In cooperation with the AMQF Culture and Arts Programme, Palestine Music Expo organized, on April 5 and 7, 2017, a number of workshops on a variety of art- and music-related subjects.
The workshops were held at the AMQF- Ramallah and led by a number of musicians and music professionals from Palestine and abroad. They addressed relevant themes to art and music professionals, such as sponsoring, festivals, tapping into internet resources to develop fan bases, brand building and monetizing music production through various channels, including fundraising campaigns and YouTube.
Scott Cohen, co-founder of The Orchard, one of the largest digital distribution companies in the world, was among the speakers at the Expo, where he led several workshops. “There are many talented musicians in Palestine,” said Cohen, when asked about his experience at the Expo. “There’s great international interest in the Palestinian music scene and in all that’s happening here.” He added, “I think now is a great time to build a solid infrastructure for music production and distribution, which can be further developed in the future”.
Over a period of three days, Palestine Music Expo held a number of workshops in several cultural organizations in Ramallah. “We aim to develop the overall Palestinian music scene and offer musicians preliminary tools so they can start thinking in new ways,” said Mahmoud Jariri, co-founder of the Expo and member of the Palestinian band DAM. He further noted, “Public participation was very good. These workshops are not beneficial to musicians alone, but to cultural organizations as well”.
Many musicians and music amateurs attended the workshops, including artist Moody Kablawi, who noted, “The workshops were led by prominent and experienced figures from the music industry, especially in the world of social media. They drew our attention to areas we never knew existed”.
AMQF is one of the organizers and supporters of Palestine Music Expo, held for the first time from April 4 to 7, 2017 in Ramallah. A great number of musicians and artists took part in the Expo’s events and public live shows. “The Expo drew in a large audience,” said Mahmoud Abu Hashhash, Director of the AMQF Culture and Arts Programme. “I believe the Expo marks the start of some serious work that will allow the discussion of important issues in the music industry in Palestine, especially things like copyright and other related subjects”.