My 2023 recap: stepping into the music industry

Hello! My name is Kasia Bieniaszewska-Krawczyk and I am an independent artist based in Warsaw.

In 2022 I released my debut single "All Rise".

I have been preparing for this launch for a very long time. I perfected the song down to the smallest detail. I was very proud of it.

Well, the phone didn't start ringing. Journalists ignored my emails. The song was not played by any radio station.

I realized that reaching an audience would not be easy...

I decided to learn about the music industry to give my music a chance to be heard.

Therefore, 2023 was quite a busy year for me :)

In this article, I'd like to share with you the most valuable initiatives in which I participated in 2023. Perhaps you will find this information useful.

• April - May 2023 - EASTERN EUROPEAN MUSIC ACADEMY (online course)

EEMA is a hybrid capacity-building project for independent music professionals from Eastern and Central Europe, as well as the Baltic region.

I was a student in the spring edition of the course. I had the opportunity to learn from prominent experts from different areas of the music market, such as Chris Cooke (CMU), Sean Adams (Drowned in Sound), and César Andión (Live Nation) among others.

The classes were held online. It wasn't the first online course I'd taken, but it was the first time I'd become so close to people I hadn't had the opportunity to meet in real life.

Each lecture provided another piece to the puzzle which is the international music market. Thanks to the course, my awareness of the complexity of this ecosystem increased. I received a solid foundation for further development.

A big thank you to Helen Gahan, Marianna Tanska, and the rest of the Music Export Ukraine team for developing and coordinating this program. You are doing something important!

• May 15-17, 2023 - THE UNSTOPPABLE SINGER SUMMIT (US, online)

This event addressed issues of vocal technique, vocal hygiene, and mental hygiene in the singing profession.

Emphasis was placed on the advantages of working with a coach in overcoming internal barriers. Possible career paths for singer-songwriters were presented - including sync opportunities, which I found particularly interesting.

Participation in the summit required a lot of self-discipline on my part due to the time zone difference. The lectures partially overlapped with my work at KINESSO and classes at the Eastern European Music Academy and ended at 2 a.m. every day. It was pretty exhausting, but worth it!

I gained a lot from this summit. Big thank you to Danielle Tucker for organizing the whole event, and to all the lecturers.

• 7-9 September 2023 - MASTERING THE MUSIC BUSINESS - (Bucharest, Romania)

I was delegated to this conference on behalf of the Eastern European Music Academy as one of the top 10 students.

I wasn't sure if I would find my way around, as I was closer to the artistic side of the industry than the business side. Meanwhile, the atmosphere of friendly curiosity that dominated the event completely charmed me.

Marianna Tanska (Music Export Ukraine) introduced us in the conference lobby.

I had the opportunity to talk about my project with Jess Patridge, Peter Åstedt, and Boyan Pinter. These conversations were very valuable and helped me plan the next steps in my career.

I must mention that hanging out with my EEMA coursemates who are incredibly talented artists from all corners of Europe, gave me the feeling that I was part of a beautiful artistic community. When I think back to that time, I smile. I am very grateful for this experience!

• In October 2023 I obtained the SPOTIFY ADVERTISING ACADEMY certification.

Unfortunately, it is unclear when I will be able to put the knowledge I have gained into practice, as the tool is not yet available in my country. But I am prepared for that moment!

• 6-9 November 2023 - INDIE WEEK (Canada, online)

This event is an excellent initiative for independent artists. First-hand information on export opportunities for indie music, including analysis of specific markets. We talked about the importance of building a community around a project and how to protect yourself from professional burnout while pursuing a creative profession. A big thank you to Darryl Hurs (CD Baby) for creating a fantastic, friendly atmosphere in the online space. I liked the event's communication platform DIT, which made it easy to network online effectively, so I did :)

I have fond memories of meeting with representatives of the hip-hop world, including Phantom of The Beat, Grandmaster Dee, BabyPaul, Mr Doo and Diamond the Artist. It was nice to spend some time together!

• November 18-19, 2023 - Tak Brzmi Miasto - conference (Cracov, Poland)

As a graduate of the Tak Brzmi Miasto incubator (2022 edition), I wanted to get to this conference, which I failed to do last year. It was a challenge because the date overlapped with Music Export Academy classes. I would like to thank the academy organizers for rearranging the classes so that we could physically attend at least the first day of the conference. This allowed me to talk with organizers Michał Wójcik and Tomek Bysiewicz and find out firsthand what they are working on now. 

I attended the panel about addictions in the music industry and an interview with Chiara Micheletto, who shared her experiences from working with Björk.

I managed to have a quick tea with Kasia "Novika" Nowicka, whom I have long wanted to meet in person. 

I also took part in a leadership workshop led by Ula Buyuly from Artist in Bloom.

On the second day of the conference, we had to leave Cracow very early to make it to the Music Export Academy lessons in Warsaw. Although we were a bit underslept, we made this trip in a wonderful mood!

• October 2023 - January 2024 - MUSIC EXPORT ACADEMY course (Music Export Poland)

When I applied for this project, I didn't expect how much work it would take to participate. Today I can say that this course was a game-changer for me.

In the first classes, we were armed with tools to build a strategy. In the following weeks, we received a huge dose of knowledge from various fields (including a load of psychological knowledge from phenomenal mentors from Artist in Bloom - Magda Chołyst and Ula Buyuly), which allowed us to analyze our musical projects in more and more depth.

We worked in various configurations - large and small subgroups, offline and remote meetings.

Our group consisted of musicians, lyricists, composers, and music managers. The task for each participant was to develop a several-year strategy for the development of their musical project.

Thanks to the safe and creative atmosphere created by the organizers, we were able not only to learn from our lecturers but also from each other.

The highlight of the course was the final exam, during which each of us presented our strategy.

The two participants best prepared to export their music, Edyta Rogowska with her Duxius project and Krzysztof 'Kovy' Jaglinski with his Distant Mantra project, were invited to join the Polish delegation at ESNS in Groningen, where Poland will be the focus market this year. Big congratulations! You have deserved it!

My work has also been appreciated - I have received an offer to participate in the Polish trade mission to Iceland in 2024! I accepted it with great joy and I am looking forward to this adventure. My strategy will be tested in practice soon!

Huge thank you to Tamara Kaminska and Marek Hojda (Music Export Poland) for creating the opportunity to embrace my vision and write it down. I finally got a sense of which way to go.

Also, thank you for believing in me and my project Shy Human Youth (which I will certainly write more about here in the coming year).

I hope that 2024 will be as inspiring and progressive as this past year. I feel that I am growing all the time and I am extremely grateful for that. 

I wish you all success and fulfillment in the coming year. And please don't forget to rest in an amount adequate to the work you put in!

Happy New Year to you all! <3