Stockholm Music Week is officially returning from May 19 to 26, 2027. Founder Johan Seidefors shares what’s in store.
Earlier this year, the inaugural Stockholm Music Week took place, centered around Slakthusområdet with activities taking place across all of Stockholm. The team behind the week announces that a follow-up next year is now confirmed.
Stockholm Music Week 2027 will run from May 19 to 26, once again based out of Slakthusområdet. Next year’s slogan is: Music is Prophecy.
The goal is to offer more stages and a more modular program aimed at a larger and more varied audience. The founding partners of Stockholm Music Week are Ifpi Sweden, the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, Stockholm Business Region, and Stim.
Johan Seidefors and Casper Schaber lead the initiative together, with Johan sharing what to expect for 2027.
How would you summarize this year’s Stockholm Music Week?
– I am incredibly proud that, in a very short amount of time, we managed to bring the entire music ecosystem together and collectively execute a high-quality, modern, and international music week – featuring 22 partners, 14 different activities, and two packed, inspiring conference days.
– The feedback we gathered has been encouraging and positive, but naturally also constructive regarding the program, topics, and speakers. I view the turnout and interest from music, politics, academia, and business as strong validation that Stockholm can and should build its position as a central international meeting place for the global music industry’s future issues.
How many attended Stockholm Music Week 2026, and what are you aiming for with next year’s week?
– Interest exceeded all expectations and the demand for places was much greater than we could have imagined – and ultimately cater to. A positive problem, of course. We want to welcome more types of participants in 2027, but we see no intrinsic value in immediately maximizing the number of conference seats.
– We are building further on the philosophy of quality over quantity. SMW should attract interesting visionaries, decision-makers, artists, and music makers who break patterns and dare to challenge the status quo. We want to see an increased number of international guests to create a personal, informal, and high-class networking environment here in Stockholm.
Will SMW 2027 look the same as this year, or will there be changes?
– Naturally, we are raising our ambitions, but we are still in the building phase and there is plenty to improve, not least behind the scenes. It feels encouraging that virtually all partners involved in 2026 have indicated they want to continue participating and building SMW long-term. Plus, a whole group of new people and companies are joining.
– We want to retain our curiosity, and hopefully, the program will be even sharper – we believe in live stage conversations rather than keynotes or broad panels. A long-term goal is for SMW to establish itself as an obvious ”must-attend” event in the global music industry, where we welcome an even larger international audience to Stockholm, which in May hopefully shows itself at its best.
Which trends and topics do you see as absolute top priorities to highlight on stage next year?
– We start from the thesis Music is prophecy. What happens in music has on many occasions throughout history signaled the shifts and changes ahead for other industries and society at large. And changes in the industry are happening so remarkably fast right now – and in some cases so dramatically – that it is actually difficult to determine right now, eight months before the next music week, which questions will be most relevant.
– But we want to highlight the music industry’s next growth journey: new business models, rights issues, and different ways to invest in music – as well as looking at who can or should bear responsibility for future talent development. We want more creators on stage and live conversations about creative development, international collaborations, the role of aesthetics, and what actually matters when trying to reach a larger audience. Additionally, we would love to dive deep into how new upcoming generations build community and create subcultures beyond traditional structures. In short, there is no shortage of interesting and relevant topics.
https://stockholmmusicweek.se/
Daniel Johansson
daniel@musikindustrin.se
