NASA
November 6-7 2025
9:30 – 17:00
Iceland Airwaves is a globally recognised brand with an outstanding reputation for shining light on new music talent.
This year’s conference welcomes music industry delegates and press from all over the world with great speakers and opportunities for networking.
The conference is held in collaboration with Iceland Music, Reykjavík Music City and Business Iceland.
Press and photographers should visit the press page here.
Please note, we reserve the right to make changes in rates and schedule. The industry pass does not guarantee access to potential invite only events, other limited-capacity workshops and networking events or concerts after the capacity is filled. Some of the networking sessions may require enrollment.
Take a peek at what’s to come!
Interested in what we had on last year? Click here.
What comes first, the team or the breakthrough? This panel dives into the chicken-or-egg dilemma of music management. Industry experts discuss whether it’s better to build a strong team to achieve success or to break through first and then attract the right team. We’ll also explore the evolving role of a manager in today’s music landscape and what it takes to build and sustain a successful career.
Moderator
Paul Stokes (Writer/Broadcaster)
Panelists
James Sandom
(Red Light Management)
Ruth Barlow (Beggars Group)
Steinunn Camilla (Iceland Sync Creative)
Will Larnach-Jones (London Records)
Is there space for dissidence in today’s hyper-capitalized music industry? Do artists risk alienation by speaking their minds? What challenges do they face in balancing career goals with their principles? Can everyone afford to speak up, or is this privilege reserved for a few? Gain insights from industry insiders and artists on retaining integrity in a competitive musical
Moderator
Anna Hildur Hildibrandsdottir (Bifröst University)
Panelists
Ai Jing (Haze Sounds)
Ariane Mohr (Reeperbahn Festival)
Diana Burkot (Pussy Riot/Artist)
Ragnar Kjartansson (Artist)
Join key players in the Icelandic music industry for a conversation on the interplay between the country’s rich musical heritage and its unique cultural infrastructure. This is an opportunity to discover Iceland’s potential as a hub of creativity, collaboration, and innovation for the international music industry.
Moderator
Sophie Leigh Walker (Line of Best Fit/Toast Press)
Panelists
Augustin Eude (One Little Independent)
Colm O’herlihy (INNI)
Kevin Cole (KEXP)
María Rut Reynisdóttir (Iceland Music)
On this panel we dive into the art of modern music marketing, where broad strokes strategies are being abandoned and replaced by intensely focussed, story-driven campaigns. This panel will highlight how the precision of storytelling is reshaping music promotion and how the exploitation of the parasocial relationship between artist and superfan has become the key to a successful campaign.
Moderator
Peter McGaughrin (Red Light Management/Chess Club Records)
Panelists
Brian Lowit (Dischord Records & Lowitt Records)
Hildur Maral (OPIA Community)
Júnía Jónsdóttir (Creative Director)
Natasha Cutts (Hoof Management)
Back during lockdown with everyone missing live music, Tim realised we all had the opportunity to take part in one great big listening party and used Twitter as the platform to do so. Since then he’s hosted over a thousand real-time album playbacks with artists and turned the virtual event into a live experience as well as an award winning podcast series. Now, Tim will bring the Party to Iceland where he will be joined by Of Monsters and Men on a journey through their debut album ‘My Head is an Animal’. We’ll hear unique stories and exclusive insights into one of the most successful albums to come out of the country as Tim, once again, recreates the World’s Biggest Listening Party.
Tim Burgess (The Charlatans)
Nanna Hilmarsdóttir (OMAM)
Brynjar Leifsson (OMAM)
In an era defined by shifting royalty models, AI, self managed careers and the looming uncertainty of promotional platforms like TikTok, where do CMOs stand in 2025? Are they outdated gatekeepers, or essential infrastructure for protecting creators in a fragmented digital economy? This panel brings together voices from both sides of the table to ask if collective rights advocacy can still deliver in a world where artists are expected to be their own marketers, managers, and monetizers. What do artists actually need now? Can CMOs evolve with the times? And what’s at stake if they don’t?
Moderator
Pétur Jónsson (Medialux Music)
Panelists
Guðrún Björk Bjarnadóttir (STEF)
MORE TBA
This is not your regular AI panel, but a session that cuts through the noise with a practical roadmap for how the music industry can actually work with AI today. From personalized fan engagement to smarter A&R, rights management, and smarter business processes, we’ll explore the real-world tools already reshaping how music is marketed, monetized, and managed. This isn’t about replacing people, it’s about unlocking new potential through creative, strategic partnership.
Moderator
Daddi Guðbergsson (E4)
Panelists
Saga Úlfarsdóttir (AI Consultant)
MORE TBA
A new generation is here, and they are different. As music habits and consumption splinter and youth culture evolves, showcase festivals are struggling to keep up. This conversation goes deeper than outreach, it’s about co-creating with a new generation and sparking something they want to be part of. From inclusive spaces to co-creation and content ownership, we’ll unpack how to build real connections and inspire the next generation to show up, speak up, and take part.
Moderator
Will Larnach-Jones (London Records)
Panelists
Neal Thompson (Focus Whales)
Snorri Ástráðsson (All Things Live Denmark)
Lama-sea Dear (marvaða)
MORE TBA
While global stars are selling out fast, the rest of the live industry is under pressure. Soaring costs, slower ticket sales, and crowded calendars are squeezing small-to-mid-level events, with festivals folding and buyer behavior shifting. Is this a passing phase or the new normal? This panel brings together agents and promoters to unpack what’s working, what’s not, and how we protect the future of live music beyond the headliners.
Moderator
Gordon Masson (IQ Magazine)
Panelists
TBA
TBA
TBA
The Airwaves Conference welcomes everyone from musicians to music executives, and everything in-between.
Booking Agents, Composers, Culture Funds, DSPs, Export Bureaus, Festival Programmers, Funding Bodies, Media, Music Managers, Music Publishers, Music Supervisors, Musicians, Public Relations companies, Radio stations and programmers, Record Labels, Tour Promoters + more.
ATC Live, ATC Management, AWAL, BBC6 Music News, Big Dipper Management, By:Larm Festival, Brooklyn Vegan, Coda Agency, Disney/Freeform, Domino Music Publishing, Eurosonic Nooderslag, Flow Festival, KEXP, Keychange/PRS, Kobalt Music, Les Inrockuptibles, MIT, Netflix, NME, Paradigm Agency, Pitch and Smith, Reeperbahn Festival, Roskilde Festival, Sony Music, Spotify, Stereogum, The Current, The Line of Best Fit, The Orchard, United Talent Agency, Universal Music, William Morris Endeavour + more.