Reykjavík Grapevine - 12.12.2016, Page 16

The R
eykjavík G
rapevine
Iceland A
irw
aves Special 20
16
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Scene Support
The Icelandair Music Initiative helps bands take flight
Icelandair is involved in a lot
more than just bringing people
to and from Iceland. They’re
also pretty firmly invested in
Iceland’s music scene. Icelan-
dair has been the primary force
behind Iceland Airwaves since
the festival’s inception, but
they’ve also had their hand in
other efforts to bring Iceland’s
thriving music scene to the rest
of the world.
They are, for example, one
of the chief sponsors of Músík-
tilraunir, a battle-of-the-bands
competition between upcoming
young musicians who showcase
their material to a live audience,
more often than not for the first
time ever. Numerous Icelandic
acts that are now practically
household names got their start
at this festival, which is proba-
bly unsurprising: Músíktilrau-
nir winners are awarded a slot
in the Iceland Airwaves festival
to bring their songs to a much
wider audience.
Icelandair’s efforts extend
further afield as well, in the
form of the Reykjavík Loftbrú
travel fund. Co-sponsored by
Icelandair, the City of Reyk-
javík, and music organizations
FÍH, STEF and FHF, this fund
grants Icelandic musicians the
chance to take their songcraft
abroad, possibly grabbing the
ear of a passing label, publish-
er or agent. For many emerging
musicians, this can prove in-
valuable—both to play in front
of foreign audiences, and also
to establish contacts in other
countries that could help their
progress considerably.
As such, it’s fairly safe to say
that Icelandair has done its part
in supporting Iceland’s music
scene. And you, through your
participation in the festival, are
helping to do your part, too. PF