The Whole Wide World's Got Talent

New Prague showcase gives bands from around the globe a shot at the Czech festival circuit

Rosie Dwelly

Written by Rosie Dwelly Published on 30.10.2013 17:06:50 (updated on 30.10.2013) Reading time: 4 minutes

WIN:We’ve got three pairs of tickets to Nouvelle Prague at this link!

Nouvelle Prague is a brand-new music showcase festival and conference taking place in the unlikely setting of the Staropramen brewery on November 1-2. Drawing inspiration from other music expos such as the UK’s Womex and the Dutch Eurosonic Festival, Nouvelle Prague hopes to provide a well-needed connection between up-and-coming musicians and the country’s promoters and event organisers.

We spoke with Nouvelle’s Michal Rejzek to find out more about this exciting inaugural event.

How and when was Nouvelle Prague conceived? Why Prague?

Nouvelle Prague has been in the pipeline since last year when we realised there was a lack of a showcase festival focused on overseas bands in Europe. Preparation began in spring this year. With its central European location, terrific flight connections and fascinating history, Prague as a city of over 1 million with a large student population, is an ideal place for a boutique, exclusive and targeted showcase event. We were inspired by other showcase events in Europe, but this is our own version because we want to adapt the whole concept to the local conditions and practices.

The Whole Wide World's Got Talent

What’s the aim of the event? Who is it for?

Our aim, in year one, is to partner with up to 5 export offices in terms of presenting artists and staging activities relevant to their objectives in the market and introduce up to ten talented overseas artists who can be the future festival headliners to the Czech crowd. In the long term we want to support and develop the local Czech music sector and provide a platform to exchange business, ideas, networks and activities and build a new kind of music festival for the Czech audience. The conference is for music professionals, booking agents, promoters and anyone who is interested to know more about the music industry. The festival is for all people who are interested in new, trendy music!

Tell us a bit about the organisational team. What are their professional backgrounds?

The team is made up of people who have many years experience in festival management, PR and artist booking. Most people are recruits from Ameba Production, the production company known for organizing Rock for People festival, one of the most important open air events in the Czech Republic, with an annual attendance of over 30,000 visitors. The PR manager has more than 8 years experience with D Smack U Promotion, Grape Festival and Rock for People festival. We also have a really important partnership with Sound Diplomacy, an international company based in the UK with experience organizing showcase festivals in many countries.

What about the bands/performers… Who are they? How were they chosen? What are your top picks?

The performers are very talented international artists from Canada, Australia, South Africa, Israel, Dubai, and New Zealand, all of whom have big chances to be festival headliners in the future. It’s our top picks from all of the bands who were interested in showcasing their music in Prague. We also have two established headliners: Lucy Rose for Friday night and Dilated Peoples for Saturday night.

Headliner Lucy Rose (UK)
Headliner Lucy Rose (UK)

And the conference, who are the panel members? How were they chosen/nominated?

We are very proud that we have attracted some very prestigious panelists for the first edition of the event. We invited people who we think they are truly important in the music industry. We have Martin Elbourne, programmer from Glastonbury festival, Fruszina Szep from Hungarian Sziget festival, Angus Baskerville, agent from 13 artists agency, representing artists such as Radiohead, Arctic Monkeys, Block Party etc. and other very experienced and important music professionals. The full list of panelists can be found on the Nouvelle website at 

How can people get tickets/register for the event?

People can buy tickets from most of the common ticket sales companies including Ticketforpeople, SMSticket, Ticketpro, Ticketstream, Ticketportal. We’re pleased to offer a low introductory price this year as we introduce the concept to the Czech audience.  To register for the conference head to http://nouvelleprague.com/register/

Headliner Dilated Peoples (UK)
Headliner Dilated Peoples (UK)

Event Information:

FRIDAY NOV 1st:

18:15 festival show City of Glass (CAN)

18:55 festival show Little Suns (CAN)

19:35 festival show Jeremy Loops (RSA)

20:15 festival show Dorine Levy (ISR)

21:05 headliner show Lucy Rose (UK)

SATURDAY NOV 2nd:

18:15 festival show Technical Kidman (CAN)

18:55 festival show Local Foreigners (NZ/SAE/UK)

19:35 festival show Neon Windbreaker (CAN)

20:15 festival show Money for Rope (AUS)

21:05 headliner show Dilated Peoples (USA)

 

The Little Suns (CAN)
The Little Suns (CAN)

FRIDAY NOV 1st:

11:30–12:30 THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY IN CZECH MUSIC BUSINESS
Does it make any (business) sense nowadays to run a music club in the Czech Republic? 

13:00–14:00 CROSSING BORDERS, FUNDRAISING, BRANDING, SPONSORSHIP AND OTHER FORMS OF MUSIC EVENT SUPPORT Today, the traditional record market is gone. What other sources of income are available to venues and festivals – apart from ticket sales?

14:55 showcase City of Glass (CAN)

15:40 showcase Little Suns (CAN)

16:25 showcase Jeremy Loops (RSA)

17:10 showcase Dorine Levy (ISR)

SATURDAY NOV 2nd

10:00–11:10  BOOKING RING
Is booking a band only a question of money, or does booking involve any secrets invisible to the naked eye? Is Eastern and Central Europe still considered an emerging market? 

11:30-12:30  CURRENT MUSIC MEDIA / STREAMING / GOING DIGITAL?
A panel dedicated to new technologies and trends in the music world. What is (or may be) the future of music media.

11:30–12:40 SUSTAINABLE MUSIC EVENTS
If you care about green riders, using energy from renewable sources to power your event, waste management plans or other just green issues in general, you should not miss this panel.

14:55 showcase Technical Kidman (CAN)

15:40 showcase Local Foreigners (NZ/SAE/UK)

16:25 showcase Neon Windbreaker (CAN)

17:10 showcase Money for Rope (AUS)

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Which bands would you like to see play your favorite Czech music fest?

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