MUTEK Market
Since 2020, we have established for both the Forum and the Festival a true market component, offering artists, companies, and other professionals in digital creation and electronic music the opportunity to stand out in our ecosystem, expand their networks, and initiate new collaborations. Initially developed during the pandemic and solely focused on virtual exchanges, the market became hybrid in 2022, combining physical and virtual activities.
The Market is divided into 3 components:
- Career development for Canadian artists
- A pool of international professionals
- Matchmaking between selected artists and international broadcasters
It takes place:
- Virtually through the Forum's online networking platform
- Physically during the Festival and the Forum
Market artists
MUTEK Market is primarily a program for accelerating and developing artists' careers. Each edition of the Market presents a selection of around twenty Canadian artists ready for export: these artists (both musical and visual) are programmed and perform at the MUTEK Festival.
The "artistic development" component of this program includes tailor-made training sessions for the selected artists. It consists of a series of online masterclasses held over five weeks (June to July) to prepare artists for industry challenges and professional encounters. The training also offers an individual session with an expert consultant of their choice.
Another element of artistic development is the production of their press kit (EPK) and presentation interviews. By compiling these EPKs, MUTEK produces the Market catalog, which includes a series of recorded interviews in the form of micro-documentaries of each artist, a biography, a professional photo, and audiovisual material of recent works by the artist, including those presented at the festival (photos, videos, music excerpts).
Market buyers
On the buyer's side, the MUTEK Market team implements a strategy targeting international and Canadian programmers from electronic music festivals, digital and media arts festivals, galleries, and exhibition curators. The professionals participating in the MUTEK Market are high-level candidates with purchasing resources that align with our overall export strategy, to buy our selection of artists for their upcoming programming.
Once the Market catalog is produced, it is sent to the selected broadcasters. Professionals can then express their preferences with the aim of meeting the artists during virtual interview sessions.
For buyers, MUTEK offers exclusive access to the Festival and Forum, networking opportunities, and exclusive meetings.
During the festival week, buyers participate in networking cocktails and MUTEK Match, an exclusive session that allows them to explore new opportunities and collaboration strategies while discovering the entire program that MUTEK offers each year.
Are you an industry professional? Are you interested in the MUTEK Market?
Matchmaking
The market connects buyers and artists to participate in individual business meetings that take place virtually one week before the festival, creating a negotiation space and a solid foundation for sales. These virtual interviews allow for an initial meeting to break the ice and optimize time during the Festival and the Forum. They also serve as a valuable promotion and visibility exercise for Market artists.
Operating at an international level and exploring the highest potential of the Canadian network, the MUTEK Market creates new opportunities for artists to generate business worldwide and for organizations to invest in Canadian talent.
Networking platform
The online platform we have been using for 4 years (Swapcard) is a powerful networking tool that allows participants to create their own profile, connect with each other, and arrange individual meetings. Organizations and companies have a dedicated exhibition space showcasing their expertise, services, products, and projects.
Once the Market catalogue is produced, it is featured on the platform. In addition to the individual meetings between artists and distributors set up by our team, all attending professionals can contact the artists and schedule meetings. Conversely, artists have access to the attending professionals and can send them contact requests to initiate meetings.
The Market in numbers
The Market in 2023 consisted of:
- Over 250 companies and organizations from 35 countries
- More than 62 international industry professionals visiting Montreal
- A selection of 20 artists, including 17 artistic projects from Quebec and Canada
- A total of 521 virtual interviews between artists and market professionals.
What artists have to say
It was the first festival where we felt the organizers really cared about the artists' careers. It was incredibly thoughtful and beneficial. We made connections that we wouldn't have been able to establish elsewhere and had discussions about our career that wouldn't have been possible otherwise. We truly felt supported! - April Aliermo (Phedre)
I really appreciated MUTEK Market. It's always challenging to meet the 'right people' in any industry, and the fact that MUTEK vouched for me meant I had a much better chance of being taken seriously than if I had met these people in a different context. MUTEK has already been a great help in my career, and this market experience was the icing on the cake. - Greg Debicki (Woulg)
What professionals are saying:
The resources of MUTEK Market and the one-on-one meetings were very useful and of high quality, with truly interesting artists. - Blake Kammerdiener | SXSW, Austin, US
For a festival like ours, the exposure was fantastic. It was very easy to connect with artists and organizations, not only Canadian but also European. - Yves Conrardy | Rotonde Festival, Luxembourg
You would like to be connected with industry-selected artists with our expertise? Join the MUTEK Market and meet the artists of the 2024 cohort.
