‘Art Comes From The Spirit & AI Cannot Replicate That’: Q’s With Bridge Conference Co-Founder Dušan Kovačević

Bridge Conference, set to premier May 20-22 in Umag, Croatia, has unveiled its final program, including speakers and session topics that’ll revolve around the intersection of music and technology, which is the event’s raison d’être.

Bridge is deliberately limited to a small number of around 200 delegates, to make sure people can network and do business in a meaningful way. CAA’s Maria May, FKP Scorpio’s Folkert Koopmans, or ITB’s Barry Dickins are just some of the music industry leaders scheduled to speak at Bridge. Soundcloud, WME, Wasserman Music, FKP Scorpio, ILMC, SXSW, Mad Cool, EXIT, Sziget, and more also also represented.

‘The Intersection Of Music & Tech Industries’: Bridge Conference Launches In Croatia

Pollstar reached out to Bridge co-founder and EXIT festival CEO Dušan Kovačević, who talked about the motivation to launch a new music conference in Europe, and what guests can expect from the three days, hosted in one of Europe’s prettiest locations, right on the coast of Istria.

Pollstar: What are the reasons you decided to launch Bridge?
Dušan Kovačević: Technology is shaping every aspect of our lives, a development that will only accelerate, especially now that AI is here. What we wanted to achieve with this conference is investigate where music and technology intersect, and look at how technology can have both a positive and a negative impact on the music industry.

Technology can empower stakeholders in music, if it helps generate new income streams and opportunities, and expand their audience, which may be the biggest benefit of this intersection.

It has downsides, of course, digital addiction being maybe the biggest one. It’s an issue that’s only going to get bigger, seeing how new generations are being raised on mobile phones. Music festivals are one of the last remaining, let’s say, defenders of the unadulterated live experience. That’s the inspiration for Bridge, and the panels and sessions will address the positive applications of technology, while remembering that the only true experience is the live experience.

When you bring people from the music and technology industries together, interesting ideas can come about, that’s the primary motivation. A secondary motivation is introducing a limited number of delegates to one of the most beautiful regions of Europe, right where Sea Star Festival will kick off our summer season. Croatia, at this time of the year, offers beautiful weather, fantastic food, great wines – the perfect setting for an intimate networking for 200 people.

There’ve been many great tech ideas in music over the years, from gig-booking platforms to blockchain, which brought forth amazing initiatives, not just in ticketing. But, in hindsight, none of these technologies ever seem to break through on a mass scale. Is that because the traditional industry wants to protect its business models, and fears the disruption technology could cause? Do you think, the conference can bridge that gap?
It’s not like people are being protective of the old ways. They’re simply used to doing business as they’ve always done. They are, of course, willing to change to some extent, but radical change is never easy. The last time this business was forced to radically change was during the pandemic. Several festivals went online and held virtual festivals, in some cases, like in the case of Tomorrowland, even with great ticket sales. When it was not possible to do the live thing, they embraced technology, often collaborating with start-up businesses for the purpose. There are many such initiatives that can support the industry. Giving them the opportunity to showcase their products, and introducing them to the right people is one of the mission statements of Bridge.

Is the conference also an opportunity to maybe scale back the fear-mongering around AI? What AI currently produces in terms of imagery or text doesn’t look or read too great.
I do believe that AI will develop exponentially, and get more complex in the very near future, as you can see by the different versions of ChatGPT that came out since it launched in 2022. And while I do think that AI, and the things it creates, will look and sound and read better and better, I also agree that AI is just one part of the equation, the mental, logical part. Art comes from the spirit, it is emotion, a feeling, energy, and you cannot replicate that. I do believe that we as humans are able to sense the spirit, which is something AI will never be able to do, which is also why I feel that real art will always be safe.

Why should somebody who reads this interview make the journey to Umag, Coratia in May, and attend the inaugural edition of Bridge conference?
To meet some of the top people from the music and tech industries in a very intimate setting amidst the beautiful surroundings of the Adriatic Sea; to be exposed to conversations that will shape the future of our industry.

The changes to this business will come faster and be more disruptive as we move forward – not just the opportunities, but also the challenges, just look at how many festival went bankrupt over the last two years. It’s not just the technology that’s changing, but the audience as well. Kids are growing up. The reason so many festivals are going bankrupt now is not just inflated prices, which is one of two main causes, but also because the current generational change is way bigger than any generational change in history – or at least as I have experienced during the quarter of a century we’ve been in business with EXIT. Adapting to new generations is not just a question of business growth, but of sheer business survival, too.

What results would you like to see come out of the first edition of Bridge?
I would love to see new business deals being made, and new startups rising from this conference that will be successful and support the industry in the future.

Subscribe to Pollstar HERE