WOMEX

WOMEX is an international networking platform for the world music industry. The annual five-day event comprises a bustling Trade Fair, Showcase Festival, Conference, and Film programme, as well as festive Opening and Award ceremonies.

Twenty-one WOMEX editions have affirmed the value of networking across borders, be they musical, political, cultural or commercial. Since 1994, WOMEX has been travelling all across Europe from Berlin (1994), via Brussels (1995), Marseille (1997), Stockholm (1998), Berlin (1999 + 2000), Rotterdam (2001), Essen (2002 + 2004), Newcastle (2005), Sevilla (2003 + 2006 – 2008), Copenhagen (2009-2011), Thessaloniki (2012) to Cardiff (2013), Santiago de Compostela (2014) and Budapest (2015).

The 22nd edition of WOMEX will take place in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain, from Wednesday, 19 to Sunday, 23 October 2016.

WOMEX is Pro-Diversity

We and many delegates we talk to aim to strengthen the role of culture in this debate and see their work in an even broader context than the refugee debate suggests. The world music community is able to – and needs to – contribute to cross-cultural understanding. We hope, and in fact we are sure about it, that you are in it with us, by hosting, participating in and promoting the WOMEX community and spreading its values through art.

For more information about WOMEX’s commitment to diversity and against xenophobia of all forms, please see our International Press Statement.

RESOURCES

WOMEX 16 Showcase Trailer

YouTube Playlist: Live at WOMEX 15

YouTube Playlist: WOMEX 15 Conference Sessions, As They Happened

The WOMEX Photographers are:

Jacob Crawfurd (Denmark)
Yannis Psathas (Greece)
Eric van Nieuwland (The Netherlands)

Reviews

“Bringing together professionals from the worlds of folk, roots and traditional music and more in an extraordinary five-day event, WOMEX remains a key highlight on the global music scene.”
IMEXSA Independent Music Exporters South Africa.

“One of the highlights of the annual WOMEX conference (besides the discovery of awesome music!) is that it is truly a gathering of the tribes – devoted, passionate cultural entrepreneurs and international music lovers from all over the world who provide continuous inspiration for the following year until we meet again!”
Catalina Maria Johnson (USA), Radio Host/Producer and Music Journalist, Beat Latino

“I visit quite a few showcase events and conferences every year and WOMEX is always the highlight. There’s always a lot of good music and some great music, but even more than that, the spirit of WOMEX is music and enjoyment first, business second, which means, rather than dog eat dog just under the surface, there’s a sense of a bunch of very different people who form a floating collegiate.”
Nick Hobbs (UK/Turkey), Charmworks

More…

Numbers

In the 2015 edition, WOMEX attracted …

Over 2,500 delegates representing 1,500 companies from 90 countries;
875 concert and festival bookers, tour promoters and venues;
500 labels, publishers and distributors;
390 governmental, educational and other institutions;
630 individual booking agents, 540 managers and 250 producers;
320 national and international journalists;
More than 60 Showcase acts with 280 artists from 50 countries on 7 stages;
The fourth WOMEX DJ Summit with a specific Showcase programme & Network Meeting dedicated to global club music;
The Opening Concert: ‘Gypsy HeartBeats‘;
A bustling Trade Fair with 680 exhibiting companies from 54 countries at more than 270 stands.
80 speakers and mentors from 40 countries in 23 Conference Sessions; numerous Network Meetings, Mentoring formats and Presentations;
15 daytime and evening film screenings co-produced in 19 countries and curated for the first time by WOMEX;
Three WOMEX Awards honouring Cheikh Lô from Senegal; Ramin Sadighi from Iran; and label of the year, Glitterbeat Records, based in Germany;
The WOMEX Radio Studio organised by MTVA (Hungary), in cooperation with EURORADIO of the EBU (European Broadcasting Union) and NRK (Norway);
virtualWOMEX – your online gateway to the global music community.

Language

International English is the lingua franca of the professional music community in general, the world music community in particular and the WOMEX choice for successful interaction.