The second in the series of informal meetings of the Bulgarian Music Association took place in Burgas on July 25. Once again, we gathered with plenty of music, ideas, and genuine conversations.

We discussed the challenges facing performing artists in Bulgaria, especially independent musicians, and how the Bulgarian Music Association, through its advocacy work, can help address them. Artists shared that many venues in the city lack a clear concept and the capacity to develop audiences, particularly when it comes to certain underground genres. Emphasis was placed on the need to create an accessible database with information about festival stages and their policies, as well as specialists who can assist with preparing, writing, and organizing projects.

Performing artists in Burgas enjoy the full support of the municipality, as demonstrated by the presence at the meeting of Mrs. Diana Savateva – Deputy Mayor for Culture and Religions, and Ruska Boyadzhieva – Chair of the “Burgas 2023” Foundation. The gathering provided an opportunity to establish contact with local authorities regarding future partnerships for the development of joint cultural initiatives in the field of music. In addition, a proposal was formulated for the creation of a digital platform to facilitate event licensing, ensure transparency, and ease the work of the municipality, artists, and performance venues.

We thank everyone who joined us with ideas and food for thought.

Stay tuned for the next BMA Unplugged meetings coming this autumn in other cities.

You can listen to the playlist of your music that we enjoyed during the meetings HERE.