Open for business: Central and Eastern Europe

Artist and SoAlive Conference organiser Ruth Koleva moderated a fascinating session concentrating on the health of the markets in the central and eastern European region, covering territories that spanned from the Baltics down to the Balkans and Greece.

She prefaced the discussion by introducing some key states about the region, including that it is home to 160 million people in total population, while in the past couple of years its markets have hosted stadium shows by the likes of Coldplay, Ed Sheeran and Rammstein. Its annual festivals also include iconic brands such as Untold, Exit, Sziget and Pohoda.

And highlighting specific markets and their love of music, Koleva noted that her home country, Bulgaria, reported growth of 40% in terms of recorded music sales, in 2023, while Turkey was even more impressive, with the IFPI stating that recorded music sales were up by more than 95% in the same year.

“Romania and Bulgaria joined the Schengen zone this year, so there are no borders any longer, enhancing touring and performing opportunities,” she said, adding that feasibility in terms of tour routing had also been improved by the construction of new roads and transport links.

Agent Georg Leitner was asked about how he and his peers persuade artists to tour in the region.

“Central and Eastern Europe are not being put in one basket,” he said .”When it comes to the likes of Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, there is very little discussion with the artist, however when we talk about Albania and Kosovo, we start getting questions. It’s really a matter of how much artist traffic has [historically] been through any particular market.”

“Some shows can sell really well, compared to markets where the artist might have played many times”

Another delegate noted that it can be difficult to even speak to an artist manager or agent, while when a conversation does take place, those representatives often ask for fees that are higher than the artist would expect to demand in western Europe – immediately putting the eastern European business at a disadvantage.

Türkiye-based exec Nick Hobbs countered that said had promoters had to stick to their guns by analysing risk and just saying ‘No’ to unacceptable demands. Koleva agreed, noting that economically it is a struggle for local businesses to sustain fees that are higher in other territories, especially when the local population has lower annual wages.

Agent Andrew Leighton-Pope explained that all new promoters should expect to be asked for 100% of the fee in advance, but that would stop if have proven track record with the agent and their clients. Hobbs told fellow delegates that the higher fees might also relate to artist expenses, as it may cost them more to travel to eastern Europe if it is a one-off show, but lower if it’s more of a tour around the region.

Ivan Milivojev co-founder of EXIT Festival, revealed exchange of artists with Sziget Festival in early days. But those bands are not selling tickets – you rely on headliners to sell tickets, but it can be interesting for programming.

Outlining the opportunities in the region, Koleva observed that a recent show by Nick Cave sold out in just 20 minutes: “So some shows can sell really well, compared to markets where the artist might have played many times.”

“It’s better that we maybe try to take advantage of the fact that we are part of a bigger market, and spread our reach”

Turning to attracting fans from other territories, Hobbs said that some markets and events could benefit from their appeal as quirky settings.

“Exit in Serbia is held in a fortress, while Sziget is on an island in the middle of Budapest, which is a tourist city, so those are unique aspects to talk about and market,” he said, suggesting that other events should look for their unique selling points.

Addressing obstacles in the region, Koleva pointed out that infrastructure, tech, insurance, and performance tariffs could prove tricky from country to country, while Hobbs suggested that each territory needs a strong association to speak with one voice to the government and the local collection societies to argue their point.

“The only thing you can do is fight and convince the government that more shows should take place to benefit the country – they don’t care about copyright royalties being paid to songwriters in America,” said Hobbs. “I no longer distinguish eastern Europe differently from western Europe – it’s just part of Europe. It’s better that we maybe try to take advantage of the fact that we are part of a bigger market, and spread our reach.”

Koleva summed up that while it can be frustrating to miss out on artist tours, those working in the region could flag up a number of incentives to agents and artist managers.

“Taxes can be attractive, economies are stable, there are no borders, except with Serbia, and we already have a lot of shows happening. Most of all, people are hungry for live music, so the potential is definitely there,” she added.

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