Bridging the Gap: New Report Exposes Systemic Exclusion of South-East European Artists from the EU Music Ecosystem

01 October 2025 - Press release

Geographical Underrepresentation and Diversity within the EU Music Ecosystem by SoAlive Music Conference/Flat Line Collective.

Download the full report - https://musicequality.org/ 

 

A new report by Bulgaria’s SoAlive Music Conference and Flat Line Collective, the record label by artist Ruth Koleva, sheds light on the stark underrepresentation of South-East European (SEE) artistsin the European music industry. The report highlights the damaging creative, cultural and financial implications of neglecting SEE artists, and explores why such a territorially vast, populated and culturally rich area is nearly invisible on the European music map.

Despite the EU's values of inclusivity and cultural exchange, the Balkan (South East European) region - which encompasses over 55 million people across Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and EU member states Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Slovenia, and Croatia- faces fundamental barriers to participation in major music festivals, digital platforms, and funding initiatives. At a time when Europe advocates for inclusion and equality, the Balkans’ systemic ostracisation perpetuates harmful stereotypes and weakens regional solidarity. 

Beyond the wealth of creative talent on offer, the Balkan region is among the fastest growing global music markets, making it a valuable untapped market. The Bulgarian music industry grew by 44% in 2023 - the highest growth of any European country last year [source IFPI Global Report 2023].

 

Key findings from the report include:

• SEE artists accounted for just 9 performers at Europe's largest emerging artist festival, Eurosonic Noorderslag (ESNS) 2025, accounting for just 4.1% of the 222 total acts, despite the region being home to over 55 million people.

• Major showcase festivals like The Great Escape, WOMEX and JazzAhead have repeatedly excluded artists from the Balkans, citing "limited applications" and "quality" issues, despite evidence of robust submissions.

• SEE artists made up just 3.4% of acts across 6 major EU showcase festivals. Of 1,046 artists across festivals like Reeperbahn, Tallinn Music Week, and The Great Escape, only 36 were from the SEE region, highlighting stark underrepresentation compared to 150 German, 167 English, and 82 Baltic artists.

• Selection processes for prominent festivals are heavily influenced by Western European gatekeepers, with SEE applicants facing language requirements and other barriers.

• The disparity in musical equity between the Balkans and the rest of Europe is underscored by a disregard for the diverse music genres evolving within the SEE countries, such as jazz, synth, indie and electronic.

• Streaming platforms like Spotify lack regional curators for the Balkans, causing Balkan artists to be virtually absent from editorial playlists and heavily disadvantaged by the 1,000-stream monetization threshold.

• Financial and structural challenges, compounded by biases in agency practices, hinder SEE promoters and artists from accessing equitable opportunities.

• There is a lack of well-established music export offices in the SEE region, with only a handful currently operational (such as Kosovo, Croatia's We Move Music, Slovenia's unofficial SIGIC, Serbia Creates).

• Between 2014–2020, SEE countries secured 36.7% fewer Creative Europe music projects per capita compared to a group of similarly populated Western/Northern countries.

• Live DMA, one of Europe’s largest venue networks, includes virtually no Balkan venues, with only one venue in North Macedonia represented, excluding the rest of the SEE from EU-level benchmarking, funding access and policy influence.

 

In addition to exploring the root causes of this underrepresentation, such as deep-seated stereotypes and cultural biases, the report offers data-driven recommendations to foster more balanced representation and address these disparities.

Proposed actionable steps towards change within the media, policymakers and industry leaders include:

• Reform festival selection - Update the selection processes to reduce language and barriers and cultural biases.

• Appoint regional curators on digital platforms - With an understanding of the unique music ecosystem of the Balkans.

• Strengthened music export support - Expanding EU funding and fostering collaboration among regional music export offices to better support local artists.

• Expand funding for music export initiatives - And support the development of music export offices in SEE countries.

• Expand mobility funding - Increasing financial resources for SEE artists to participate in international showcases.

• Prioritise SEE representation in EU cultural programs - ensuring equitable access to Creative Europe and other funding opportunities.

 

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.