News

Music Estonia is one of seven organisations given funding by the Estonian Business and Innovation Agency (EIS), with support from the European Union, for a creative industries development project. In total, seven projects across the creative sector received nearly €1 million in funding.

The aim of Music Estonia’s project is to strengthen the export capacity of Estonian music and music technology companies in neighbouring markets, with a particular focus on Finland, Latvia and Sweden. Preparatory activities are already underway, the first opportunities for companies will open in the second half of 2026, and the project will run until mid-2028.

STEP Export Programme Supports Systematic Market Entry

The project’s core activity is the STEP Export Programme, which supports companies through a structured market entry process: preparation, building contacts in target markets, and follow-up activities.

As part of the programme, participating companies will attend key industry events across the region, as for example Music x Media, Riga Music Week and Stockholm Music Week. The programme also includes curated business meetings and opportunities to build long-term partnerships with companies across the music sector. The objective is to move beyond one-off networking towards sustainable and systematic market engagement.

TechTrack Supports Music Technology Companies

Another key component of the project is TechTrack, an incubation programme designed specifically for music technology companies. The programme helps participants refine their value proposition, validate it in target markets and strengthen their export readiness, with a particular emphasis on Sweden. It also supports the development of international partnerships within neighbouring markets.

By bringing together expertise from both the music and technology sectors, TechTrack creates opportunities for new collaborations, innovative business models and internationally scalable solutions.

Bringing International Expertise Across Estonia

The project also includes the SPOT music business seminar series, which will take place in different regions of Estonia. The seminars aim to strengthen regional development by improving access to international expertise and industry networks beyond Tallinn.

The seminars will bring together local entrepreneurs, music industry professionals and international experts, encouraging knowledge exchange and creating new collaboration opportunities.

In addition, international experts—primarily from neighbouring markets—will be invited to Estonia to contribute as mentors, participate in follow-up activities after international networking trips, and share their expertise at local music and music technology events. This will facilitate knowledge transfer and strengthen international cooperation networks.

Music Estonia and EIS: Strategic Cooperation to Strengthen Exports

According to Kadi Haljand, Creative Industries Development Manager at EIS, it is encouraging to see the strategic partnership between EIS and Music Estonia continue to develop, with this project representing another important step towards strengthening Estonia’s knowledge-intensive creative economy.

“This funding programme is important because it enables umbrella organisations and other key ecosystem partners across the creative industries to play a systematic role in developing companies’ export capabilities. This allows knowledge, international contacts and practical support services to reach a much larger number of companies, creating a significantly broader impact than individual activities alone.”

According to Ave Sophia Demelemester, Director of Music Estonia, the organisation has consistently invested in strengthening the knowledge and capabilities of music industry professionals through seminars, workshops and development programmes.

“Our previous development programme centred around the AMP Development and AMP Focus programmes, which provided structured support for music companies—from business diagnostics and mentoring to international networking and market entry. We also organised both national and international mentoring programmes for artists and companies while placing a strong emphasis on regional development. In recent years, Music Estonia has increasingly focused on the intersection of music and technology, as well as cross-sector collaboration, and this new project enables us to continue that work.”

Haljand adds that the project demonstrates how a sector umbrella organisation can think beyond conventional approaches and create new opportunities for Estonian companies to develop and export their products and services.

“It is particularly encouraging to see music technology playing such an important role in the project. The TechTrack programme is an excellent example of how a service piloted last year has evolved into a substantial development initiative. This kind of continuity, responsiveness to companies’ needs and cross-sector collaboration is exactly what helps strengthen the international competitiveness of Estonia’s creative businesses and creates new export opportunities.”

Demelemester also highlights the strategic importance of neighbouring markets, noting that the project will strengthen the position of Estonia’s music sector across the Baltic Sea region.

“We believe this project will reinforce the position of Estonia’s music sector throughout the Baltic Sea region while strengthening Estonia’s image as an innovative and internationally connected music country. Our approach is to treat neighbouring markets as an extension of the domestic market for Estonian companies. Estonia’s small home market inevitably limits growth, making international expansion essential. Neighbouring markets offer a cost-effective, lower-risk and more sustainable pathway to internationalisation, making them a natural priority for developing Estonian music exports.”

Funded Projects

The organisations receiving funding are:

• South-East Estonia Wood Cluster – Taking Wood Cluster Companies to International Markets – €150,000
• Estonian Centre for Contemporary Art – Export Programme for Contemporary Art Companies – €149,940
• Music Estonia – Strengthening the Export Capacity of Music Companies in Neighbouring Markets – €149,855.47
• Estonian Centre for Architecture – AR/EKS Architecture Export Programme – €149,932.65
• Estonian Marketing Association – Export Support Services Programme 2026–2027 – €150,000
• Estonian Entrepreneurship University of Applied Sciences Mainor – Developing a Creative Industries Export Support Network and International Competitiveness – €150,000
• Estonian Film Institute – Film Export Accelerator – €148,724.31

The objective of the funding programme is to help Estonian creative businesses increase exports, establish new international partnerships and strengthen their competitiveness in foreign markets.