The first speakers have been confirmed for the ninth edition of the Mastering the Music Business (MMB) conference in Bucharest. The event is one of the largest in the Romanian music industry.
Dozens of Romanian and international speakers will discuss the most interesting topics in the music world and meet artists and professionals in the field at the Hotel Caro in Bucharest between September 3-5, 2024.
Among the first confirmed speakers are Deliric, Lisa Nasta (Glastonbury festival), Ivone Lesan (Primavera Sound festival), Paul Cioc (marketing manager at HaHaHa Production), Mark Garfield (sync agent at Pop Up Music), Oskar Strajn, (booking agent at Eurosonic), Adam Dobie (Electric Castle), and Emil Ionescu (event organizer and founder of iabilet.ro).
“I confidently believe that MMB has contributed to the growth of the industry and to creating a community of artists and professionals who are better at navigating the industry’s waters, offering know-how and a series of tools otherwise difficult to obtain. With this edition, we aim to further develop this community, continuing to offer quality content and increasingly more opportunities for connections, both within the local industry and especially with those from the international scene,” Anca Lupeș, the founder of MMB.
This year, MMB will host the general assembly of IMPALA – the European organization comprising associations of independent record labels, of which Romania is a member. This presents a unique opportunity for music production companies in Romania to connect with their European counterparts.
Also a confirmed speaker, Ruth Koleva from Bulgaria, is head of partnerships at Kanjian, the largest independent music company in China. She founded the Sofia Live Festival, and is a strong voice for equality, especially within the LGBTQ+ community.
Ivone Lesan, one of the most prominent promoters of international music in Spain, is also speaking at MMB. As a dedicated supporter of gender equality, Lesan actively contributes to initiatives such as MIM (Women in the Music Industry), where she served as a board member from 2016 to 2019, and shares her expertise through specialized courses and mentorship programs.
Paul Cioc, another speaker, is the Marketing Manager at HaHaHa Production, having been an integral part of the team since March 2023. Paul leads a dynamic team dedicated to enhancing the branding and marketing efforts of renowned artists, including Smiley, Feli, Juno, and others.
Oskar Strajn is one of the booking agents for ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag), Europe’s largest live music event, based in Groningen, the Netherlands. He works closely with the Music Moves Europe Awards, the annual music awards presented during the festival, as well as with the ESNS Radar & Analytics coordinator.
Finally, Emil Ionescu has been an event organizer in Romania since 2004. He has organized over 3,000 events, from club concerts to large arenas featuring headliners such as Iron Maiden, Slipknot, Judas Priest, alt-J, Nightwish, Deftones, Disturbed, James Arthur, Garbage, Tom Odell, Slayer, Whitesnake, Goran Bregovic, Il Divo, Pantera, or Evanescence.
(Photo source: the organizers)
