SUMMARY
🔸Editorial. MUM, Extremadura and VONK
🔸Talk with Kavita Shah from Folkalist Records
🔸Babel Music XP 2025, with Olivier Rey
🔸UnBounded Sounds, series of concerts and workshops, by Sofia Labropoulou
🔸Brief news from the media, charts and sister projects
🔸Open calls: Mundial Montreal, Fira-B!, Visa for Music, Trovam, SoAlive Music Conference, WOMEX, Premio Andrea Parodi, Mercat de Música Viva de Vic
🔸Meet me at ✈️ VONK in Ghent, Babel Music XP in Marseille, MUM, Budapest Ritmo
Hello, how are you?
I am well! I hope you’re doing very well. This picture is a selfie at the house of radio, in Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, where there is the central headquarter of Spanish National Radio. I went there just to accompany Juan Antonio Vázquez for his interview with Kiko Helguera on the occasion of the first anniversary of the LIMúR. You can listen to that radio show here (in Spanish).Personally, I’m excited about so many things coming up soon.
Among them is MUM the Professional Music Days in Extremadura, which I’ve mentioned on a previous occasion. This year, I’ve been part of the artistic selection committee, and it has been a fascinating experience. The fair will take place from April 2 to 4 in Mérida, Badajoz, a city with spectacular historical heritage from the Roman Empire.
This event is the music industry gathering for the Extremadura region, one that has historically been less economically developed than other parts of Spain, although I believe it is a land of great contrasts. The nature is diverse and wild, there are cities like Cáceres, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and many other gems like Plasencia or Guadalupe, as well as countless authentic and lively villages. It is also known for its Iberian pig farming, producing the famous jamón ibérico. Additionally, it is the region my mother is from.
In terms of music, this fair will celebrate its ninth edition this year. The number of applications received has been enormous—around 250 proposals, with nearly 100 from the region itself.
The official communication and on-site activities are in Spanish, but I wanted to highlight that the call for industry professionals is open until March 14 at 14:00 CET, available here. Check the conditions and what they cover, here.
MUM is organized by the Asociación de Gestoras y Gestores Culturales de Extremadura (AGCEX), in collaboration with the Centro de las Artes Escénicas y la Música (CEMART), under the Consejería de Cultura, Turismo, Jóvenes y Deportes de la Junta de Extremadura. It is financed by the Diputación de Badajoz, Diputación Provincial de Cáceres, and the Ayuntamiento de Mérida, with the collaboration of Extremadura AVANTE.
But before MUM, I will have the opportunity to participate in a similar event, though in a very different setting: VONK, in the beautiful city of Ghent, which I think is my favorite city in the world so far. The program includes performances by Mandolinman, Xabier Díaz Trio, Playground Hearts, Hartwin Trio, Lies & Jeroen, Farfar, and Cardboard Cabin. And of Sunday, the Open Stage will host 12 short performances of local artists.
I have often mentioned that my mother is from Extremadura. I found this photo where she appears with her parents and 8 of her 10 siblings. The other two were born later.
I hope you will enjoy these contents. Thank you for your attention.
Remember: if you have any news of interest for our community, let me know. Thank you very much for your attention.
Araceli Tzigane | Mapamundi Música | +34 676 30 28 82
AND NOW THE FLOOR IS FOR:
KAVITA SHAH, FROM FOLKALIST RECORDS
I got this beautiful picture from Kavita’s website and it is by Julien Charpentier. I first heard about Kavita through her album Cape Verdean Blues, the first release from Folkalist Records. A few days later, I received an email introducing the label, which she had founded. And I realised that was the first album of a new record label.
I wondered why this woman, an artist with an already established career, would decide to start a record label in these times when recorded music doesn’t seem to be a great business.
I had recently started my own label to release my own artists and to offer an option for other musicians whose projects I identify with, helping them navigate all the work and procedures required to put an album on the market. I wondered what Kavita’s reason was… As usually happens, when something catches your attention, more and more questions start to arise. Kavita was kind enough to answer mine, and here I share them with you.
While you read, you can listen to the album Cape Verdean Blues, here 🎧
Araceli Tzigane: Kavita, you already have some discographic experience. On your Bandcamp I see two albums released previously, before creating Folkalist. Why did you start a new record label, instead of releasing the album/s with other labels already existing? 
Kavita Shah: Thank you for inviting me to share about Folkalist Records! I am a singer, composer, and educator working across the jazz, global music, and contemporary classical worlds. My practice also incorporates ethnographic research into diverse musical traditions from around the world.
Folkalist has long been a goal of mine–to create a space for artists who, like myself, are global citizens and make music that transcend cultures, genres, and marketing labels. With Folkalist, my dream is not just to highlight marginalized music and music-makers, especially women, but to establish a digital platform through which artists and audiences everywhere–from Ethiopia to Argentina, Cabo Verde to India–can find one another, discover novel connections, and in so doing, enable a new type of global music community.
The decision to found Folkalist Records was more about this broader vision I had for the arts world than it was about creating a label for releasing my own music. That said, personally having recorded and toured on six continents for the past 13 years, I also grew weary of the exploitative dynamic between artists and industry folk, especially as a woman of color operating in a predominantly white, male space. And when it comes to record labels, the deals that exist out there in this very volatile environment, even with major labels, are lackluster at best.
I have always been entrepreneurial in my career, and I enjoy a good challenge. When I realized that with a bit of work, I could create a forward-thinking structure with the right attention to detail to benefit independent artists on a global stage, it felt like the right time to launch Folkalist.
AT: Please also explain what Folkalist provides differently to the world of the music industry.
KS: Folkalist is an artist-forward, artist-run label for the 21st century. As artists ourselves, we are acutely aware of the challenges artists face and strive to uplift independent artists and amplify their work. We offer bespoke services beyond just uploading music to DSPs, including in-house publicity, copywriting, career consulting, and booking services. This holistic approach contributes to the success of our artists and their long-term sustainability beyond an individual release. On our website, each artist can also present digital liner notes (beautifully designed by Hyperkit) with the photos, field recordings, and stories behind their music, giving them the opportunity to share their work with audiences in a deeper way (check out the liner notes for my album Cape Verdean Blues or for Juana Luna’s Canciones en Blanco y Negro!).
Regarding our business model, many record labels were founded during a different era, when profits were still made through physical products, and these labels have fought to survive in the era of streaming by desperately trying to adapt an obsolete model to current times. We at Folkalist are coming into the game with eyes wide open that streaming is here to stay, and that in order to turn a profit as a record label, we have to be tactical about finding new ways to generate revenue. We use AI and data science tools to analyze streaming algorithms that can help us and our artists in this new climate, and we are developing partnerships with other organizations to help broaden the reach of our artists and their music.
AT: I wonder about the name, Folkalist. Why did you choose this name?
KS: The word “folkalist” came to me during a performance in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in the middle of a whirlwind voyage from Cape Verde to Dakar, Bamako to Tanzania. Singing with the founder of Ethio-jazz, the legendary Mulatu Astatke, and local musicians who effortlessly crossed folk genres and identities, something in me clicked: a “folkalist” is a culture-maker, someone engaged in storytelling, and often at the crossroads where diverse cultures meet. And my calling as a multi-hyphenate, polyglot artist is to do my part to advance the music found in these places of encounter.
AT: And about your logo, it looks vintage. Together with the name it brings to my mind the idea of people like Alan Lomax. Was that your idea too?
KS: Thank you for noticing our logo! It was created by a great UK-based design studio called IWANT Design. My colleague Jayme Stone and I worked with John Gilsenan, the designer, to make a logo that conveyed Folkalist’s brand as bridging the traditional and the modern. We wanted something that felt both machine-printed and bespoke/hand-drawn, with imperfections visible, much like the aesthetic of Folkalist’s music.
AT: Do you think physical production is still relevant?
KS: A few years ago, everyone thought that physical albums were on their way out, so when founding Folkalist, I assumed we would have a digital focus. But while the commercial market for CDs has indeed shrunk, I was shocked that within three months of the release of my album Cape Verdean Blues, I had to reprint CDs because so many people were buying the albums, both at concerts and through vendors like Bandcamp. People are buying CDs who don’t even have a CD player anymore because they want to take home a memento of what they experience live. Some radio and press outlets still request physical copies as well, and Folkalist has been working with physical distributors in Europe and Japan, where there is still a strong demand for physical product. So, yes, print is still relevant. We’ll have to assess this in real time as the industry continues to shift.
AT: What do you think is the future of vinyl? Will it remain one of the alternatives for physical formats, or is it just a passing trend?
KS: Vinyl is not a passing trend! There is something to the analog experience of sitting down and listening to a story from start to finish. It’s meditative, and many people who are overwhelmed by the barrage of information thrown at us in the digital age welcome this experience. Vinyls are also more sustainable than CDs, they offer the best sound quality, and they look great, so they are collector’s items.
This said, vinyls are still very expensive to produce, and I think the decline of CDs and rise of vinyls might be a little hyped, as we’re still seeing more demand for CDs than for vinyls. This is another thing Folkalist will have to monitor closely from release to release.
You might also be interested in listening to some of the album that Kavita mentions: Juana Luna’s Canciones en Blanco y Negro. It is the second release from Folkalist. Here is the full album playlist:
AT: Are there any criteria you will apply when choosing which projects to release? I see on the website that you refer to the “global South.” Also, hybridity. Any other aspects?
KS: Folkalist’s artists are singers, storytellers and culture-makers who put folkloric traditions in conversation with contemporary ones. Our number one criteria for signing new artists is musical excellence. Then, yes, we are dedicated to releasing music from the global South, which is not a geographic distinction as much as a political one: we are here to center music and amplify voices who have historically been left out of the marketplace. While primarily focused on vocal music, we are open to releasing instrumental music that fits this criteria as well. And as a female record label owner, I am committed to Folkalist’s artist roster being majority female / non-binary at any given moment.
Hybridity is also an important feature to us because the so-called ‘world music’ industry, while historically increasing the awareness of previously unknown musical traditions within a marketplace dominated by the Global North, has at times also served to solidify binary concepts of ‘us’ vs. ‘them’, ‘primitive’ vs. ‘modern’, and ‘authentic’ vs. ‘innovative,’ leading to the paradoxical effect of pigeon-holing the very music it was globalizing. But history shows us that traditions are not static, and they do not live in isolation; they have always been in flux, shaped by constant contact with other societies and ideas. This dynamism is all the more true in our current age of hyperconnectivity. Folkalist strives to elevate music that thrives in the fertile space between genres, music that is plural rather than monolithic, music that transcends boundaries and binaries, and speaks to the reality of today’s global citizens who do not possess one whole culture, but fragments of many.
AT: For artists who meet those criteria, how should they contact you and what should they send for consideration? For example, do you need a final master or would a demo be sufficient?
KS: We at Folkalist would love to hear your music! We accept both demos and final products, and artists can submit their music on our website here.
Note that, in order to keep a cohesive sound on the label, especially given that our artists come from all corners of the globe with different levels of access to equipment and technology, we generally like to get involved during the album production stage (during the recording or mixing process).
AT: Do you think the concept of an album still makes sense in these times when digital predominates and singles can be easily released?
KS: This is another aspect of our market that is in flux. At Folkalist, we are open to releasing music in various formats: singles, EPs, and full-length albums. But I think the concept of an album still holds weight in establishing an artist’s body of work and in building a sustainable career, especially for touring artists. (Of course, I am biased as I come from the jazz world and from a generation when albums were still very important in terms of telling a story from start to finish!)
Artists today can certainly put out and promote singles–especially when accompanied by music videos, which can be great promotional tools–or shorter-length EPs–which can be useful especially when artists want to try new artistic directions. I am just not convinced that EPs are truly cheaper or less time-consuming to produce than full-length albums, or that they ultimately supplant the growth opportunities, both creatively and financially, that arise from creating a broader artistic statement.
AT: You released Juana Luna’s album “Canciones en Blanco y Negro” in September. This was your second release. Tell us about it.
KS: We are very excited to have released Argentine singer-songwriter Juana Luna’s Canciones en Blanco y Negro (Songs in Black and White) last Fall, a beautiful album blending Argentine folkchamamés and boleros with string quartet arrangements commissioned by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and touches of electronic production–exactly the kind of hybrid, traditional-modern aesthetic that Folkalist is focused on! About the music, a tribute to her grandmothers and great-grandmothers, Juana says, “In a way, this album is a ritual of acceptance for all the women whose stories don’t get told, whose suffering got swept under the rug. This is an embrace, a way of looking through the generations to say thank you to those who came before me.”
Canciones is #5 on this month’s World Music Charts Europe, and the single “La Paloma” was included on NPR’s “Top 10 Songs of 2024” by Felix Contreras. You can listen/explore more here!
AT: Which other plans do you have for the near future? Do you have a planned regularity for releases, or will you be releasing as interesting proposals come up?
KS: We are a small label aiming for quality over quantity; we invest a good deal of time, energy, and funding into each release to make it a success while also striving to adapt our strategies to the constantly changing nature of the music industry. In Spring 2025, we will be releasing our third album, Ecuadorian singer-songwriter Grecia Albán’s Nubes Selva (Cloud Jungle), which takes the listener on a journey in Spanish and Kichwa across the diverse Ecuadorian landscape, combining rhythms and rituals of her ancestral homeland with electronic soundscapes to create a singular, futuristic folk sound.
We are actively reviewing proposals and signing artists, and we will be making announcements about new signings over the next few months. Stay tuned!
AT: If you want to share any other insight, please, proceed.
KS: Thank you for your interest in Folkalist Records! You can follow us on Instagram at @folkalistrecords and check out our website, www.folkalistrecords.com for more information on our artists, music clips, and digital liner notes that beautifully tell the stories behind the songs!
THANK YOU, KAVITA, AND MUCH SUCCESS FOR FOLKALIST RECORDS!
ABOUT BABEL MUSIC XP, 3RD EDITION
BY OLIVIER REY
While you read you may like to listen to this playlist with pieces by the artists on the official selection of Babel Music XP 2025:
· A few words about the 3rd edition of Babel Music XP 2025
This is an edition that takes on a special significance in the current global context. Babel Music XP aims to connect people in the industry, foster cultural exchange, and promote musical diversity through the live performance economy.
It is a resolutely humanist and internationalist initiative, running counter to the current trends of isolationism and the rise of populism that can be seen in the United States, Argentina, and several countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia. Babel Music XP is therefore an engaged edition, designed to foster solidarity, bring people together, and stimulate the concert economy.
We know that artists in the global music scene, whom we promote, build their careers primarily through live performances rather than streaming or album sales. It is through live music that these artists make a living and establish their careers. There is a real challenge in defending cultural and musical diversity, especially as multinational corporations increasingly centralize power and drive cultural homogenization.
Babel Music XP stands as a counterpoint to this narrow vision of the world. Our goal is to be more open. This edition is one of struggle and solidarity, with a broader international scope than the previous two editions, not only in terms of the delegations attending the trade fair and professional meetings but also in the official selection.
We have 30 selected groups representing 21 different countries. The styles featured are extremely diverse, ranging from deeply rooted traditional music to futuristic and highly contemporary sounds. Between these two extremes, a wealth of projects emerges, reflecting the vibrant musical scenes around the world. Babel Music XP serves as a snapshot of today’s global musical creation.
· Professional Meetings
We have focused on several key areas. One part of our discussions will be dedicated to the Mediterranean region for various reasons. Firstly, France will host a Mediterranean season in 2026 *. Secondly, Babel Music XP is a genuine Mediterranean hub for world music. We serve as a platform for exchange between the North and the South, a role we proudly embrace.
The Mediterranean is a crossroads of three continents, multiple religions, and various languages. It reflects global dynamics today. Babel Music XP has a vital role to play in this space.
Additionally, we are highlighting international music industry players from Argentina, Colombia, Uzbekistan, Jordan, Morocco, Canada, and across Europe. Our approach is truly global.
The professional meetings will also address transformations in the live music industry, including shifts in economic models, evolving formats, and changing audience habits. Babel Music XP should be a space where we collectively reflect on these changes.
We are looking forward to this edition with great anticipation. We want to demonstrate that it is possible to work differently in the music industry—through meaningful, effective exchanges while preserving the human dimension that we hold dear.
Welcome to Marseille, from March 20 to 22, where we will continue to build bridges and connections in an increasingly turbulent world. Babel Music XP is a project of general interest, and we will succeed together through collective action.
· About the Musical Lineup
I also wanted to focus on the official selection. Instead of listing all 30 groups, I want to emphasize their diversity. We are welcoming artists from Senegal, Sweden, Brazil, Ukraine, South Africa, Ireland, Iran, Estonia, and Bosnia, among others.
The selection offers a broad panorama, ranging from traditional music to contemporary genres. It highlights not only emerging global trends but also the expression of diasporas worldwide.
Some traditional music styles are being reinvented by new generations of artists. This is particularly interesting because these modern interpretations prove that traditions are not static. Many populist movements attempt to reclaim traditions by freezing them into folkloric representations. However, certain artists are offering a new narrative, reinterpreting shared cultural heritage in a fresh, contemporary way.
In the selection, we have artists like Caamaño & Ameixeiras (Spain), Dal:um (South Korea), Mari Kalkun (Estonia), Rokh Quartet (Iran-Switzerland), and a traditional Irish music duo, Séamus et Caoimhe Uí Fhlatharta.
We also showcase projects exploring innovative approaches, such as BitoI (Sweden-Denmark), which experiments with voice in a highly modern way. Other acts blend traditional and electronic music, like Azmz – Bnat Louz & Raskas, merging ancestral Moroccan sounds with electronic music.
Some projects build cultural bridges, like Ablaye Cissoko & Cyril Brotto, who combine the kora and accordion between France and Senegal. Another example is Jawa, a Belgian-based project exploring Syrian music and Maqâm, featuring a whirling dervish.
This lineup is incredibly diverse and globally connected. It fully represents the spirit of Babel Music XP, which finds a natural home in Marseille.
Marseille is not a neutral city. It is the oldest city in France, deeply Mediterranean, port-based, and working-class. Its history is closely intertwined with the Mediterranean, North Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, and Latin America.
This is what Babel Music XP is all about. It is our Tower of Babel, where all languages and music will be heard and resonate together.
* The Mediterranean Season is a program by the Institut Français that each year focuses on a specific country, with a year-long program across France showcasing cross-disciplinary artistic creations. In 2026, it will focus on the Mediterranean and the collaborations between France and other Mediterranean countries.
UNBOUNDED SOUNDS, NEW CONCERTS AND WORKSHOPS SERIES CONCEIVED AND ORGANICED BY SOFIA LABROPOULOU
I first discovered Sofia Labropoulou through her 2020 work Sisyphus. You can listen to it, here. I had the pleasure of meeting her in person in Belgrade in September 2021, at the Todo Mundo festival, where she performed, and we were both invited to a panel called Women in the World Music.
When a few weeks ago I started receiving information about this initiative by Sofia, I loved it and didn’t want to miss the chance to share it already, although I plan to revisit it in future editions as I want to explore some aspects further. But for now, don’t forget to visit the website, where they explain, among other things, the following:
“Unbounded Sounds is a music series created by kanun virtuoso, improvisation artist and composer Sofia Labropoulou. Premiering at Sargfabrik Kulturhaus in 2025 , the series invites audiences to experience a unique blend of folk traditions, contemporary innovation and Vienna’s rich musical diversity.”
Learn more and check the program on the website.
BRIEF NEWS FROM THE MEDIA, CHARTS AND SISTER PROJECTS 
🔸#1 for Transglobal World Music Chart in February of 2025 is: Al Andaluz Project’s, The Songs of Iman Kandoussi: Traditional Arabic Andalusian
🔸Mundofonías: the three favourite of the month are Kaito Winse’s Reele bumbou; Soolmaan’s Kashgul and Simon Thacker & Justyna Jablonska’s Songs of the Roma
OPEN CALLS
This section is open for news. It is free of charge. You can let me know if you have any open call of relevance to the community.
NEW CALLS IN THE NEWSLETTER:
The 15th edition of this event will take place from November 18 to 21, 2025. The application for showcase is open until 2nd of March until midnight (note they are in in Canada). Check the details on their website. Below I will summarice for of the main facts.
· Who is it for: Mundial Montréal is looking for market-ready artists who wish to develop their careers at a national and international level.
· How to apply: The cost is $45 CA per application. On the form on their website. The application requests many data and makes questions as if there is gender parity in the band, how many members of your band identify as part of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, if you belong to any of the following Indigenous Peoples in Northern Turtle Island, how many members of your band identify as Indigenous, if any of the following racial and ethnic groups that apply to members of your band (many options).
· What do they cover: Each band member will receive an Artist wristband that provides access to all panels, Mentor Café and showcases. Mundial Montréal will provide the artists with the crew and basic backline required for their performance.
· Which are the costs: In case of been selected, the artist or the representative must buy a PRO badge. And note that Mundial Montréal does not provide support for travel, accommodation or per diems. The artist is responsible for obtaining the necessary visa(s) to play in Canada and electronic travel authorization (eTA) to enter Canada.
This fair has a part of performative arts, to take place from 2 to 5 of October, and a part of music, happening on 6 to 8 of November, both in Palma de Mallorca.
The application for showcase is open until 28th of February, through the form on their website or through Gigmit.
Their website is very informative and clear. I will summarice some of the main facts but check the website for more details in case you consider to apply:
· Who is it for: Musical projects that are releasing or have released a new album or EP between January 1, 2023 and December 31, 2025. They must have performed five live concerts since January 1, 2023. Proposals must necessarily present a description and a CV in one of the three working languages of Fira B! (Catalan, Spanish and English), photographs, video recordings (at least one live) and an explanatory dossier at least in English.
· What do they cover: Artists featured in the official program will receive an artistic fee that will be calculated based on the number of participants in the production (artistic team and up to two members of the technical team), at a rate of €150 per person. For those artists who need to travel to Mallorca and who do not have financial support from any institution, travel expenses will be reimbursed (up to a maximum of €60 per person for travel between islands, €150 per person for travel from mainland Spain, €350 per person for travel from Europe) and one night’s accommodation, or, in the case of international artists, a maximum of two if logistics make it essential.
It will take place in Rabat from 19th to 22nd of November. The deadline for submitting applications is March 23, 2025, at 11:00 PM GMT+1. The application process is through the official form.
· Who is it for: Artists of global folk and fusion; contemporary and urban music; electronic music (DJ and VJ). All members of the musical group must be over 18 years old. The group must have been active for at least one year, with multiple stage experiences (concerts from the past year and planned performances for the current year must be provided in the application). Able to deliver a 40-minute live performance of original music.
· What do they offer: No artist fees, travel costs (plane tickets, train, etc.), or other expenses (e.g., Moroccan visa fees) are covered. They cover: a stage and necessary equipment, airport transfers and accommodation will be provided for up to 6 members of the group (for one to three nights, depending on the country of residence, in twin rooms), a per diem of 500 MAD per person will be provided on the day of the showcase (up to a maximum of 3,000 MAD per group), promotion of the showcase through Visa for Music’s extensive network (social media, newsletters, online marketing, etc.) and artist passes (for group members and their manager) granting free access to all Visa for Music activities.
🔸Trovam, the Valencian fair of music
It will take place in Castellón de la Plana, Spain, from 13th to 15th of November. Application deadline, until 24th of March at 23:59h (CET). Check the conditions on their website. You will need a translator because this page is not translated into English. I will make a summary of the most relevant issues:
· Who is it for: Groups from any geographical origin can participate, although priority will be given to artistic formations from the Valencian Community. Groups must have at least one released album or EP and have audio and video material available. Artistic proposals from various musical styles within the field of contemporary music (pop, rock, folk, electronic, urban, jazz, fusion, etc.) are welcome.
· What do they offer: the Fira Trovam, as a space for exchange with the attendance of professionals (650 in the last edition), will agree on a financial contribution with the participating companies and groups. Artists and/or their management offices must be registered and up to date with their obligations to Social Security and the Tax Authorities. Hospitality: Fira Trovam will consider as part of a company or group, for accommodation and meal purposes, the number of artists/technicians listed in the application form and – at most – one person in the role of representative or manager. Depending on availability, accommodation will be arranged in Castelló or nearby towns. Rooms will always be shared. The cost of single rooms will be covered by the artist, provided they are available.
APPLICATION DEADLINE EXTENDED AND NEW APPLICATION PROCESS
In the previos edition of the newsletter I announced the deadline of 15th of February for the applications, as it was announced. I have just check their website and I see it has been extended until 15th of March.
How to apply? In the previous edition I announced it was by Gigmit. Now they have also opened the application process on their website. I checked with Ruth Koleva if the applications made by Gigmit were still working for this year’s edition and she confirmed. Both process (Gigmit and their website) are OK.
The content about So Alive under the picture are the same as in the previous edition.
For artists of any genre, from the Balkans (Albania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Serbia, Kosovo, Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Romania, North Macedonia, Turkey, Croatia).
It will take place in Sofia, Bulgaria, 14-17 October 2025. The call for artists is open until 15th of March. What do they offer: “As part of SoAlive 2025, you will perform in front of an audience that includes over 800 delegates from the music industry.” They won’t pay any fee. They cover fixed travel reimbursement (specific details provided upon selection), catering during the event, Pro + accreditations for all band members and accommodation for the duration of the festival.
THESE CALLS WERE IN THE NEWSLETTER IN THE PREVIOUS EDITION:
🔸WOMEX
This year WOMEX will take place in Tampere (like in 2019), Finland, 22 – 26 October 2025.
“Recognized as one of the most important gatherings in the global music scene, WOMEX is the most diverse music meeting worldwide. Its musical spectrum spans from the most traditional to the cutting-edge global local underground, embracing folk, roots, jazz, local and diaspora cultures, and urban and electronic sounds from across the globe.”
The deadline for sending the proposals is Friday, 28 February 2025. The application must be done in this website: https://www.womex-apply.com/
The submission fee (payable by Paypal) is:
· 20 January – 07 February: Early Bird Rate, 15 €
· 08 February – 28 February: Late Rate, 25 €
🔸Premio Andrea Parodi
The 18th edition of the competition has been launched, with the final rounds scheduled from October 9 to 11, 2025, in Cagliari. The call for applications is now open, with free registration available until May 9, 2025, through the official website www.fondazioneandreaparodi.it.
The winner and several finalists will receive significant prizes, including opportunities to perform at major Italian music festivals.
🔸Mercat de Música Viva de Vic
The 37th edition will take place from 17 to 21 of September in Vic, Catalonia. The call for applications expires on 31st of March. Proposals can be submitted for all musical styles and genres, with the exception of classical music.
Check the conditions for the participations, here. Application, here.
MEET ME AT
28 of February to 2nd of March, Ghent, Belgium. VONK. This is a showcase organiced by Muziekmozaïek Folk & Jazz. This is how they present the event: “The festival brings together both established names and exciting new discoveries on the stages of De Centrale. From atmospheric listening moments to danceable rhythms, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Additionally, VONKfestival is the place where musicians, organizers, and music lovers come together, offering space for spontaneous jams and engaging conversations.”- 20-22 of March, Marseille, France. Babel Music XP.
- 2-4 of April, Mérida, Spain. MUM
- 10-13 of April, Budapest, Hungary. Budapest Ritmo, as a delegate and for the concert by Ali Doğan Gönültaş.
