Since the launch of the EuroSonicbids program, we’ve been enabling festivals all over Europe to access both funding for their festival, and discover some of the coolest emerging bands around. Taksirat Festival is one of them. Find out what they had to say about their experience so far with this unique program:
- Tell us a little bit about your festival.
Taksirat Festival is an annual music festival in R. Macedonia, dedicated to alternative rock, pop, electronic and, in particular, reggae and ska. The whole festival lasts for one week, usually the end of November until the first days of December, and it is located on different cultural locations in Skopje.
Besides the main music program, the festival is enriched with programs like art performances, art films, theatre plays, social campaigns that promote positive values between the youth population (No Guns, Stop AIDS, Be a Volunteer), promotion of new music releases, introducing young and un-established artists with the audience and more.
In 2007 Taksirat was rebranded as TAKSIRAT MTV MOVEMENT by the world music giant MTV. Taksirat was the main promoter of MTV Movement campaign.
Other achievements of the festival are:
- The festival with The Most Original Concept – Mix between the East and the West, rewarded by Storm of Change Music Conference in Dresden, Germany.
- The Best Rock n' Roll Festival on the Balkan nomination.
- The Best Overseas Festival nomination by the UK Festival Awards in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
- TAKSIRAT FESTIVAL is a member of The European Festival Association – YOUROPE.
- How many bands are you looking to book?
The one-week Taksirat Festival is supporting a big number of acts during the concert days and the last, main day of the Festival. Performers include Manu Chao, Gentleman and the Evolution, ONYX, Julliete Lewis, Guano Apes, The Roots, Iggy & The Stooges, The Stranglers, Transglobal Underground, Young Gods, The Wailers, Marky Ramone and many more.
The main festival night is filled with the biggest names and it runs from 19:00 PM till 4:00 AM. In that period 7 or 8 bands are closing the big festival week in the Metropolis Arena in Skopje.
- What made you join the EuroSonicbids program?
The program between Eurosonic and Sonicbids is a “winning” combination, for the already known success of the companies and the huge number of options for collaboration between the music companies worldwide. It supports the bands and the companies to help them reach each other at conferences, to hear new music at showcases, and make connections and chances for spreading music from the smallest of countries to Europe and the world.
As a company and a Festival, we already have connections with a large number of companies and artists, thanks to Eurosonic and Sonicbids.
- What do you think of the bands you’ve found on Sonicbids so far?
Sonicbids is a great place for artists’ presentations. The huge number of bands from different parts of the world makes us, the festivals, very close to them, finding all of them on the same place. So far, we're impressed with the interest in the festival. It’s already known very far from our neighborhood.
This is one impressive step that is opening big chances for the artists and also for completing the Festival programs with new artists, making it easier to get to their favorite festival.
- How about your experience opening a gig listing on Sonicbids?
The EuroSonicbids program, with the Gig Listing, is one big step to helping concerts, any kind of live performances, song contests and radio opportunities to be heard on the network. As a result, these listings are well visited and supported with quality artists. For the Taksirat festival, it was a great opportunity to work with EuroSonicbids. Now Macedonia, as a part of the European music business, has this program that is helping the word to spread faster.
- Any other comments?
The year 2011 brings us the 13th edition of the Taksirat Festival, and the whole organization hopes that this program, EuroSonicbids, will bring us new blood and quality music, making every next edition better than the previous one.
With support from the Taksirat Festival, we hope that Eurosonic and Sonicbids will succeed and will be supported by every European Festival.
