World's largest online musical collaboration - Global Music Match returns

This year’s iteration follows 2020’s world-first collaboration, which was created in a bid to continue developing profiles for folk-based artists in international music markets within the challenging and unprecedented parameters of COVID-19.

Artists from Australia, Brittany in France, Canada, Catalonia, Chile, Denmark, England, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Scotland, Taiwan, USA and Wales are set to collaborate over the coming three months, in what is thought to be the world’s largest online musical matchmaking programme.

The artists have been grouped into international teams of six, from different countries, and over the coming 12 weeks will collaborate with each other across social media. Each act has an assigned two-week Featured Artist period, during which time their five team-mates will introduce them to five new audiences around the globe - rotated amongst all artists, up to the end of August.

From Norway, the vocalist Kim Rysstad and the group Stampestuen will be a part of this year's artists in Global Music Match (GMM).

- I hope that being able to participate and be a part of such a large network as the GMM is, will give me new knowledge, create engagement and inspiration for new projects, and collaborations across borders, says Rysstad. And it is of course extra fun to meet so many fabulous musicians who are all passionate about the folk genre, he adds.

- We are joining because we want new contacts, both among the artists and the industry people from all over the world. GMM is also a great opportunity for us to learn from the promotional work that other artists do. In the short term, we expect that GMM will create greater awareness for our music and the work on our upcoming second album. In the longer term, we hope it can help us land more gigs internationally, says Jon Brodal in Stampestuen.

Inger Bråten from Killer Inc is one of the mentors during this year's GMM and says that she is really looking forward to the world's largest online music exchange starting next week, where she will coach a team, and at the same time discover 72 artists from 17 countries and 4 continents.

- Over the past year, we have experienced and discovered music through the internet, and artists have only kept in touch with their fans digitally through their social channels. However not all artists are used to working this way, because in the past they have done this through tours at home and abroad. Now there are 78 artist who are about to make new contacts and help each other to reach out to new territories and fans through social media. And when the world becomes normal again and artists can finally tour, they have already shown themselves to an audience. In addition, they have gained more international contacts. And for you as an audience, you have the opportunity to discover so much good music, just by going to www.globalmusicmatch.com. Win-win situation for everyone! Says Bråten.

Last year's program featured Kajsa Balto, Sarah-Jane Summers & Juhani Silvola, Karl Seglem, Darling West, Susanne Lundeng, Guro Kvifte Nesheim (GKN5) and Nordic Fiddlers Block, along with 90 other artists from around the world. All participants also had the opportunity to present themselves under the American Folk Alliance in February (Folk Unlocked).

Global Music Match is supported by following export organizations: Canadian Independent Music Association - CIMA, Catalan Arts (Spain), Chile Musica, Culture Ireland, East Coast Music Association - ECMA (Canada), English Folk Expo, Export Music Sweden, FOCUS Wales, Folk Alliance International (USA), Iceland Music, Italia Music Export (Italy), LUCfest Taiwan, Music Finland, Music Norway, Showcase Scotland Expo, Sounds Australia, Spectacle vivant Bretagne (Brittany, France), Tempi (Denmark).