SONIK 2026 set to empower OPM for int’l expansion

After offering Filipino music artists sound strategies for global promotion last year, the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions’ (CITEM) CREATEPhilippines and music export agency Sonik Philippines team up once again to stage the SONIK Conference and Showcase Festival (SONIK) 2026. A collocated event of the performing arts festival and trade platform CREATEPhilippines x Manila International Performing Arts Market (MIPAM) 2026, it will kick off with an opening-night mixer at the Likhang Filipino Exhibition Halls on Sept 10, followed by talks and musical showcases from Sept. 11 to 12 at Green Sun in Makati. 

In line with the vision of a more synergistic performing arts industry that is driving CREATEPhilippines x MIPAM 2026, SONIK is more than just a music function. It is also designed to gather Filipino artists, music industry leaders, international music professionals, and export offices to facilitate long-term collaborations and global partnerships between them. Organized in partnership with Sounds Australia, GYRO x KiTBetter, and digital music service TuneCore, it works to strengthen international exchange, artistic collaborations, and cross-border industry connections to allow local music industry players to create a more solid footing in the global scene.

Sharp insights, great performances

The first series of SONIK’s talks on Sept. 11 will be all about understanding the landscape of the Philippine music industry and unpacking the creative economic forces and global shifts that shape local reality. 

The following day, Sept. 12, the conferences will build on previous discussions, covering the possible practical pathways toward international opportunities, such as festival showcases, independent touring, the adoption of efficient export models, and stronger government policies. All talks will be held at The Eye at Green Sun.

Day 1

“The Philippine Music Landscape: Trends, Breakthroughs, and What’s Shaping 2026”

This panel discussion dives into the current Philippine music scene—its breakthrough genres, current infrastructure, and industry gaps—for the benefit of anyone looking to explore music export opportunities in the country.

“Creativity Economy and Music: Global Lessons, Local Opportunities”

This roundtable session features leaders from national music export offices across the globe, Glenn Dickie (Sounds Australia) and Andrew Briol (Homecoming Canada). To be moderated by Sonik Philippines’ Mike Constantino, the panelists will compare their respective countries’ creative economy strategies, specifically how they were built, funded, and scaled.

Day 2

“Festivals and Showcases: How Global Programmers Discover Artists”

Festival programmer Brian Heatherman (NXNE, Canada) will join AXEAN’s David Siow to talk about how showcase lineups are actually built, what programmers look for in a submission, and how emerging artists get discovered for international festival stages.

“The Artist Reality Check: Navigating the Challenges of Building a Music Career Today”

To be moderated by SONIK Philippines’ Nicole Sarmiento, this talk will have music managers and label executives candidly discussing the challenges artists face right now: oversaturated streaming platforms, shrinking label support, the pressure of building a global career on a local budget, and more. Panelists will also share practical insights on how to overcome these obstacles for music acts to achieve international growth.

“Exporting Music: Perspectives from Sounds Australia and EMEE”

Rounding up SONIK 2026’s series of conferences will be a fireside chat between Sounds Australia’s Esti Zilber and European Music Exporters Exchange’s (EMEE) Tamara Kaminska on the way their respective organizations support artists moving into international markets,  offering two working models for what a Philippine Music Export Office could look like.

Complementing the knowledge-sharing programming is SONIK’s Main Stage, to be held on the evenings of Sept. 11 (at The Eye) and Sept. 12 (at Axon, also at Green Sun). Attendees can catch Filipino acts such as hip-hop artist Baby Freeze, metalcore band FRAGMENTS, alternative and post-punk band One Click Straight, and folk-pop group Alamat ni Ug, as well as international artists A_Root from Taiwan and rapper/drummer DOBBY from Australia. 

Continued discussions and networking

Beyond the conferences and the main stage, SONIK will keep conversations flowing with workshops, business-to-business (B2B) meetings, and networking sessions at Green Sun’s Focus Rooms. 

To cap off SONIK 2026, there will be an after-party at Toma Toma in Makati. Here artists, delegates, and industry professionals are welcome to unwind over food, drinks, and music, and continue discussions with potential collaborators in a more relaxed setting. 

“Sonik Philippines was founded by Mike Constantino in 2019 under a simple belief: Filipino music deserved real export infrastructure, not just occasional international attention,” says Nicole Sarmiento, Sonik’s Artist Solutions Director. “Watching that grow into SONIK 2026, with global export leaders and government partners like CITEM beside us, has been one of the most rewarding parts of this work.”

“CITEM and CREATEPhilippines are honored to take part in the work that Sonik Philippines has been doing to help Filipino music expand its reach,” says CITEM’s Executive Director Leah Pulido Ocampo. “With SONIK 2026 bringing together different players of the global music industry, we hope to lower the barriers that have kept Filipino artists from breaking through into the international scene and finding success.”

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Get to know more about where the Filipino music industry is headed at SONIK Conference and Showcase Festival. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the SONIK Philippines 2026 website.