Balkan conference marks successful second year

SoAlive Music Conference gathered more than 600 delegates, 36 bands and artists from the region, reaffirming its mission to connect Balkan music talent with leaders from the global music industry.

Staged in the capital city’s National Palace of Culture between 2-4 October, the event was organised with financial support from the Ministry of Culture, Musicautor, Sofia Municipality, LiveEMX, and ANMIP-BG, allowing it to schedule 19 conference panels, five workshops, and 36 concerts across six stages.

The official opening of the conference was attended by the event’s patron, Maria Gabriel, and Sofia’s deputy mayor for European policies, international affairs, and tourism, Nikola Barbutov.

Minister of culture, Nayden Todorov, also was a guest taking part in a session which focused on composing music for video games. “Music plays a crucial role in video games,” Minister Todorov told delegates. “Over the years, I have played strategic video games, and I must admit that I have chosen certain ‘maps’ specifically based on the music they featured. Realising this, I understood that there is something much more significant behind the music in video games.”

“Sofia has the potential to become a hub for the development of the music industry in the Balkans”

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Nikola Barbutov, Sofia’s deputy mayor commented, “Sofia has the potential to become a hub for the development of the music industry in the Balkans. Art brings sustainable development to cities and regions, but at the same time, it requires a supportive environment for its growth.”

IQ editor, Gordon Masson, was among the international delegates, moderating an innovative session that linked the SoAlive participants with peers at the ReConnect conference in Brno, Czech Republic.

Another exciting moment at the conference was the presentation of the SoAlive Music Video Awards, where Cypriot artist Ody Icons collected a €10,000 prize for his song, Sose.

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