Jazz Futures Conference at 12 Points

Jazz Futures Conference at 12 Points, in collaboration with Better Live and Tampere City Library

At each edition of 12 Points we like to take advantage of having the collective minds of jazz professionals to discuss where jazz music is now and, more importantly, where it will be in 5, 10 or 20 years.

Jazz Futures has become an annual ‘State of the EUnion’ for industry professionals and an important opportunity and platform for debate, interaction, and action at European level.

This year, in collaboration with the Better Live programme and Tampere City Library, panels and discussions explore the future of jazz in relation to the environment and sustainability amongst other topics. The Better Live programme is a Creative Europe-funded initiative, exploring sustainable concerts and low-carbon tours with 11 European partners.

Professional musicians and all music-lovers interested in the musical world are welcome to attend.

Jazz Futures Programme, Friday 27th

13:30-15:30 Building a responsible tour in today's music industry

Location: Main Library Metso (address Pirkankatu 2), room Pihlaja (located on the basement floor)

Pierre Dugelay leads an engaging and practical workshop exploring the challenges, possibilities and practical tips of more sustainable touring with specific focus on the challenges and opportunities for musicians.

Despite a very positive image in public opinion, live performance has its share of negative effects in various aspects. How can we design tours that are economically, socially and ecologically responsible?

European projects such as “Better Live”, supported by Le Périscope and other European structures like G Livelab and IMC, are leading a wide-ranging reflection on these issues. This workshop will be an opportunity to share an overview of the impact of live music on climate change, in particular, and to examine together the ways in which our sector can move forward.

We’ll also understand the role of the artist in these changes, and the responsibilities of the various players involved.

Pierre Dugelay is Director of Le Périscope in Lyon, a club and residency venue, space for creation and invention. He is also Vice President of Association Jazz Croisé, and has been a lead on a number of European Cooperation projects, including Better Live, Footprints, and Jazz Connective. At Le Périscope and as part of these projects he works with partners to collaborate and improve on the structures of the improvised music world, exploring practical ways to create a more eco-friendly scene while still focusing on artistic excellence and artist welfare.

16:00 Keynote and performance by Selma Savolainen

Location: Main Library Metso (address Pirkankatu 2), Music department (2nd floor)

Finnish 12 Points 2024 performer Selma Savolainen’s interview and short performance with pianist Toomas Keski-Säntti.

Jazz Futures Programme, Saturday 28th

9:30-9:45 Introduction talk from Virgo Sillamaa

Location: Main Library Metso (address Pirkankatu 2), room Lehmus (located on the basement floor)

Virgo Sillamaa is a music policy and ecosystem researcher, educator and consultant from Estonia, currently based in Brussels. With 20+ years of experience in the music sector, he is currently the Research Coordinator of EMEE, European Music Exporters Exchange network, and a board member at the Estonian Authors’ Society.

9:45-11:15 – Panel Discussion: Co-programming as a way for sustainable touring – a real strategy or a green dream?

Location: Main Library Metso (address Pirkankatu 2), room Lehmus (located on the basement floor)

The Better Live project aims to show that creating longer tours with optimised routing, adding diverse kinds of events in smaller places is a way to make touring more sustainable. Both in the sense of reducing the overall carbon footprint from artist and audience mobility as well as taking more culture to smaller places. This can add up to “deep mobility” – more meaningful for the touring artists, enriching for the localities as well better for the planet.

But is this really realistic? Increasing co-programming requires increased cooperation between presenters, bookers and artists. And balancing the focus on optimising only for profit margins (or survival level viability) with other values such as more meaningful connection with smaller places. Meanwhile, on the same planet, Taylor Swift’s tours keep swaying the GDPs of whole countries and multinational corporations keep squeezing the last out of already faltering live music economies.

Why should we still act also on a grassroots level and how to do it? What are the main challenges we must face and which opportunities are we looking to seize?

The session begins with a presentation by Virgo Sillamaa, introducing why, what and how the Better Live project approaches these issues and follows up with a panel discussion that is expected to grow into an open exchange and debate with the audience on these matters.

Panellists: tbc

Moderator: Virgo Sillamaa, EMEE & Better Live, research coordinator