WOMEX 26 announces conference sessions and speakers

WOMEX 26 announces conference sessions and speakers

WOMEX 26, taking place in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain from 21 to 25 October 2026, has announced its first two waves of conference sessions, mentoring sessions and networking events, with speakers drawn from across the global music industry.

Conference sessions announced to date address some of the most pressing issues facing the sector. These include Beyond Sound Barriers: Resilience and Collective Care, strengthening artistic freedom through solidarity, reflection and exchange; Fair Touring Futures: Rethinking Global Live Music, from structural barriers to shared solutions; Follow the Money: How Bad Metadata Steals Your Royalties, addressing royalty payment and data issues; Fight for the Right to Party!, towards an accessible and inclusive music and nightlife scene; From Emerging to Essential: Southeast Asia as Market and Partner; Moving Past the Viral Moment, on building long-term artist careers; Musical Archaeology: From Archives to World Stages; and Reggaeton in Dispute, exploring gender, pleasure and power.

Mentoring sessions cover mental health in the creative industry, sustainable careers for music managers, music ROI modelling, global career-building for artists from the Global South, Ibero-American booking strategy and music publishing and sync. Networking sessions include an International Music Managers Networking Session, a Festival Networking Session and the 17th annual Women of the World Networking Session.

The Summer Rate for WOMEX 26 registration remains open until 28 August 2026. For further information, visit womex.com