IOMMA 2016: Building Bridges To The Future
Industry professionals from around the world, 22 showcase performances, 4 nights of unearthing music that stirs the very core of the human soul – if last year’s edition is anything to go by, the upcoming Indian Ocean Music Market (IOMMA) 2016 is set to be equally iconic. Now in its fifth edition, the leading music market has garnered a reputation for being a hub of rich cultural exchange, featuring a series of conferences, networking sessions between delegates, and vibrant showcase performances taking place from May 30th – June 2nd in Reunion Island.
A longstanding partner and fellow supporter of the arts EarthSync has been working with IOMMA for several years facilitating cultural exchanges between artists of India and Reunion Island. “We see exceptionally talented artists in regions where unfortunately the music market is not as cohesive as it could be, which often leads to these artists missing out on development opportunities that would nurture their art” says Sonya Mazumdar, CEO, EarthSync, “this is the area that EarthSync and initiatives like IOMMA look to change, providing structures that can give artists the tangible support systems and visibility they deserve”.
Every year a delegation comprising key individuals of the Indian industry travels to Reunion Island to facilitate these cross border exchanges, with this year’s contingent featuring Sonya Mazumdar (EarthSync), Divya Bhatia (Jodhpur RIFF), Kaushik Dutta (Song of Soul) and Naveen Deshpande (Mixtape). “I have been very lucky to visit the IOMMA Conference/Sakifo Festival for the past 3 years thanks to the Indiearth XChange” says Naveen, founder of artist management/booking agency Mixtape, “We have been working on an exchange model for the past 2 years to build new territory for artists emerging out of the EU/IO region and I am happy to say that the model has been successful so far. I’m looking forward to presenting the idea with all the documentation of our past work at this year’s conference, and am also excited to scout new artists for our next season here in India!”
IOMMA’s yearly lineup features exceptional artists of all sonic leanings – traditional Reunnionais Maloya blues musicians like Saodaj and Urbain Phileas, electronica trio 340Million from Mozambique, Australian reggae/dub troupe Kingfisha, South African hop hop master/beat poet Kemet Raheem, the exuberant energy of artists like Mounawar, The Dizzy Brains, and Ziia & The Swing Mates. This year, 10 piece South Indian folk troupe Tapatham will also be performing – an outcome of EarthSync’s music, film, and media conference IndiEarth XChange where the act was first discovered by IOMMA’s programming heads during their performance. “Reunion Island has a vastly developed French cultural sector and hosts a very dynamic musical scene” says Eric Juret of IOMMA, “Reunion has also a long and intense history with India – our rhythms and sounds have roots in Africa and India and it inspires many of our bands. That’s why we built bridges with efficient partners like the music market IndiEarth Xchange and different music festivals to boost the exchange of artists between our countries”.
The conference program this year is equally eclectic covering a wide range of topics – from breaking down the process of digital distribution and selling one’s music, to a discussion on the impact of festivals on local economic development. EarthSync’s Sonya Mazumdar will host a panel titled “Festival Programming: Tips and Tricks for Sellers” featuring an elite panel of festival directors from around the world.
For more information check out the IOMMA website: http://iomma.net/
For live updates from the festival, head over to EarthSync’s Facebook page here.
IOMMA 2015 – The movie ! from IOMMA on Vimeo.
Photos Courtesy: www.iomma.net
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