MIL 2023: We need to talk about this!

On September 27, 28, and 29, the MIL convention will be the meeting point for professionals in the music and cultural sector. The intensive program of training, sharing, and networking is now being revealed. Mark these working days on your agenda.

With a long tradition of discovering and promoting popular music, MIL is more than just a festival; it’s a space for training, empowerment, and sharing ideas and visions for the cultural sector. It is aimed at workers and students in the cultural field, with a particular focus on music industry professionals.

The convention will take place at the Creative Hub of Beato and will feature a wide range of activities, including debates, lectures, workshops, round-table discussions, presentations, and meetings. These will be organized around four thematic areas: Music Industry, Cultural Policies, Night Economy, and Accessibility, Sustainability, and Ethics.

This year, the convention’s program revolves around these themes, exploring topics such as the use of AI in artistic creation, the music festival market and its audiences, the working model of agents and artistic career managers, and the near-future of the digital market. Participants will question the rationale behind cultural policies, discuss the invisibility of culture in public discourse, and address labor rights and care practices for the cultural sector. There will also be discussions on cultural decentralization models and a critical self-reflection exercise within the sector. Additionally, the importance of measuring the vitality of the night economy and recognizing the cultural value of nightlife will be explored, along with examining the impact of tourism on the cultural life of cities. The convention will also focus on physical accessibility in venues and grassroots festivals and will continue to observe good practices in environmental sustainability.

These and other convention themes can be explored at millisboa.com.

The MIL convention will kick off with three customary lectures, bringing together Kelman Duran & DJ Marfox, two of the most prominent dance music producers of today. The training program already includes the following workshops: Sync & Music Supervision, with António Porém Pires (Music Supervisor for national productions “Rabo de Peixe” and “Glória” for Netflix); European Funds for Internationalization, with Francisco Cipriano (responsible for European Funds and Culture Program at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation); Music Playlist Distribution Strategy on Streaming Services, with Brunno Constante (sales manager at Believe); and Sowing the Seeds of Change – How can the music industry prepare for a more resilient future?, with Frank Kimenai (Researcher and music ecosystem consultant based in Amsterdam).

As a space for networking, business, and internationalization, MIL promotes moments of encounter and sharing between artists and music industry agents. For this edition, several international festivals and programming venues have already confirmed their participation. Notable names include Primavera Sound (Barcelona), VIDA Festival (Barcelona), SINSAL (Vigo), BAM Festival (Barcelona), Monkey Week (Alhambra), Nuits Sonores (Lyon), MaMA Festival (Paris), Festival Art Rock (Bretagne), SIM São Paulo (Brazil), Eurosonic Nooderslag (Groningen), Le Guess Who? (Utrecht), Festival Iminente (Lisbon), ZigurFest (Lamego), SHARPE (Bratislava), and FiftyLab (Brussels), among others. Several record labels and agencies will also be present, including Believe, Bandcamp, Mais Um Disco, Secretly Group, 4AD, Ground Control, Earth Agency, SOMA Cultura, Candy Artists, Limitrophe, Resonance Agency, Bird of the Wire, Last Tour, among others.

Over the course of the 3-day convention and festival, more than 800 professionals and artists will gather in Lisbon for MIL. The MIL PRO professional pass costs 60€ (early bird at 50€) and grants access to the convention, concerts, and the database that connects all professionals. Those who only wish to attend the convention can opt for the MIL Convenção pass, which costs 20€ (early bird at 15€) and 10€ for students.

Tickets solely for the festival cost 30€ (early bird at 25€), and the daily ticket is priced at 20€ (early bird at 15€). The artistic program already includes performances by various artists such as 5a Punkada, Aita Mon Amour, Amaia Miranda, Ana Lua Caiano, April Marmara, badtime, bbb hairdryer, Bebé, Black Pantera, Body Of Pain, Cobrafuma, comforter2, Cuarto Mundo, Dina Jashari, Don Kapot, Éllàh Barbosa, Eurowitch, Fearz, Femme Falafel, Gaiko, Getúlio Abelha, Glockenwise, Hanaa Ouassim, Hetta, Jens, Jessica Winter, João Borsch, Johnny Labelle, Julia Mestre, Kaê Guajajara & Kandu Puri, Krissy Mary, Leo Middea, Libra, Lucy Val, Margarida Campelo, Meia/Fé, Napa, Paco Moreno, Paper Tapes, Papillon, Ricardo Crávidá, Shoko Igarashi, Société Étrange, Teo Planell, Tex, Tristán!, William Araújo, and YMNK.

The MIL is supported by the Lisbon City Council, DGArtes of the Ministry of Culture, GDA Foundation, French Ministry of Culture, and Tourism of Portugal. For more information and tickets, visit millisboa.com.