- Berlin Music Commission and Musicboard Berlin support the international networking of music professionals, artists and their teams
- 28 international travel projects from Berlin’s music industry and music scene receive funding in 2026
- Funding is being awarded to 17 businesses and music industry professionals, and to eleven projects by artists and their professional teams
- The journeys take participants to festivals, conferences, residencies and collaboration partners across Europe, Africa, Asia, and North and South America
- Focus is on entering new markets, building long-term networks and establishing international collaborations
From Las Palmas to São Paulo, Johannesburg, Kampala and Taipei: in 2026, the Music Ambassador programme of the Berlin Music Commission, together with Musicboard Berlin, is once again connecting Berlin-based music professionals, artists and their teams with international markets, networks and collaboration partners.
A total of 28 travel projects receive funding. This includes 17 companies and professionals from the music industry, as well as eleven projects by artists and their professional teams. The programme aims to open up new markets, establish strong international contacts and initiate professional and artistic collaborations. The funded trips are taking place by 30 November 2026.
Since 2014, the Berlin Music Commission’s Music Ambassador programme has been supporting targeted international travel by professionals from Berlin’s music industry. Funding covers, among other things, visits to international conferences, showcase festivals and trade fairs, market exploration trips, and the initiation and implementation of professional collaborations. For the third time in cooperation with Musicboard Berlin, the programme is also being offered to musicians from Berlin’s pop-cultural scene and their professional teams.
FUNDED TRAVEL PROJECTS IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
The following 17 businesses and professionals from the music industry receive funding in 2026:
- Allegra Boothman Revuelta (F-Cat Productions GmbH): Rabat, Morocco – Visa for Music, showcase festival and conference
- Christian Winzer (Von der Haardt GmbH): Mexico City, Mexico – Cercle Festival; expanding international booking and artist contacts
- Christina Bode (Habitus): Warsaw, Poland – Clubcommission delegation trip and international exchange on working in club culture
- Claudia Schwarz (Music Tech Germany): Chicago, Boston and New York, USA – CMET Summit, keynote on Berlin’s music-tech ecosystem and Berlin–Chicago accelerator
- Claudio Spagnoli (Mars Alliance Publishing): Milan, Italy – Linecheck Festival and Milan Music Week
- Dominique Panther-Robinson (Kiosque Booking): Paris, France – MaMA Music & Convention festival
- Elmar Conzen (Whole GmbH): São Paulo, Brazil – attending industry events and expanding international networks
- Eric Kiafouka (Budde Music Publishing GmbH): Johannesburg, South Africa – ACCES 2026 and initiating a camp with African partners
- Janos Gülker (pøj pøj): London, United Kingdom – International Festival Forum
- Leona Ojake (Refuge Worldwide): Utrecht, Netherlands – Le Guess Who?
- Melissa Kolukisagil (İÇ İÇE, Festival for New Anatolian Music): Utrecht, Netherlands, as well as Istanbul and Dersim, Türkiye – initiating artistic and professional collaborations
- Michail Stangl (DISK, Initiative Bild und Ton): Taipei, Taiwan, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, as well as Shanghai and Beijing, China – Taipei Music Expo, MANA Network and initiating the XAOS collaboration
- Nanja Oedi (AT8 Entertainment): Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok, Thailand – B2B market exploration and initiating collaborations
- Nicole Beck (Digital in Berlin/Kiezsalon): Lecce, Italy – AVANT Festival, as well as research and planning for international collaborations
- Svetlana Müller (PANDA platforma e. V.): Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain – WOMEX 2026
- Zoe Uellendahl (Else Event GmbH): Warsaw, Poland – Clubcommission delegation trip
- Zuri Maria Daiß (The Only Good System): Jinja and Kampala, Uganda – Nyege Nyege Festival, expanding networks and artist scouting
FUNDED TRAVEL PROJECTS BY ARTISTS AND TEAMS
As part of the cooperation with Musicboard Berlin, the following eleven travel projects by artists and their professional teams receive funding:
- Abigail Toll: Sokołowsko, Poland – Unsound Summer Lab, workshop and networking
- Belanze: London, United Kingdom – strengthening queer underground exchange between Berlin and London
- Cate Hops: Taipei, Taiwan – artist residency and collaboration with Lacking Sound Festival
- Didem Özek: Istanbul, Türkiye – professional collaborations and PR visit
- Eilis Frawley: London, United Kingdom, and Newport, Wales – collaborative songwriting, promotion and performance
- JXTS: Johannesburg, South Africa – screening of the visual album
- Matching Outfits: Gothenburg, Sweden – Viva Sounds, showcase festival and conference
- Meg10 (Gizem Adiyaman) and Abigail Tate (Hoe__mies, Sentimental Voices, OXI): Amsterdam, Netherlands – Amsterdam Dance Event, panel and workshop
- Moses Yoofee: Accra, Ghana – initiating and implementing artistic collaborations and songwriting
- Obliviosa (Vanessa Nassall) and Maxi-Sophie Aurora Lasch: Copenhagen, Denmark – songwriting camp
- Stella Marisa (Kordula Marisa Hildebrandt) and Marco Nieschka (HILDEBRANDT FILM GmbH / Creative Humanity AI Hub): Ajaccio, Corsica, France – initiating collaboration with SACEM Délégation Ajaccio and local music networks
THE JURY
The submitted projects were assessed by an independent expert jury comprising three experienced professionals from the music industry:
- Anna Groß, Springstoff
- Anita Richelli, Brighter Agency
- Steffi von Kannemann, Better Things
Website Berlin Music Commission