Filipino artists gain strategies for global promotion at Sonik Sessions 2025

By Fidel Feria
July 04, 2025

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Know the artist’s rights and increase their visibility on digital platforms—these were among the strategies proposed to local musicians during the packed Sonik Sessions powered by CREATEPhilippines, a gathering of creatives and industry leaders centered on the promotion of artists in international markets.

Co-organized by music export agency Sonik Philippines and CREATEPhilippines, the promotional program for the creative industry by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), Sonik Sessions was held on June 27 at The Astbury in Makati City as part of this year’s Fête de la Musique.

The event is among CREATEPhilippines’ capacity-building sessions for the performing arts and music sector ahead of the Manila International Performing Arts Market (MIPAM) in 2026. These programs aim to educate local creatives on areas critical to their professional advancement, such as pitching, funding, branding, tour management, and market research.

 

CITEM Executive Director Leah Pulido Ocampo reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to bridging Filipino creatives to the global market in her opening address, pledging more initiatives to spotlight local artists. “With music as one of the most powerful connectors across cultures, we recognize its potency as both an art form and as a product and service export for content and entertainment—a foundation for building an enterprise as much as a form of creative expression,” Ocampo added.

Sonik Sessions consisted of a keynote session, three panel discussions featuring local and international speakers, and an evening of networking. Talks covered the areas of music exporting, music technology, and the creative economy.

Sitting as panelists in the music export session (“Exporting Filipino Sound: The Roadmap to Global Success”) were Dan Vo, manager of Filipino-American rapper apl.de.ap; Polo Ruesz, managing director of Live Promotions BKK; and Bobby Chaniago, co-founder of the Jakarta-based multidisciplinary music enterprise Gelombang Maju Jaya. Moderated by Shaira Nacino, Senior Trade Industry Development Specialist at CITEM, the session offered perspectives on artist branding and current export marketing challenges.

For the second session (“Creative Economy 2.0: How Music Drives Economic Growth”), Taiwan Creative Content Agency Project Manager Cube Wu; Creative Economy Agency Creative Industrial Strategy Specialist Supattra Tunngern; British Council Philippines’ Head of Arts Andrei Pamintuan; and French Embassy Regional Music Attaché Sabrina Durand tackled the music industry’s ability to create jobs, drive tourism, and facilitate creative diplomacy. Program Manager of the Creative Industries Development Office at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Atty. Gio Franco R. Gomez moderated the discussion.

Under the moderation of Homonym founder Mike Constantino, the third discussion (“Crossing Borders with Sound: The Power of Digital Platforms in Music Export”) featured co-founder of performance marketing agency Your Music Marketing Clémentin Diard; PLAYZER Product Marketing & Brand Strategy executive Francois Planquette; and Tala Records Asia founder Arin Rashdi to address opportunities within emerging digital platforms. The group highlighted the ways these new avenues–including streaming giant Spotify and artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT–have reshaped music distribution for artists, especially those seeking entry into international markets.

Artists Tarsius and Indistinct Chatter enlivened the program with musical performances, and a DJ set from Escu accompanied the evening networking session. By its conclusion, Sonik Sessions demonstrated that substantial exchanges, the encouragement of creativity and boldness, and collaboration between the public and private sectors can establish pathways for Filipino artists in the global circuit.

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Sonik Sessions powered by CREATEPhilippines was supported by the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs and the French Institute as part of a strategy for the international export of cultural creative industries.

As the country's first government-led content and community platform for the local creative industries, CREATEPhilippines is the ultimate resource for stories and updates on the Philippines' creative community and a centralized directory and sourcing platform where Filipino creatives can share their portfolio and engage with a global audience.

CREATEPhilippines is the country’s flagship trade promotions program for the creative industries by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), the export promotion arm of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

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