The South-East Europe (SEE) region is exciting both creatively and commercially, covering more than 55 million people across countries including Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia and Albania. But according to a new report, artists from the region are still “widely absent and almost entirely marginalised from the continent’s musical narrative”.
The report is the work of Bulgaria’s SoAlive Music Conference and label Flat Line Collective, based on interviews and surveys with artists and industry executives across the SEE region. Barriers include low representation at Europe and the UK’s key showcase festivals – just 3.4% of artists playing the six biggest events.
But the report also points to a lack of regional curators for the Balkans at major streaming services; not enough well-established music export offices in the region; and low levels of funding from European projects like Creative Europe.
“This report is more than an exposé; it’s a wake-up call. In an era when we strive for equality and representation, it’s unacceptable for the Balkans to remain sidelined,” said SoAlive and Flat Line Collective founder Ruth Koleva.
