In these times of great societal turmoil, doom-and-gloom scenarios dominate our news and media timelines. It is sometimes difficult not to lose hope for a better future. An endless stream of dopamine-fueled bad news reinforces this negative thinking and shapes how we think about society's future and the music industry.

Just think of the narratives around AI-generated music, soaring organisational costs for festivals, or the mental health crisis of music industry professionals. However, if we only base our future on these scenarios, there is a considerable risk of them becoming self-fulfilling. We steer towards what we see, even if it is not what we want.

Optimistic, realistic scenarios for the future are needed to counter this way of thinking and acting. This does not mean we deny or ignore the negative, but to manoeuvre away from it, we need inspiring and attainable examples to steer towards.

To find these futures, we don’t need a crystal ball. They already exist in the now. They are around us and are of quintessential importance for how we think of and shape a positive future. We call these examples Bright Spots, which are the focus of this year’s edition of ESNS Science.

We will showcase and discuss a number of these positive and hopeful concepts, practices, ideas and movements in several ways:

We will discuss economic models that can provide a feasible alternative to the winner-takes-all superstar economy.

We will try to find out why queer music and culture are always ahead of the mainstream herd.

We will shine a spotlight on the countless positive cultural influences that migrant communities have in the West.

We will host a workshop for music industry start-ups to start working on “Alternative Now’s”.

This program aims to inspire you, help you not lose hope, and positively contribute to a fairer, more diverse, and better future-proof music industry and society.