Western Balkans: from a concrete utopia towards concrete opportunities

Since the early emergence of punk in the former Yugoslavia, there have been continuous relations between acts and organizers in ‘the region’, based on language similarities, idealism, regional audiences, and infrastructure. Pioneering music festivals like EXIT in Serbia first brought international acts and large audiences to the Western Balkans. The groundbreaking work of showcase festivals PIN in Skopje (MK) and MENT Ljubljana [SI], both celebrating 10th anniversary-editions, contributed by steadily introducing international music professionals to the infrastructure and markets. Still, from an outsider perspective, the larger region could be perceived as slightly hermetic. The recent launch of export platforms in Croatia and Serbia means another leap towards future European exchanges. In 2023, We Move Music Croatia hosted a first edition of showcase SHIP, and the Serbian government founded the platform Serbia Creates, representing their market and emerging talents. Finally, the initiative New Faces allows regional mobility of a selection of promising young professionals. In this panel, the speakers discuss ongoing regional developments and future opportunities