Cindy & Kate is a collaborative and trust-based informal network between a group of grassroots cultural spaces, venues and Baltic promoters.

Cindy & Kate role is logistic support to Baltic venues and artists to connect with each others and to facilitate engagement with stakeholders in the region and beyond.

Our objective is to increase cooperation, exchange of know-how, and mobility to back up the efforts of the Baltic-Nordic grassroots cultural ecosystem.

The project is supported by the Nordic Culture Small Network Funding.

Purpose/common goals/Mission/objective:

  • To encourage mobility, knowledge exchange and cross-country collaborations in the Baltic region and beyond

  • To cooperate between Grassroot venues/promoter/cultural spaces to book artists otherwise not possible for a single show

  • To support artists to connect with multiple venues and plan a minitour in the Baltics, making more diverse programming possible for small locations

Values:

  • fair treatment of musicians

  • focus on the quality of production and flawless logistics 

  • transparency and collaborative approach

  • supporting and believing in the value of the grassroots cultural scene

  • diversity in all its forms

  • youth involvement

  • environmental awareness

  • Nordic Culture Fund Application submission: 28.02.2023
    Funding confirmation: 24.04.2023
    Final project timeline: 01.10.2023 - 31.21.2024


    7 November - Online Session Kick Off
    Kick-off meeting: presentations and introductions (20 participants)


    December 2023 - Online Session
    Co-curation process of Cindy&Kate stage TMW 2024 via shared spreadsheet (6 artists selected by 15 curators from the network: 2 artists per each Baltic country)


    14+15 December 2023- First in-person meeting
    Physical meeting in Riga @ Kaņepes Kultūras Centrs (20 stakeholders).
    - In-person presentations, sharing of challenges and experiences
    - focus on getting to know each other through the ‘Penguin project’ workshop and breakout groups
    - small venue tour of Riga.


    15 January 2024 - online presentation
    Online sessions with 3 guest speakers focused on diversity and sexism in nightlife.
    DOWNLOAD MATERIAL


    25 March 2024 - Online Session
    Preparation for the 4 day residency during Tallinn Music Week (4-7 April)
    Objectives:
    - identifying relevant panels and receptions: e.g.Keychange, EMEE, Live Europe, and Music Export Offices.
    - Connecting with potential partners in the Nordic region


    4-7 April 2024 - Tallinn @ Tallinn Music Week - In-person meeting
    PROGRAM

    4- Day residency, internally discussing values and communication approaches
    attending Tallinn Music Week, various panels
    - ‘The future of grassroots venues
    - ‘Keychange pledge - going beyond gender’’
    - ‘Put your own oxygen Mask on First! Building resilience and mitigating stress’
    - Private Q&A with Music Estonia Live, EEnlarge, Thrust Productions
    - Visit of multiple venues in Tallinn
    - C&K stage (6 Baltic artists performed at the Cindy&Kate showcase stage at TMW)

    29 April 2024 - Online Session
    Tallinn Music Week / Internal discussions debriefing:
    - agreeing on basic value definition (survey for consensus)
    - Definition of workgroups
    - Collaborative booking approach for organizing tours text goes here

    June - Online work
    - Set up of a common digital workspace
    - Dedicated work group: bookings
    - Publishing webpage as a first online presence

    Mon 29 July - Online Session:
    - Evaluation of booking effort and use of coworking platform
    - Planning the next online session
    - Update venue mapping

    July
    - Co-curation of Cindy & Kate stage @ Loftas Festival / What’s Next in Music

    Mon 26 August - Online Session
    - General update
    - Presentation green touring & environmental considerations for riders and venues
    - Dissemination

    September
    preparation meeting before Loftas?
    - tbc if we feel this is necessary

    5-7 September - Loftas Festival - Whats Next in Music / Vilnius in-person meeting
    -
    Internal round table: Whats next?
    - Panel 'Cindy&Kate – building a network of grassroots venues in the Baltics.'
    - WNIM Panel talks 'Music in the Face of Environmental Challenges', 'Gender Inequality in the Music Industry: What the Numbers Tell Us and How to Make a Change?', 'Unlocking Opportunities: Thriving in the Polish Music Market'
    - Cindy & Kate stage
    - Vilnius venue tour

  • October - final online session Nordic Culture Small Network Fund supported project
    - Learnings so far and roadmap forward?
    - Can the collaborative approach grow beyond the project funding?
    - Do participants feel the project should continue? Future funding calls/partnerships?
    - How can we expand the network to other Nordic and neighboring countries?

    Submission of the final report to Nordic Culture Fund
    3 in-person meetings + tbc nr of online sessions + panel participation/presentations + nr of bands on stage

Meet the network

LATVIA 
Riga - Kaņepes Kultūras centrs https://www.kanepes.lv/en/
Riga - NOASS http://www.noass.lv/en/ 
Riga - M/Darbnica https://www.facebook.com/mdarbnica
Cesis - mala https://www.facebook.com/telpamala
Liepaja Sia lazytime www.lazytime.org
Riga - Laska V21 https://www.facebook.com/LaskaV21
Circle Pit Shows - https://www.facebook.com/circlepitshows
others TBC

ESTONIA 
Music Estonia live https://www.musicestonia.eu/
Tallinn - Paavli Kultuurivabrik/damn loud agency https://kultuurivabrik.ee/
Tallinn - UCE / HUNGR club https://www.facebook.com/FeelTheHungr/
Paernu - New Kulturkluubi Tempel https://www.facebook.com/klubitempel
others TBC

LITHUANIA
Palanga / I Love Palanga - Old Man https://www.facebook.com/oldmanpalanga
Kaunas - Old Man https://www.facebook.com/oldmankaunas
Vilnius - Kirtimų kultūros centras www.facebook.com/kirtimukc
Vilnius - Independent promoter Ugnius Raugalas
others TBC

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT AND CONSULTING
Ingrid Stroom / Thrust Productions
Tim Joppien / Berlin Music Commission
Eszter Décsy / Founder EENLARGE Europe
MOO
Henri Roosipõld / Fundamental Collective
Loftas Festival / WNIM (supporter meeting Vilnius)
Tallinn Music Week (supporter meeting Tallinn)

FUNDING SUPPORT
Nordic Culture Fund

Connect with us!
We welcome new connections with grassroots cultural spaces and small live music venues in the Baltic and Nordic region, artists that would like to perform in the network, festivals offering to curate stage programs to Cindy&Kate, media partners to disseminate, and any other stakeholder that believe in the power of cooperation.