenbeek, Brussels.
Attendees gathered from France, the UK, Belgium and Holland: Kahnji (France), beloved trinket (United Kingdom) DJ Kit (France) Lili Mollishina (Belgium) Nykolaes (Belgium) Blessed & blushing (France) Munix (Belgium) Lo Bailly (Belgium), Aloïs (Holland/Belgium) Isaac Roux (Belgium).
It was a week-long camp of four full writing days using all the facilities of two studios. During the day, specific sessions were organised with combinations of producers/writers and vocalists. Strictly invited both emerging and more established artists with the goal being that each person will bring something to the other, meaning fresh ideas, input and experience.
All participants were very happy with the sessions, as well as being able to create new songs, they were also able to meet other writers, composers and producers that could be future collaborators.
Not all of the artists present were signed to Strictly, but it was an opportunity for them to get acquainted with the company’s roster and team, and that may lead to future signings.
Tier Music Publishing hosted a sync masterclass and camp in May 2024, with renowned music supervisor Thomas Golubić (Breaking Bad, Six Feet Under, Better Call Saul) leading the masterclass, focusing on writing music for film and TV. Meanwhile, the sync camp was led by Golubić alongside music supervisor Thore Garberg, who both brought in active briefs for the participants.
Written feedback from participants suggested they enjoyed the camp and the possibility to pitch their written music to the briefs. Multiple songs from the camp went into further development and pitching after the event.
The popularity of sync is growing in the Estonian music industry, which is attracting more international partners around sync, which leads to possible collaborations in the future.
Tier Music also hosted a seminar day titled ‘From Beats to Business’ along with a songwriting camp in August. It was the second time the company had organised an event in this format, and it proved to have an interested target group both internationally and locally. The event started with a 2-day songwriting camp in the partner organiser FAAR Music’s studios in Tallinn. 12 new songs came from the camp, which will be worked on further with the ultimate aim being to publish them.
The seminar day was based around a one stage programme, which created a focused and intimate setting where it was possible to dive into topics as well as make new contacts between the various international panellists and other attendees. The programme covered sync; streaming strategy; and publishing opportunities; as well as a demo drop, where artists got live feedback on their work.
Tin Drum Music organised a songwriting camp dubbed the ‘International Music Publishing Collaboration for Creative Development’ project with the aim being to foster cross-border collaboration and creative development within the music publishing industry. By facilitating interaction between songwriters, producers, and publishers from Croatia, Slovenia, and Serbia, the project strengthened international ties and promoted diversity and gender balance within the creative process. The Songwriting Camp took place in Belgrade, Serbia over 3 days, from July 22 to July 25, 2024. Participants included Katarina Bogicevic (Kejt) and Nikola Vasovic (Vasa) from Serbia; Hugo Smeh (HYU) and Ezra Cosic Alibegovic from Slovenia; and Angelina Marjanovic (Maraya) and Smajlovic Senad (Seni) from Croatia.
The songwriting camp resulted in the creation of multiple new songs. A standout result was the song ‘Obala raja’ written collaboratively by Katarina Bogicevic (Kejt) and Hugo Smeh (HYU). It achieved early recognition by becoming an entry for the Montesong Eurovision contest, showcasing the immediate creative and professional impact of the project.
Overall, the project successfully met its key objectives of international collaboration, creative development and diversity and gender balance.
Tin Drum also used grant funding to send their Managing Director Tatjana Bukvic to WIPO’s Sixth Regional Conference on IP in the Digital Economy for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). Tatjana sat on a panel titled ‘Rights Management In The Music Sector – International Perspective’, moderated by WIPO’s Benoit Muller and with fellow panellists Ioan Kaes (Aepo-Artis), Mitjo Chatalbashev (Cisac), Tomori Pal (Scapr) and Lodovico Bnvenuti (IFPI). On the panel, Tatjana was able to highlight the role of independent music publishers within the music industry ecosystem. Presentations were followed by short Q&A sessions.
UniteSync A UniteSync organised event at SAE on October 25 successfully brought together industry experts to share invaluable insights on the music business with students and professionals. Speakers covered a number of critical topics: Edu Ostos (Ed Is Dead) highlighted the significance of publishing royalties from ad music for a stable income; Mercedes Cebrián provided a breakdown of rights and collection societies; Manuel Aguilar discussed digital rights in streaming; Esteve Lombarte shared strategies on using user-generated content for editorial placements on Spotify; and Marco Octavio detailed a successful resolution for a stolen sample.
With 80 attendees (including music composers, producers, and industry professionals, from territories including Spain, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, and Chile) the event saw high engagement, particularly during Q&A sessions. SAE provided positive feedback, noting the event’s near-full attendance and expressing interest in future collaborations due to its success. UniteSync’s brand also gained valuable exposure, with attendees associating it with educational leadership and promoting music rights awareness. The event not only enhanced industry knowledge but also generated new client interest in UniteSync’s publishing royalty collection services, marking a notable achievement in brand-building and client acquisition.
Wasted Talent Publishing from October 21-25, Wasted Talent Publishing hosted the inaugural Berlin Calling songwriting camp at Flow Studios in Berlin. The exclusive event brought together 18 accomplished songwriters from around the world, marking a unique collaboration aimed at producing hit songs for the international market. Partnering with Disney Music Publishing from Los Angeles, Wasted Talent welcomed several high-profile American songwriters to the camp.
With a focus on crafting songs for the global stage, particularly in the K-Pop and US-centered pop genres, the participants worked on briefs sourced from leading record labels, A&Rs, and management teams ahead of the event. In just five days, the songwriters created 30 original tracks, which are now set to be pitched to labels.
In addition to providing a collaborative and creative environment, Wasted Talent arranged vegan catering from local favourite Dinette for daily lunches. The company also secured access to the nearby John Reed gym for its international guests, ensuring a balanced and fulfilling experience during their stay.
Overall, Berlin Calling was a tremendous success, yielding a significant number of high-quality demos, exciting session dynamics, and valuable connections among the songwriters.
Palma Songwriting Camp 2024 (22D Music, Proyectors De Autor, K9 Music Publishing)
This year’s Palma Songwriting Camp, which runs alongside The IMPF Global Music Summit was organised by 22D Music, K9 Music Publishing and Proyectors De Autor. The camp brought together 20 talented songwriters from across the globe, representing countries such as Canada, Denmark, Estonia, France, Romania, the Netherlands, South Africa, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The sessions were held over four dynamic days at the Palma Music Studios in the heart of Palma de Mallorca. Each day, participants formed new teams of three—consisting of one producer and two artists/topliners—to craft a track inspired by carefully curated briefs designed for the event. The groups were reshuffled daily, ensuring that every songwriter had the opportunity to connect and collaborate with new writers.
29 tracks were created during the camp, each brimming with potential for sync opportunities. These tracks will now be promoted by the participating music publishers, opening doors for exciting new partnerships. Beyond the music, the camp served as a launchpad for up-and-coming artists, helping them expand their international networks and spark future collaborations.
Saudi Arabia and UAE Trade Mission (AMV Publishing, FAAR Music, Golba Music, Moonbase Music Termidor, K9 Publishing)
IMPF members AMV Publishing, FAAR Music, Golba Music, K9 Music Publishing Moonbase Music and Termidor used Creative Europe grants to embark on a trade mission to Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.
Some of the above publishers arranged for members of their songwriting roster to attend the CREATE Songwriting Camp in Abu Dhabi from November 30 – December 3, 2024. Hosted by Pop Arabia in collaboration with Music Publishers Canada, the camp brought together songwriters, producers, and artists from different regions, including the UAE, Canada, Sri Lanka, the USA, Germany, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Poland. The primary objectives of the songwriting camp were: to create new songs tailored to participating artists’ projects; and to foster collaboration and build lasting connections between musicians from different countries, bridging cultural and creative gaps. Writers and producers were paired with artists to collaborate on original music for their upcoming projects. Sessions and planned joint activities allowed participants to exchange ideas and experiences, and establish international relationships.
FAAR Music reported that its writers Karl Killing and Emili Jürgens co-wrote several songs during the camp, contributing to projects with a global reach. They also established valuable connections with industry professionals and artists from diverse cultural backgrounds, paving the way for potential future collaborations.
AMV Publishing’s Sonja Redelberger participated in four sessions, from which several promising songs emerged. They have already planned additional sessions outside of the camp with several of the other participants.
And Golba Music’s Bartosz Szczęsny came away from the camp with three complete demos, saying: “This was a great opportunity to meet and understand musicians from different cultural backgrounds.”
As well as attending the PopArabia songwriting camp, Termidor notes the benefits of being able to meet with representatives of Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and YouTube in Abu Dhabi, over the course of a five day trip to the region.
Reps from K9 Music Publishing and Moonbase Music attended the 4th edition of the XP Music Futures conference in Ryiadh, Saudi Arabia between 4-7 December. The conference brought together Over1,000 participants – including publishers, composers, performing artists, concert promoters and music managers – from all over the world
The K9 representative attended over 16 panels on music publishing, artist management, music events organisation and music rights subjects, as well as meeting with local composers, publishers and cultural decision makers promoting cross-border collaborations between IMPF members and local companies as well future collaborations between local composers and writers represented by IMPF members.
Meanwhile, Moonbase Music had the opportunity to meet with representatives from Middle Beast, Spinning Records, the Saudi Music Commission, and Universal Music to name a few. They discussed future collaborations, including music writing camps to develop grassroots talent. There was strong interest in Moonbase Music’s success, particularly in the Asian market, and opportunities for crossovers between the MENA and Asian markets will be explored. The main goal of the trip was to position Moonbase Music early in a market that is expected to grow significantly over the next decade. The company believes there is a unique opportunity to develop talent and establish itself as a key player in the region before the market becomes saturated.
Outcomes/Next Steps
A summary report to date is available here.
2023

Summary
23 grants were made available this year to IMPF member companies in Creative Europe countries.
Activity
The key objective of the grants made available to IMPF members in European countries was to help independent publishers engage in cross-border activities of either a creative or business development nature, with a focus on supporting and nurturing the talent of emerging artists. The range of eligible activities was broad. As long as the activities had a cross-border dimension, they could be supported, and applications were open to composers as well as music publishing professionals. Activities could include attending or organising conferences, cross-border songwriting sessions and residencies, and developing capacity-building or networking workshops for music publishers.
Beneficiaries
The recipients and the activity made possible by the grants are detailed below.
Alondra Music
In 2023, Alondra Music traveled to music industry conferences and festivals to meet with publishers with a view to signing sub-publishing agreements and representing their catalogues in Spain. The company was also able to attend audiovisual events and festivals to expand its music supervision clientbase.
At Primavera Pro Alondra staff attended educational talks about the current music industry landscape, and met with audiovisual production companies and music supervisors with their sync work in mind. They also attended Conecta Fiction & Entertainment, which is a professional and international market focused on audiovisual industry projects where delegates can meet new clients and close music supervision contracts. Finally, at Reeperbahn Festival, they were able to meet with publishers the company already represents and also forge new alliances.
Crunchy Tunes
Crunchy Tunes hosted a Meet and Greet at Franklin BBQ during SXSW 2023 in Austin Texas. The event was a big success, featuring two performers from Denmark: The Courettes and Ki!.
Now in its fourth year, the event is really popular with the industry, with attendees able to taste the legendary BBQ from Franklin alongside quality music from Crunchy Tunes. It is a full house every year.
This year, Ki! was an instant success with the many music supervisors that came along. Crunchy Tunes has had countless requests for his music since.
Prior to Austin, Crunchy Tunes staff had a few days in New York and Ki! went with the crew to visit a lot of music supervisors, industry people and the company’s digital distributor The Orchard.
Elements Music
Within the framework of the project, Elements Music (Finland) organised a songwriting camp together with Budde Music (Germany) with the objective of connecting songwriters, producers and artists with each other, and to later get songs written on the camp released.
Seven artists from around Europe (five from Budde Music, and 13 from Elements Music) joined the camp, which took place over four days in May 2023 in Helsinki, Finland. The artists joining were SERA, Ben Cristovao, Anais, Clara Mae, Andreas Wijk, Keira and Greg Taro.
The camp was a big success in various ways. The artist representatives are excited about the 20 written songs and how the camp played out. Many new creative connections have been established via the camp, and the songwriters and publishers involved in this project now experience a greater international reach as a result.
Nordic Music Partners
The songwriting camp, hosted by Nordic Music Partners in collaboration with Monster Music Group in Helsinki from March 27-31, was a remarkable demonstration of creativity, collaboration, and professional networking. The event brought together an exceptionally talented group of 14 songwriters, including Yoshi Breen, Séb Holdinghausen, Teemu Brunila and Yasmeen “Mougleta” Semaan to name a few. The writers worked in teams, rotating groups each day to promote creative diversity.
The presence of notable artists, such as Sophie ‘Sophie And The Giants’ Scott, Luca ‘LUM!X’ Michlmayr, Alma, and Svea ‘SVEA’ Kagemark, enhanced the event’s prestige and increased the likelihood of successful song cuts for the writers.
Positive feedback received from the management teams after the camp was a testament to the great dynamic between the writers and the artists, and to the exceptional organisation of the camp as well, which ran smoothly and provided a conducive environment for creative output.
The songwriting camp provided invaluable opportunities for writers to expand their professional network and establish industry connections, making it a truly successful event for all parties involved.
Palma Songwriting camp (22D Music Group, Roba and K9 Music Publishing)
This year, the Palma Songwriting camp welcomed 20 songwriters from all over the world (Canada, Denmark, Estonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom, United State of America) during five consecutive days at the Palma Music Studios in the center of Palma de Mallorca.
Each day, in groups of three (which included one producer and two artists/top liners), writers created a track based on briefs that we shared with them on this occasion. The groups changed every day so all writers had the chance to meet and work with someone new.
36 tracks were created during the songwriting camp, and they will be promoted for sync by every music publisher involved.
The camp allowed up and coming artists to grow their network internationally and create future collaborations.
ROBA
On September 18, ROBA Music Publishing held the much-anticipated ROBA x IMPF Songwriting Camp in Hamburg across four days at the DIY-Studios in Karolinenstraße.
Inviting IMPF publishers (like CTM, Café Concerto, Faar Music, Cosmos, Ultra and Guesstimate) to send their talented writers, the day started by bringing together the 14 songwriters, having breakfast and some coffee, introducing each other, and explaining the planned sessions. After the first day of writing, there was a networking dinner with participants.
The camp was wrapped up on Wednesday with a listening session, where everyone had the opportunity to hear the songs that were recorded over the three days.
Afterwards the ROBA team went to the ROBA Reception 2023, our networking event at this year’s Reeperbahn Festival.
According to feedback from participants (as well as their managers and publishers), the camp was a huge success for everyone involved.
SMV Musikverlage
SMV Musikverlage attended ADE in Amsterdam at the end of October. All in all, the activity can be counted as a great success: Staff had meetings and receptions, met with current and potential partners, made new contacts for potential collaboration and co-writing opportunities, and even noted down some potential new signings.
Sugar Music
The Sugar Music Publishing team traveled from Milan to London with composer and producer STABBER to attend a two-day session in Spotify’s Noteable Studios to create a new track for STABBER’s upcoming album. The album will be released in fall 2023, featuring the Algerian-born, London-based female singer-songwriter Miraa May, who attended our session and wrote and sung on the track.
The sessions granted diversity, gender balance, and attention to environmental issues: Miraa May is a female R&B artist who was born in Algeria. There was a delightful connection in the studio, and she was given maximum creative freedom on STABBER’s track. The team traveled via a direct flight in economy class and took care of offsetting their carbon emissions (see attached certificate by CoolEffect). They were able to cut unnecessary technical costs and reduce the impact of their movements by using only equipment provided by the studio. They used public transport within the city and, when it was not possible, they favoured walks or electric cars (e.g. Uber Green).
Tier Music Publishing
The development grant was used towards organising an international songwriting camp in Tallinn at the end of August 2023, co-hosted by Faar Music. The companies combined their two rosters, as well as inviting international talent to take part in the camp. They finished off with a seminar day, providing insights into the different aspects of the music industry, focusing mostly on areas related to music publishing. In total, the camp hosted 19 songwriters from across the EU, including three from Tier Music Publishing. The seminar day was attended by around 70 people.
22D Music Group
22D Music Group embarked on an Atlanta trade visit at the end of October to attend Atlanta Create. They were able to meet with other attendees from companies including SOCAN, MPC, Monstercat, PEX and Rytebox; and music supervisors or coordinators from the likes of Passion Flix, Creative Control and Triple Threat. They attended a number of panels across the event on subjects including music supervision, the creative and business relationship, music rights and the Manager Masterclass. They also attended networking events that took place at the hotel and allowed them to meet new attendees and hear inspiring speakers. They also met fellow publishers from Bailer Music Publishing, Cymba Music Publishing, Anthem Music, Lusitania Music Publishing, One Rpm, Downtown Music.
AEDEM (Asociación española de editores de música)
The Spanish Association of Music Editors organised the 22nd Music Editors Convention, which took place in May at the Meliá Hotel in Sitges. This event served as a prominent space for discussion and networking, bringing together music editors and related professionals to address the present and future of music publishing. With the goal of surpassing the success of the previous year, invitations were extended to colleagues from across Spain, and there was a special participation of editors from Italy as the guest country, aiming to strengthen the relationships between the publishing communities of both countries. This year’s edition focused on defending repertoire in the digital realm within the current European legal framework. Concurrently, AEDEM offered training courses during the convention with the purpose of equipping editors with practical tools and knowledge to tackle challenges and opportunities in a constantly evolving publishing market. These courses covered key topics such as new technologies and their impact on the publishing industry, providing participants with the ability to adapt to digital transformation. The convention featured the participation of national and international speakers – experts in various areas related to music publishing. Through lectures, workshops, and discussions, topics such as improving productivity, digital identification of repertoires, digital rights management, and the relationship between copyright in social networks and the EU were explored. The agenda also included a general assembly, as well as networking opportunities for attendees.
FAAR Music
In August 2023, FAAR Music organised an international songwriting camp, music seminar, and networking event in Tallinn, Estonia. The songwriting camp took place at FAAR Music Studios in the city centre, while the seminar was held at Terminal Records Bar in the Creative City area.
For the songwriting camp, the company brought together 22 songwriters, producers, and artists from various countries, including Romania, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Germany, and Estonia. The goal was to create and strengthen bonds between creatives from different countries, fostering collaboration and the creation of new songs. Songwriting camps serve to inspire and facilitate learning among participants, helping them make valuable connections for future collaborations. During the sessions, FAAR ensured that everyone had the opportunity to work with different people each day, further enhancing those bonds. The result of the three days was 20 new songs.
FAAR has already received feedback from many artist teams expressing interest in using the songs for their releases. Any songs not selected by the artists from the camp will be pitched to other artists, labels, and management teams to find suitable homes.
On August 31st, following the songwriting camp, FAAR organised a music seminar and networking event in Tallinn for the music industry. We brought together nine music industry professionals from various fields and countries (The Netherlands, Norway, Germany, France, Poland, Finland, and Estonia) for panel discussions. The seminar day was designed to benefit both musicians and industry professionals, covering topics such as sync & film, A&R, music publishing, and music promotion. Additionally, they included a demo drop session where musicians could send us songs for live feedback from professional musicians and label A&R’s, a highly popular session that generated a significant number of demo songs.
All the seminar event speakers arrived in Tallinn one day before to attend the song camp listening session at FAAR Music Studios. Bringing professionals to the listening sessions had several purposes: 1) to provide them with a better overview of the Estonian music scene and showcase our studios for potential future collaborations, and 2) to connect writers and professionals, allowing them to hear the quality of the songs and discover new talent they might want to work with.
Both activities were highly successful. Most of the international writers and speakers invited to Tallinn were visiting for the first time, giving them the opportunity to meet many Estonian music industry professionals, writers, and producers. While Estonia hasn’t been a regular destination for writing songs and collaborating with creatives, it’s hoped that international songwriting camps like this will encourage them to return for future writing sessions.
FAAR has received a lot of positive feedback from seminar visitors, prompting them to consider organising similar events next year. These events also helped to expand the company’s network and raise its visibility internationally, leading to many valuable new contacts from different countries, and the potential for writers and producers to come and use their space in the future. FAAR also benefited from networking with writers, producers and artists from Romania, Denmark, Finland, Belgium and Germany. Their writers were able to connect with new, talented artists and create connections that will hopefully lead to new collaborations and releases, while being part of the seminar gave them an opportunity to learn more about the music industry.
CTM Publishing
CTM used part of the funding to send two Dutch writers, Koen van de Wardt and Okke Punt, to Denmark to work together with Danish and Asian songwriters at the GL Music x Outdustry writing camp, which took place from October 3-5 in Kopenhagen. During the camp, the writers worked on material for the Asian market, and the songs are getting pitched as we speak.
The rest of the funding was used for the CTM ADE writing camp, which took place in Amsterdam from October 16-19. During three days, four hotel rooms were transformed into writing rooms, where artists and writers worked together on new music.
The remaining funding was used to fly in international artists such as Boye & Sigvardt and catering during the ADE writing camp in Amsterdam.
Lusitanian Music Publishing
Lusitanian’s Nuno Saraiva attended the inaugural AIMP (Association of Independent Music Publishers) Atlanta Creative Summit and participated on a panel titled ‘The Music World Is Different Outside The US’, alongside Canada’s Margaret McGuffin from Music Publishers Canada, the IMMF’s Jake Beaumont-Nesbitt, and ex-Sheer Publishing, now Downtown Music Holdings’ Senior VP of New Markets David Alexander.
The trade mission saw Saraiva and Alexander, both IMPF members, be “adopted” by the MPC’s delegation to Atlanta led by Margaret McGuffin, who also moderated the panel.
The conference included special networking between the international delegates and Atlanta music professionals, a studio tour (including recording, television and movie studios), as well as the conference programme organised by AIMP Atlanta.
In parallel, a songwriting camp including Atlanta artists and producers as well as Canadian artists resulted in 21 tracks being written, four of which were featured in a listening session on the last day of the conference.
It was an amazing experience, the likes of which Lusitanian and IMPF hope to repeat in years to come to the benefit of the entire European and international music publishing communities.
Lusitanian’s participation was made possible in part by contributions from Creative Europe via the IMPF Network Project.
Globe Art Publishing
Globe Art Publishing took part in the programme in Atlanta. The business contacts made there are really valuable and will bring prosperous business in the future. The studio tours and the CMPA & AIMP programme in particular were very helpful in terms of getting to know industry peers from Atlanta.
Dancing Bear
Recording sessions of a new Sunnysiders’ album, titled ‘’27 Stitches, took place from March 22-26 at sound engineer Arnaud Bascuñana’s Studio 180 in Paris.
Sunnysiders have more than 10 years of great friendship with the French Blues Society and French blues musicians, so they had an opportunity to meet and make great music again with many guests from their previous album ‘The Bridges’. Names include Fred Delforge (president of France Blues), Jerry T. (musician/journalist) and French blues-rock star Manu Lanvin.
The whole team had a great time, with many wonderful recordings having been made. The company believes it will result in a lot of great music.
Schubert Music Europe
Schubert Music Europe held their International Schubert Music Meeting in Trogier from 2 – 6 October. The meeting brought together colleagues from Poland, Czech, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, France, Germany, Austria and Spain, including all managing directors of the various Schubert Music companies and most of the senior staff. Attendees met in one-to-one meetings as well as in larger groups to discuss and exchange information on a number of general topics including new developments in the various territories; legislation; changes and developments on a CMO level; economic environmental influences on day to day work such as the war in Ukraine, high inflation rate, and growing exchange rate risk; and the potential outlook for 2023/24.
They were also able to discuss new developments on technical solutions within Schubert Music; new signings on local and international levels; and the direct co-operation between the various territories and sections of the company – especially when it comes to creative business, co-writes and productions realised as cross border initiatives.
Beutara Cameroon
Beutara Cameroon organised two writing workshops – one on November 24 in Douala and one on December 9 2023 at the Case des Arts in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Each workshop was attended by six participants and five experts/musicians : Peckey Power, Johannes Kraemmer and Arlene Nna. The one-day workshop focused on writing lyrics, learning music, musical notes and an introduction to music theory. Feedback from the participants suggested that they would like to see this type of workshop to be organised regularly and expanded over several days.
Moonbase Music
Poppin’ West Camp, which took place in Gothenburg, Sweden, from November 30 – December 2, featured 15 creators representing music publishers from various countries, including Japan (Soundgraphics), Finland (Elements Music), Germany (Meisel), Estonia (FAAR), and Sweden (Moonbase Music), along with two independent local writers. A highlight of the second day included a mingle and networking event, fostering connections among the creators. Subsequently, attendees had the opportunity to attend the local international music festival, Viva Sounds, at a discounted rate. Over the course of three days, the participants collaborated to produce 11 songs destined for the Asian music markets. The feedback received has been notably positive, and all insights will be carefully considered for future events.
Café Concerto
Café Concerto was involved with Freibank Music Publishing in a ‘Milano – Berlino’ international writing camp, which took place over two parts.
The first part of the writing camp, organised by Café Concerto, took place at the Quite, Please! Studio in Milan on 20 – 21 – 22 June 2023. A group of German writers, led by Freibank’s Mark Chung, were hosted at the Marriott Hotel, not far from the recording studio.
During the Milan camp, all the writers wrote in harmony with two artists from Cafè Concerto: Maninni and Ascanio. In total, seven compositions were written during this session.
The second part of the writing camp, organised by Freibank, took place at Loftyard Studios in Berlin on 26 – 28 September 2023. A group of Café Concerto writers, led by Laura Amata, were hosted at Hotel AMO by AMANO and Titanic Chausse Berlin.
During the three days, the writers followed the directions of Patricie Fuxovà, leader of the Vesna group. In total, five compositions were written during this session.
Everyone was very happy to have participated in this international experience. It was not only very productive on an artistic level, but also a very high-level human experience.
Steam Music Group
Steam Music Management and Publishing’s Head of Sync and Creative Tanya Timofeeva was able to travel to New York for a number of fruitful meetings from 24 October – 8 November 2023. There she was able to connect with industry peers and partners including Michelle Fantus (Songwriter & Publishing Relations, Spotify), Steven Matrick (Kepler Events), Constance Hauman (Isotipia Records), Mark Allen (music supervisor), Jon Mizrachi (Bodega Music), Jackie Palazzoio (Riot Games), Dan Burt (music supervisor), Laura Katz (Supetroop), Michelle Johnson (Sound Around Media), Samuel Diaz (Paramount+/ CBS), Megan Barbour (Buddha Jones) Angel Mendoza (AV Squad), Anita Grigore and Yvette Metoyer. During the trip, Timofeeva was able to discuss a range of useful topics including the sync market and new opportunities, co-publishing collaborations, the Steam catalogue, new artists and the Most Wanted Music Berlin conference.
Outcomes/Next Steps
IMPF will offer 15 grants worth 6000 Euro each available to its member companies in Creative Europe Countries* during 2024. This money is to help Members of IMPF who would like to engage in cross-border activities of either a creative or business development nature.
This report is available to download here below.
2022

Summary
15 grants were made available this year to IMPF member companies in Creative Europe countries.
Activity
The key objective of the grants made available to IMPF members in European countries was to help independent publishers engage in cross-border activities of either a creative or business development nature, with a focus on supporting and nurturing the talent of emerging artists. The range of eligible activities was broad. As long as the activities had a cross-border dimension, they could be supported, and applications were open to composers as well as music publishing professionals. Activities could include attending or organising conferences, cross-border songwriting sessions and residencies, and developing capacity-building or networking workshops for music publishers. An open call for applications was sent to members in April of 2022.
Beneficiaries
15 applications were accepted for the Publisher Development Grants. The recipients were:
- Strictly Confidential Music Publishing (Belgium)
- Velvetica Music (France)
- K9 Music Publishing (Romania)
- Freibank Musikverlags und-Vermarktungs and CTM (Germany/NL)
- Guesstimate Publishing (Germany)
- GL Music Publishing (Denmark)
- Nordic Music Society (Denmark)
- Cosmos Music Publishing (Sweden)
- Ink Music (Austria)
- Editions Bjorlund (Sweden)
- Lusitanian Music Publishing (Portugal)
- 22D Music Group (France)
- Elements Music OY (Finland)
- Roasting House (Sweden)
- FAAR MUSIC (Estonia)
Outcomes/Next Steps
Three WP3 events took place in October: the Nordic Music NMS event (see images here), and the Nordic Bridges song camp (see images here)– with four IMPF publishers using International Development Grants to attend the latter in Canada – as well as the Song writing Camp in Palma (see all images here) which was jointly organised by two members. One IMPF member also used grant funds to successfully host a songwriting camp and publishing network event in Austria in September. Report forms were sent to Grant recipients in December. A full list of completed activities will be available on the website once full reporting is completed.
This report is available to download here below.
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