Aurora On ETEP: ‘I think It’s Brilliant’

ETEP is a collaboration among 100 of Europe’s main festivals, the radio stations united under the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and supported by international press partners. So artists selected for the program are not only guaranteed festivals gigs, but also far-reaching media exposure. The program was launched in 2003 by the people behind Eurosonic Noorderslag, mainly Ruud Berends and Peter Smidt.

Acts that play at the Dutch talent festival in January are eligible to be selected by the partnering festivals for a gig at their upcoming editions. Between then and 2015, a total of 2,690 shows by 972 European artists from 30 countries at the partnering festivals have been realized.

Hozier, Birth Of Joy, Milky Chance, Jungle, Seinabo Sey, and Years & Years are among the artists whose careers were kickstarted by ETEP.

Pollstar reached out to Norwegian singer Aurora, who scored the most gigs in 2016, with 11 so far. “For me, nothing is more important than spreading my music through live performances,” Aurora said. “I think what ETEP does is brilliant! Helping artists get booked at festivals all around Europe, and also on radio and media. Especially in the start-up-phase when artists need it the most. “Considering that I have performed at quite a lot of festivals with an ETEP program this year I definitely think I have benefitted from it. I’ve been able to visit so many different countries, and actually have people coming to see us in every single one. I am very grateful.”

Other than Aurora, the Top 5 of 2016 is made up of British acts: Blossoms (nine festival bookings), Nothing but Thieves (seven), Mura Masa (seven) and Stormzy (six). In total, 271 shows by 115 artists from 26 different European countries were realized through ETEP. Another act among the Top 10, with six gigs in total, is Dutch band My Baby.

Singer Cato van Dijck told Pollstar: “We are very happy with the support of ETEP. We feel they have contributed to our success by placing their trust in us. They can convince the festival partners to book us. They are giving this extra push in a natural way, so we will keep our credibility and at the same time raise our chances of playing.”

Festival operators like the program too. Chokri Mahassine, organizer of Belgium’s Pukkelpop, said: “I think, over the years, the European Talent Exchange Program has proven its value to the European music scene. “At Pukkelpop we honestly believe in a well-balanced collaboration with ETEP. After all, supporting new talent has been part of our DNA since the very beginning in 1985.”

Switzerland’s Paléo festival has been an ETEP partner since the program’s inception in 2003. Programmer Dany Hassenstein says ETEP is “the only funding program we’re participating in. It’s the ideal platform to catch the latest music trends in Europe and share them with our audience.” He adds that “more and more festivals are joining, the exchange among ourselves is intensified. What is more, the quality of the bands to choose from is getting better and better. This has to be the safest proof that the program is worth something.”