ETEP’s Record-Breaking Bunch Finish

Irish band Villagers and the UK’s Palma Violets both caught longtime leader Jake Bugg to finish with 11 shows, while The Netherlansds’ Skip & Die and Denmark’s Efterklang finished hot on their heels with 10 shows each.

Rangleklods, another Danish act, Ireland’s Kodaline and the UK’s AlunaGeorge got nine shows apiece.

“This year is different from the other ETEP years. We do not have a clear winner, the Top 15 are so close that I guess it is fair to say that all those acts are winners,” ETEP organiser Ruud Berends told Pollstar.

Since ETEP started in 2003, every year has been a record-breaking year, a testament to how it’s captured the interest of artists, agents and the festivals that support it. This year there were 80 festivals on board, including major gatherings such as Belgium’s Rock Werchter, Roskilde (Denmark), Glastonbury (UK), Rock am Ring and Rock im Park, and Hurricane and Southside (all in Germany). This year 103 artists from 23 countries shared 324 shows between them.

Last year 110 acts from 22 countries shared 287 shows. The Central Eastern European Talent Exchange Programme, a sort of ETEP sub-program for former Eastern Bloc countries, saw Djaikovski – which comes from Macedonia – do best with four shows.

The key CEETEP festivals include Sziget (Hungary), Exit (Serbia), Pohoda (Slovakia), Rock For People (Czech Republic) and Heineken Open’er (Poland). ETEP and CEETEP, which are both funded by the European Union, hold their annual showcases at Eurosonic-Noorderslag in The Netherlands. Next year’s Eurosonic- Noorderslag is Jan. 15-18.