Season peak for Czech music conferences
Thursday sees the start of the music conference ReConnect Brno, one of several such events, often combining industry discussions with showcases and festivals, that take place in Czechia. But like the music industry itself, music conferences have to evolve – bringing in international experts, responding to new trends, merging events or radically changing their concept.
Their programmes offer opportunities to discover new talent, learn about the latest tools and trends, and meet established figures on the Czech and international music scenes. Each of them has developed its own approach to connecting music professionals, artists and audiences.
Czech Music Crossroads took place in late June in Ostrava, while ReConnect Brno and Prague Music Week compete for visitors during the hectic fall season.
What are their ambitions and what do they have to offer?
ReConnect Brno was originally launched as a joint project involving BACH – Brno Club Association, the Music Managers Forum and the Czech Music Export Office SoundCzech. Márton Náray, head of SoundCzech and director of international collaborations at ReConnect Brno, recalls the original idea:
“I was very interested in creating a boutique-sized conference where people could meet, discuss very practical topics and really get some takeaways after the two days spent in Brno.”
One major change this year is the merger of ReConnect with Batch, a showcase festival featuring around a dozen Brno clubs. The two events will form a single platform, ReConnect Brno, from Thursday to Saturday.
Náray highlights several international speakers taking part in this year's programme, including discussions on cooperation between cities and music venues.
“We have Mark Davyd, who is the founder of the Music Venue Trust UK. They are behind many programs including the Agent of Change that saves venues from demolition. Then we also have Jerome Williams, who is the founder of Earth Beat BLip Agency, which is one of the most active booking agencies that went through a merge between a world music and an electronic music agency. They are covering all those fields, with almost 80 artists. We will have lots of venues coming in, lots of agents coming in, and everyone is eager to meet all that are interested in creating new networks and new collaborations.”
In the capital, the fourth edition of Prague Music Week will take place from November 4 to 6 at the Výstaviště exhibition grounds. The event combines a music conference, expo and festival and builds on the legacy of Nouvelle Prague, a pioneering Central European showcase festival, and the Beats Evolution Conference.
Founder Marek Vohralík says this year's program will focus on the growing role of women in the music business:
“Prague Music Week's main topic of 2026 is ‘Women Shaping the Industry’. We want to celebrate the fact that there are more women in the music industry. We want to highlight the success stories and maybe also inspire others to link their career with the music ecosystem.”
One of the most significant Czech names in the line-up will be singer Aneta Langerová as a keynote speaker, but Vohralík also mentions delegates from abroad.
“What I'm personally looking forward to is a panel about data in the music industry with Christine Osazuwa, who is a data expert that works with basically all major labels. We are looking forward to welcoming her. Vasja Veber, who is a CEO and founder of the Viberate, the data platform, and many others that will make this year of the conference, festival and expo unforgettable.”
In Ostrava, Czech Music Crossroads was launched 11 years ago as a showcase festival designed to help Czech artists and music professionals build international networks and potentially expand abroad. The programme later broadened to include Slovak and Polish artists and subsequently musicians and music professionals from countries including Taiwan, Estonia, France and Spain.
Filip Košťálek, artistic director of Colour Production, which runs Colours of Ostrava, Meltingpot, Art & Life Festival v ulicích and Czech Music Crossroads, says the 2026 edition had a particularly strong international dimension:
“2026 was special because we had this amazing opportunity to work with Japanese bands and Japanese music professionals and their export office in their showcase festival queue and for those bands it was the first attendance of the Czech Republic. It was special not only for artists but also for our audience and for our guests.”
But while ReConnect Brno and Prague Music Week are preparing their 2026 editions, Czech Music Crossroads will not continue in its current form.
Košťálek says the focus will instead shift to other projects:
“I believe that a new project is coming in the future, but Czech Music Crossroads, as you know it as a concept, will not continue. What will continue is the Art and Life Festival in the streets, which was connected to Czech Music Crossroads as a showcasing platform. We still keep inviting interesting bands from jazz, alternative music and global music to play in front of various audiences, but not with international guests and a conference.”
