In September 2020, English Folk Expo joined 13 music export organisations from around the world in an initiative which united the industry in a nine-week program entitled Global Music Match.
Envisioned by Sounds Australia, Showcase Scotland Expo, and Canada’s East Coast Music Association (ECMA), Global Music Match was piloted with 96 artists to continue raising their profile in international music markets despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, many of these artists will return for a final collaboration – the Global Music Marathon – taking place during Folk Alliance International’s debut digital event Folk Unlocked on Friday, February 26th from 9.30pm – 12.30am (UK time), as part of the event’s closing party.
The marathon is the culmination of the GMM initiative, featuring many of the artists from the pilot program who collaborated to create new video performances that will be premiered during the Global Music Marathon in real time. We are thrilled that many of the English artists who took part in GMM will feature – find out more about team England here.
For a lot of the participating musicians, it won’t be the only time they will appear during Folk Unlocked. To see schedules for the artists as they develop, head to globalmusicmatch.com or folk.org/unlocked.
With the Marathon bringing a formal end to the pilot GMM program, organisers are thrilled to confirm that work is underway towards a second Global Music Match, set to be launched later this year. So we have a whole raft of new global collaborations to look forward to!
Industry can register to attend the (pay what you can) Folk Unlocked Conference, via folk.org/unlocked.
Usually, this in-person version of this amazing event is only available to artists and industry professionals, however, this year music fans are able to tune in to enjoy the Global Music Marathon. The cost to attend as a music fan is up to you and all funds raised go towards The Village Fund – Donations for public access to this event will go to The Village Fund, a grant programme for folk artists and independent music industry professionals experiencing financial hardship, administered by Folk Alliance International.
To register to attend as a music fan click here.
