March 24 to 26
Belgrade
Belgrade in the Centre of Attention of the Music Industry for Three Days
Belgrade is in the centre of attention of the music industry from the region and beyond, from March 24 to 26. The KONTAKT conference, which brings together music professionals, has opened.
2022 Kontakt was opened by Dr Ivan Ilić – Ilke, President of the Board of the Belgrade Festivals Centre – CEBEF and President of the Association of Jazz, Pop and Rock Musicians of Serbia, who said: ‘Thank you all for such a good response, a large number of talented artists and skilled managers has gathered in one place who can contribute to our entire musical life, at a very good and high level. By sharing experiences and ideas, we will all be richer.’
The first panel, ‘Presentation of the Association of Managers of Serbia’, which had significant guests from abroad, drew a lot of attention. The panel was led by Ivan Milivojev, and guests were Márton Náray, director of SoundCzech from the Czech Republic and Jake Beaumont-Nesbitt from Great Britain, manager and associate of many world stars, including Radiohead, Rihanna, Norman Cook and Beyonce. Jake is an advisor to the International Music Manager's Forum (IMMF) in the field of artists business models and intellectual property policy. Foreign guests gave a number of useful tips on how to start an international career, concluding that ‘an artist's manager is actually a brand manager’ and that long-term planning should be done.
The first day of 2022 KONTAKT was also marked by a conversation about the 40 years of the ‘Leaves Covering Lisbon’ record of the cult Serbian band Električni orgazam, which was attended by musicians who had worked on this album: Srđan Gojković – Gile, Toni Jurij who came from Slovenia on this occasion, Jovan Jovanović – Grof, Ljubomir Jovanović – Jovec, editor and journalist Zorica Kojić and rock critic Dragan Ambrozić.
The panel of the LIVE EUROPE organization, the theme of which was the survival of the concert industry, was very noticeable, with the participation of Fernando Bittencourt Hersan from Belgium, Vladica Mladenovski Grga from Macedonia, Matjaž Manček from Slovenia, moderated by Dijana Lakuš from Croatia.
As part of the Kontakt conference, a sales exhibition of digital drawings by Branislav Babić Kebra was opened in ‘Kula’ at Cetinjska 15. The exhibition of digital drawings by the frontman of the legendary Serbian band Obojeni program lasts until March 31.
The concert part of the programme began in the sold-out Anti Shop Elektropionir with a top rock concert by Nikola Vranjković, and at the same time, for fans of contemporary classical music, pianists Branka Parlić and Nataša Penezić held a concert followed by ovations at the Ilija M. Kolarac Endowment.
The Kontakt conference is organized by the production company ‘Kontakt konferencija’, the concert agency ‘Odličan hrčak’ and the Belgrade Festivals Centre – CEBEF, under the auspices of the City of Belgrade. For additional information, the website www.kontakt.org.rs is available.
