THE 8TH KONTAKT CONFERENCE, SHOWCASE, AND FESTIVAL OPENED: THE LARGEST KONTAKT EDITION SO FAR

Today at 12 PM, the Yugoslav Film Archive ceremoniously opened the 8th KONTAKT conference, showcase, and festival. Over four days, numerous free panel discussions and concerts will take place at five locations in the city.

The conference will feature 200 delegates from Serbia, the region, and the world participating in 17 free panel discussions. Evening concerts will include performances by 26 musical acts such as Neno Belan&Fiumens, Letu štuke, KoiKoi, Bojana Vunturišević, Jarboli, and many others, along with the global DJ sensation Daddy G. The complete program, schedule, and locations for the panel discussions and concerts are available on the KONTAKT conference website.

The opening ceremony was attended not only by conference delegates but also by leading figures from Serbia and the region’s music and creative industries, as well as numerous musicians. Speakers included Ivan Ilić from the Association of Jazz and Rock Musicians, Clare Sears representing the British Council in Serbia, music critic and art historian Momčilo Moma Rajin, and Jelena Janković Beguš on behalf of CEBEF. Ivan Ilić emphasized the importance of such conferences and commended the organizers for managing, despite all difficulties, to gather professionals and talented young people for the eighth consecutive year, enabling them to connect, share experiences, and foster collaborations.

Clare Sears expressed the British Council’s delight at having some of the biggest names in the global music industry come to Belgrade this year, thanks to KONTAKT. Momčilo Moma Rajin, a lifelong devotee of popular culture and rock music, expressed his pleasure that several panels would focus on rock music.

The first panel titled “The State of Regional Cooperation and International Promotion” was led by Katarina Epštajn, with experts from the Czech Republic, Croatia, Macedonia, and Serbia participating. The discussion revolved around the current ecosystem in the region’s music industry, focusing on diagnosing the present state and relationships, and exploring ways to strengthen ties and create new opportunities for artists. Central themes included the key barriers to cross-border cooperation and strategies to overcome them, aiming to bolster the regional music scene and devise sustainable strategies for global promotion.

Ante Zvonimir Stamać from Croatia highlighted the significance of initiatives like the “new faces” program, which he finds excellent for enhancing cooperation, expressing hope for more such initiatives in the future.

Panelists agreed that regional bands, in their quest to break onto the international stage, need not necessarily aim for performances at large showcase festivals like Eurosonic. Instead, they should focus on building their name through smaller festivals and events, while showcasing successful examples of regional cooperation, such as the Password agency from Skopje and LA agency from Zagreb. The discussion underscored the importance of building a strong regional music infrastructure and the need for ongoing enhancement of professionalism and international promotion of artists from the region.

During the afternoon hours of the first day of the KONTAKT conference, panels such as “Music as a Super Spice in Performances, Marketing, and Campaigns,” “From the Source Three Paths: A Long-Term Panel” addressing promoters and entrepreneurs, and “Burnout as a Wake-Up Call” with panelists including Dejan Nikolić, a psychotherapist, journalist Lana Nikolić, and musicians Marko Louis and Marko Šelić Marčelo, were held.

As part of the KONTAKT review program at Dorćol Platz, the global attraction Daddy G will perform a DJ set, and at the Youth Center, a concert will be given by the pop-rock scene legend Neno Belan & Fiumens.