New Data Exposes Europe’s Blind Spot in Music
A new report by SoAlive Music Conference and Flat Line Collective (the record label founded by artist Ruth Koleva) exposes the stark underrepresentation of South-East European (SEE)artists across Europe’s music ecosystem—and the creative, cultural, and financial costs of ignoring a region of over 55 million people.
Despite the EU’s values of inclusivity and cultural exchange, the SEE/Balkan region (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and EU member states Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Slovenia, Croatia) continues to face structural barriers to participation in major festivals, digital platforms, and funding. This isn’t just unfair—it’s a missed growth opportunity. Bulgaria’s music industry grew 44% in 2023 (IFPI Global Report 2023), the fastest in Europe.
Key findings
- Across 6 major EU showcase festivals (incl. Reeperbahn, Tallinn Music Week, The Great Escape and more), SEE artists represented only 3.4%: just 36 of 1,046 acts—compared with 150 German, 167 English, and 82 Baltic artists.
- Major showcases have repeatedly excluded Balkan artists, citing “limited applications” and “quality” issues—even where robust submissions exist.
- Selection processes skew toward Western European gatekeepers, with SEE applicants facing language and access barriers.
- Editorial playlisting gaps: platforms like Spotify lack regional curators for the region, compounding disadvantages (incl. the 1,000-stream monetization threshold).
- Promoters and artists from SEE face financial/structural hurdles, reinforced by agency bias and uneven export infrastructure.
- Music export offices are scarce (only a handful functional), limiting international pathways.
- From 2014–2020, SEE countries secured 36.7% fewer Creative Europe music projects per capita than comparable Western/Northern countries.
- Live Music Venues representation is near-zero for the Balkans, excluding SEE from EU-level benchmarking, funding access, and policy voice.
What needs to change (actionable steps)
- Reform festival selections: reduce language barriers and cultural bias; diversify juries and pipelines.
- Appoint regional curators on digital platforms to reflect the Balkans’ distinct ecosystem.
- Strengthen music export: expand EU funding; interlink SEE export offices; create shared services for rights, pitching, touring.
- Increase mobility funding for SEE artists to reach international showcases.
- Prioritise SEE representation in EU cultural programs (Creative Europe, etc.) to ensure equitable access.
Ruth Koleva, SoAlive Music Conference and Flat Line Collective Founder and author of the report said: “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. The EU’s neglect of this region leaves room for harmful stereotypes to persist and opens the door for external forces, like Russian propaganda, to exploit these gaps. The Balkans are brimming with talent, innovation, and creativity. It’s time the global industry recognizes and invests in this region - not as an afterthought, but as an essential pillar of Europe’s cultural diversity and future stability.”
With the release of this report, SoAlive Music Conference and Flat Line Collective aim to spark institutional change and amplify the voices of Balkan artists. Alongside platforms like SoAlive, showcasing 40 regional acts annually, and recent award nominations for acts like Bulgaria’s WOOMB, the region is proving its creative value on the international stage.
For more information, please contact: kitty@childhoodpr.co.uk