The Danish Artist Association invites you to a panel debate at SPOT+ 2025 on social media as an inevitable part of musicians' working conditions. A broad panel of artists, experts and industry professionals will discuss how social media platforms affect artistic freedom, working life and commercial opportunities.

"The world's best music promotion tool has forced me to become a multimedia artist. If I'm to achieve my dreams, I have to compete for attention on social media. But how do I compete with dog videos and sensationalist journalism while maintaining my artistic integrity?" says Nicklas Sahl, artist and music creator, who participates in the panel.

An inevitable but challenging part of music life

For many musicians, social media has become a necessary tool to create visibility and interact with their audience. But how much time and energy does it require and what does it mean for their artistic process? The panel will shed light on questions such as:

  • How does constant social media accessibility affect musicians' work life and image?
  • What impact do algorithms and trends have on artistic integrity?
  • What are the implications when record labels assess artists' commercial potential based on their social media following?


The invisible labour behind the music

Artist Ericka Jane, also on the panel, describes the duality of using social media:

"I love social media and have used it all my life. I prefer to control my platforms and content myself. But when everything is controlled by trends and algorithms, the pressure becomes overwhelming," she says and elaborates:

"I have to not only make music, but also be relatable, personable, always online - and constantly have the next viral TikTok ready. If the music doesn't do well enough, it doesn't necessarily feel like a question of quality, but more a question of whether I've done enough on social media. Even for me, who has always felt at home on the platforms, it's draining."

The panel behind the debate

The debate brings together a number of prominent voices from the music industry and the research world:

  • Ericka Jane - Artist known for hits like I Say Stupid Things and Strangers in the Night. Her songs have been streamed more than 35 million times and she has played at the country's biggest festivals.
  • Nicklas Sahl - One of Denmark's most streamed artists with almost 100 million streams, an MTV Award and Carl Prisen for Best Pop Composer.
  • Søren Pold - Associate professor in digital aesthetics and expert in platform economy. Leader of a research project on Human-AI Collaboration. He is also a music lover and guitarist with roots in punk.
  • Kristoffer Rom - Co-founder of the record label Tambourhinoceros and chairman of Danish Independent Record Companies (DUP). Former drummer for Oh No Ono and Aqua, among others.
  • Charlotte Madsen - Creative at Universal Music and Capitol Records. Has worked with Medina, AQUA, Andreas Odbjerg and Rasmus Seebach, among others.

Moderator: Jens Skov Thomsen, head of the secretariat of the Danish Artist Association, a trained lawyer and also a performing musician in various contexts - primarily as one fifth of the group VETO.

Tid og sted

The panel discussion will take place at SPOT+ 2025 on 2 May at 12:45 - 13:30.

Member discount on SPOT tickets

Every year, SPOT Festival presents a series of concerts and the large conference programme SPOT+. Members of the Danish Artist Association can buy tickets at a discounted price of DKK 995 incl. VAT (normal price DKK 1,250). The ticket gives access to the entire festival music programme as well as the SPOT+ conference seminars, workshops and networking meetings.

Read more about SPOT Festival and the discount tickets here.