When a Believer hosts worldwide music industry heavyweights in Bulgaria

If you ask Boyan Robert Pinter what SPIKE Bulgarian Music Showcase ’s main goal is, here’s what you’ll get: « SPIKE’s idea is to serve Bulgaria’s local scene and artists, educate them on any music industry topic and at the same time give them an opportunity to build a team around them, and play live ».  

After wrapping up its second edition in May 2023, all there is to say is « job well done ». 

Held in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, SPIKE 2023 hosted top music professionals from the global market, artists and delegates from all over Europe and North America during a two days of panel discussions and three days of music and networking extravaganza. 

At its helm is Boyan Robert PINTER, a musician, festival producer, promoter and believer, who was just included in IQ magazine’s LGBTIQ+ list of Queer Pioneers - which spotlights 20 outstanding queer professional in the international live music business.  

The festival was first launched online in 2021, during the pandemic.  

It is part of the Keychange initiative and aims to be a model of inclusivity, equality and respect for all genders and gender expressions in the music industry and beyond. 

For its first in-person edition in May, it was back bigger and better. 

« The difference between last year and this year is that we grew about four times, we now have 40 speakers from all over the world. It is an international event; we have people coming from Japan, Canada, the Baltics, Israël. Performances were also as diverse as that ». 

SPIKE strives to be accessible and welcoming to all regardless of their knowledge of the music world. Even though talking about the industry's layered and ever-changing nature can get confusing, Boyan encourages the guest panelists to be as educational as possible. 

« We want to focus on stories that inspire and inform. We want people to feel empowered and informed instead of scared ».  

All signs lead to SPIKE going onwards and upwards!