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Estonian Music Industry Awards ceremony 2022 opening speech by Ave TÖLPT, Director of Music Estonia

Good evening, dear colleagues in the music industry, partners and promoters!

This year there has been more of everything; also more of overwhelming challenges which once again transcend our current belief in a values-based and sustained worldview. But there is also more of us in this shared physical and mental space than ever before. There is more closeness, and willingness to stand up for our field and to maintain our profession. In difficult times, culture always has a responsibility to be a shaper of common values and a keeper and promoter of peace, which is more important than ever in these turbulent times. Seeing the field of music today in such abundance gives us all hope to endure and move forward. Let us rejoice in each other and in our common achievements. Together we are stronger – both in spirit and in values.

The abundance of different categories shows that our sector has professionalised. As a result, we now have more areas of activity in the field to notice and recognise. Tonight we will additionally award special prizes. Recognition and attention to the support structures of the field is the key to the development of our industry, to the involvement of new people and also to our internationalisation. Therefore, it is important to acknowledge more, to notice the commitment, to come together and thus bring more peace. Thank you to each of the nominees for their contribution to the advancement of the music industry. Thanks to your work we are here today, and we can grow. This is a sign of an active community.

I would also like to say a big thank you to our partners: co-organisers Estonian Association of Phonogram Producers and Estonian Authors’ Society; Estonian Performers Association; City of Tallinn; our long-time supporter Piletilevi; Radiustech, who takes excellent care of the technical side of this evening; Proto, a wonderful place to celebrate already for the second year; and Terminal, who will welcome us for an after-party. We thank our strategic partner Tallinn Music Week, with whom we can call this day the focus day of the Estonian music industry and one of the biggest gathering points of the year.

Finally, I pay the greatest respect to Taavi Esperk, the project manager of EMEA 2022, who has led this ever-growing and rich event with utmost dedication.

There was a very beautiful idea about the Estonian word for entertainment, meelelahutus, on the focus day today: Instead of having our minds diverted, let us bring them together! This came from Anu Kivilo, CEO of the Arvo Pärt Centre. Have a wonderful evening everyone, and let us cherish one another!