For artists

It's no miracle that the careers of ROSALÍA, Fontaines D.C., Hozier, Franz Ferdinand, Robyn, Wet Leg, Adele, Ralphie Choo, Dua Lipa, Stromae, Calvin Harris, Editors and Zaho de Sagazan among many more have skyrocketed. The Exchange programme helps European artists like them get booked on festivals across the globe. Who knows, this could be your one-way ticket to success!

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How does it work?

European Talent Exchange is a programme under the wings of European showcase and conference festival ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag). The festival hosts over 4,000 bookers and other music professionals yearly.

In collaboration with YOUROPE and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the initiative connects artists to a network of around 130 partner festivals and benefits from the support of 31 media partners to amplify their promotion. Additionally, European Talent Exchange unites 23 members and five associated partners, including 26 export offices.

Every artist who has performed at ESNS is automatically a part of the Exchange programme. From then on, you're in good hands! We make it our job to help you move forward. Each year, from May 1 until September 1, you can apply to play at ESNS and be a part of Exchange. So, what are you waiting for?

Apply for ESNS

Work together with the export offices

Get the toolkit

It's a good idea to get in contact with one of the export offices, so they can help you set up. To help you and the export office of your country, we've created an artist guide to explain step by step how you'll get the most out of your Eurosonic Noorderslag experience.

ITGWO_20260828_PhotographerEmmaPot_DSC09578_LOWRESS
Marta Del Grandi
Marta Del Grandi
Italy
Sigrid
Sigrid
Norway
THE
Dua Lipa
Dua Lipa
United Kingdom
Jaïr Faria
Jaïr Faria
Netherlands
Pip Blom
Pip Blom
Netherlands
EXCHANGE
Claude
Claude
Netherlands
Pip Blom
Pip Blom
Netherlands
Lykke Li
Lykke Li
Sweden
Editors
Editors
United Kingdom
DAME AREA
DAME AREA
Spain
The Chemical Brothers
The Chemical Brothers
United Kingdom
ALUMNI
Priya Ragu
Priya Ragu
Switzerland

The exchange alumni

Marta Del Grandi
Marta Del Grandi
Italy
Sigrid
Sigrid
Norway
Dua Lipa
Dua Lipa
United Kingdom
Jaïr Faria
Jaïr Faria
Netherlands
Pip Blom
Pip Blom
Netherlands
Claude
Claude
Netherlands
Pip Blom
Pip Blom
Netherlands
Lykke Li
Lykke Li
Sweden
Editors
Editors
United Kingdom
DAME AREA
DAME AREA
Spain
The Chemical Brothers
The Chemical Brothers
United Kingdom
Priya Ragu
Priya Ragu
Switzerland
Creme Solaire

How to apply

As said, if you'd like Exchange to help your career move forward across and beyond Europe, you can apply to play at ESNS from May 1 until September 1. After that, we'll take over!

Partner Festivals

"We got a lot of cool shows out of Exchange, it really did great things for us."

The Haunted Youth (Belgium) 2023

"Exchange helped us play more internationally, because we used to play only Austrian and German festivals."

Sharktank (Austria) 2023

"For newcoming artists this is a great opportunity to get some more fans all around the globe."

freekind. (Slovenia and Croatia) 2023

"Some bookers booked us because they couldn’t get in at our show, so they booked us through Exchange so they could still see us."

Tramhaus (The Netherlands) 2022

"We have never played so many shows in such a little amount of time."

The Academic (Ireland) 2016

What we stand for

At European Talent Exchange, we believe live music doesn’t just sound good, it moves borders, connects cultures, and kickstarts careers. We’re here to fast-track the next wave of European artists by getting them on international stages and turning up the volume on fresh voices from every genre, language, and identity.

Our secret sauce? A solid (we’ve been around for more than 20 years!) and buzzing network of incredible festivals, music export offices and media partners all across Europe and beyond. We all share the goal of working towards more sustainable, inclusive, and equitable careers for emerging European artists.

By pulling talent from every corner of the continent, we aim to give them the spotlight (and the crowd) they deserve.

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Success stories