Primavera Pro to tackle AI saturation and cultural exploitation as first speakers revealed

Running from 3 to 5 June in Barcelona, the 17th edition of the event that runs alongside Primavera Sound will bring together a range of international industry figures including A&R executives, sync specialists and cultural strategists. Central to this year’s discussions is an examination of how certain markets and musical identities, despite growing global influence, continue to face structural inequalities with one panel placing Africa at the centre of the debate, featuring Rima Tahini, Vice-President of A&R at Lagos-based label Mavin Records.

Elsewhere, the conference will address the industry’s shift from ignoring specific genres and cultural identities to actively exploiting them. REMEZCLA's Joel Moya will contribute to sessions exploring these themes, alongside Rico Taylor Walsh, A&R Director at Warp Publishing, and Lindsey Lieberman from cultural platform Perfectly Imperfect. A discussion will analyse how the underground can act as a driving force for renewal within the sector.

Further sessions will examine artist-fan connections, with Min Yoo from K-pop culture company hello82 exploring experiential universes and product creation, while Alejandro Pabon of Rimas Nation will discuss the rise of residency shows, drawing on his work orchestrating Bad Bunny’s Puerto Rico residency. Brent David Freaney, founder of Special Offer, Inc., whose credits include work for Rosalía and Charli xcx's BRAT packaging, will also feature.

The Digital Licensing & Sync Sessions, now in their fourth year and curated by Unison and Too Young Ltd, will return with a focus on AI-generated content saturation, streaming fraud and rights fragmentation. Confirmed participants include sync executives from Beggars Group, Domino, Partisan Records, Mute Song and !K7, alongside representatives from Sony Music Publishing and Warner Chappell. Carmen Páez, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture, is also set to appear.

Prior to the main conference, the fourth #FollowTheSong songwriting camp will take place from 1 to 4 June at Angel Sound Studio, organised in partnership with Sony Music Publishing. Around 70% of songs created during the previous edition were eventually released.

As part of Primavera a la Ciutat, Primavera Pro will also host a free, open-access music programme at the Centre for Contemporary Culture of Barcelona featuring over 20 international and Catalan artists. The line-up has been developed in collaboration with Perfectly Imperfect, REMEZCLA and The Line of Best Fit, each of which has co-programmed one act.

The programme forms part of the wider Primavera Sound week, which continues to draw significant professional attendance – the 2025 edition saw 3,200 delegates from 68 countries.