Calvi’s Mercury Compensation

It doesn’t have quite the same profile as winning the UK’s Mercury Music Prize but Anna Calvi may get some compensation by doing best in this year’s European Talent Exchange Programme.

The UK-based singer-songwriter’s self-titled debut album was short-listed for this year’s Mercury but was one of the also-rans behind PJ Harvey’s Let England Shake.

However, her performance at Eurosonic-Noorderslag in The Netherlands in January secured her 12 festival appearances throughout Europe.

Steve Backman from London agents Primary Talent, who also had The Crookes in this year’s ETEP lineup, reckons the programme produced the leads for nearly half of Calvi’s summer festival shows.

James Blake, who is also from the UK, and Spain’s Crystal Fighters are Calvi’s closest ETEP rivals, with 10 shows each.

This year’s ETEP has so far helped 78 acts from 15 countries secure 204 shows between them, beating the 2009 record.

The 2011 total would have been even higher but 10 acts unavoidably lost their Pukkelpop slots when the Belgian fest was canceled after freak winds blew down stages and uprooted trees.

Eurosonic organiser Buma Cultuur, which is funded by royalty collection agency Buma, will hold its second Buma Rotterdam Beats – a dance music gathering – Nov. 18-19.