The idea for CEETEP originated in 2006 at the at the RegiON music conference in Budapest, with the belief that something could be created in the region to build cultural bridges between countries and promote artists across borders.
In July 2011, CEETEP became an expansion of the already successful European Talent Exchange Programme, which aims to promote the circulation of artists and repertoire across Europe. During this time training workshops have taken place annually at Serbia’s EXIT festival with 2015 being the final gathering for members of the programme.
Workshops at this years event will cover a variety of topics including; Revenue Streams & Export Readiness, Artist/Management Business Model & International Business Partners, International Touring, Music Media & Marketing, Artist/Fan Relationships and Working with Artists & Band Members, A&R, Studio-Producers, Label Services & Digital Service Providers. The updated results and achievements of the CEETEP programme will also be revealed in a special press conference, along with more detailed information about the focus for Eurosonic Noorderslag.
Together with 18 CEETEP festivals from 13 countries in the CEE region and selected CEE media partners, Eurosonic Noorderslag and co-organisers Sziget and Exit Festival developed a plan to encourage the circulation of CEE artists and repertoire in Central and Eastern Europe, both at festivals and in the media. By working together, the CEETEP festivals and their media partners have helped more CEE artists perform across borders within Central Eastern Europe, and via shows at Eurosonic Noorderslag, throughout the whole of Europe and beyond.
Since the start of the CEETEP programme in 2011 a total of 78 shows by 56 CEETEP artists were presented at the 18 CEETEP festivals with the updated results to be announced at the EXIT Festival press conference.
The conclusion of the project will see artists from13 Central East European countries take centre stage as the focus for 2016 at the 30th Edition of Eurosonic Noorderslag. The CEE-focus will be organised by: Fruzsina Szép (HU/DE), Exit (RS), Open’er Festival (PL), Pohoda (SK), Waves Bratislava (SK), Talinn Music Week (EE), Guna Zuika (Creative Industries Council at the Ministry of Culture, Latvia) (LV) and Eurosonic Noorderslag (NL).