How often have you listened to a Ukrainian song and thought, ‘Why isn’t this song famous around the world?’ Probably a dozen times less than Alona Dmukhovska, music expert and founder of Music Export Ukraine (MEU), an independent organisation that has been promoting Ukrainian music and helping local artists get heard abroad since 2018. Read on to learn more about music trends, European tastes, challenges facing the local industry, and new names on the Ukrainian scene.
Alona, tell us about your professional background. Before Music Export Ukraine began, what were you doing, and how did you decide to start an export office?
It all started with Ukrainian music festivals: first it was the capital’s GogolFest (2012–2015), and then Respublica (2015–2018), which moved from Kamianets-Podilskyi to Khmelnytskyi in 2018. My work has always had an international component, as I was involved in negotiations with embassies, booking international artists, and so on. All this time, I was bothered by the thought that despite the presence of incredible musicians in Ukraine, little is known about them in the world. Take Okean Elzy, for example, whose performances attract 60,000 spectators, which is an incredible figure for a local artist. At some point, I started sharing this thought with my colleagues, including Darcia Tarkovska, co-founder of the export office. She excelled at introducing foreigners to the Ukrainian music market, despite occasionally encountering disparagement and misunderstanding. Agreeing that talk alone would not solve the problem, we decided to found an organisation called Music Export Ukraine. And although we were essentially flying blind, we were somehow confident that the first steps would show us the way. That is precisely what happened, and now we are in the seventh year of this crazy adventure.
Please explain what MEU does and how an export office differs from, say, a label.
A label is the most minor component of the music industry, a microbusiness whose primary goal is not only to develop an artist’s talent, but also to obtain commercial benefits by exploiting their music catalogue, etc. MEU, on the other hand, is a non-profit organisation: we still raise funds through international opportunities and reinvest in our projects without generating any profit. We do this simply because we see a need and want to develop the industry. This is our social responsibility. We strive to make these services as accessible as possible, with a special focus on educational projects. These projects have the potential for the most long-term impact, enabling labels and artists to establish their own micro-businesses, increase their earnings, and gain greater recognition in other countries. That was our initial goal, which is why we are deliberately non-commercial.
MEU has many reputable international partners. Tell us about your most productive collaborations.
Indeed, partnerships develop gradually. For the first few years, we had to prove that we were worth something, that we existed, that we did our job well.
That is probably why every collaboration we have today is very special and valuable. First of all, I would like to highlight Reeperbahn – a flagship showcase festival that attracts 4,000 delegates from all over the world and 40,000 music fans who come from literally everywhere.
For the fifth year in a row, together with the Ukrainian Institute, we are bringing the official Ukrainian delegation to Hamburg. This is not only about performances by Ukrainian artists, but also about business networking, presenting music catalogues, participating in conferences, and other related activities. It is also a huge platform to share successful stories from Ukraine.
Another significant achievement for our organisation this year was the invitation of Ukrainian artist Donba₴grl to Glastonbury, one of the world’s most famous music festivals. First, we recommended she participate in the prestigious Dutch festival Eurosonic. As Music Export Ukraine is an official partner of the event, we can nominate our artists and bring Ukrainian managers to exchange experiences, and learn within the Emerging Talents programme.
Glastonbury bookers spotted the singer at Eurosonic, and we made the trip possible by supporting the performer with a grant. On 28 June, Donba₴grl played her set on the legendary Green Futures stage, and I am delighted that MEU played a vital role in this ambitious event.
Please highlight a few notable artists you are currently working with and explain what criteria a musician must meet to become export-friendly.
The basic export criteria are published on our website. That is the perfect explanation of what exactly our foreign colleagues expect. Obviously, a young Ukrainian artist will not be able to meet all the business criteria, but our website guidance makes it possible to understand the next steps. First, good online and offline communication, verification of social media pages, and the availability of information about the artist in both Ukrainian and English play an important role. Secondly, a team with a business component – management or an agent who handles booking performances in Europe, logistics and organisational issues, etc. The third step is a well-written EPK, or Electronic Press Kit. This is the first presentation material that foreign colleagues ask for.
The next export criterion is presence in foreign music mass media.
We help artists at each of these stages so that they can grow and develop at an international level. In total, over the course of six years, MEU has provided support for over 400 Ukrainian artists and 800 management representatives.
Each collaboration is special. Often, we find a perfect match and involve certain artists in several projects at once. Our website has a list of performers we recommend for booking. This year, for example, we are taking Brykulets and KLER, who have already become internet sensations, to Reeperbahn. Cheerful dance music usually has its own audience. I believe in their international prospects and recommend adding these two names to your playlist.
How does the collaboration between Music Export Ukraine and an artist begin? Who finds and engages whom first?
90% of our projects are done through open calls. First and foremost, we want this opportunity to be available to everyone, as it always presents a chance to discover unknown talent. For our flagship educational project, Eastern European Music Academy, we select students together with other colleagues from Eastern European countries. We know the context of the Ukrainian scene, and they know their own, so they can recommend musicians who will benefit from a collaboration. As for showcases, we only submit a shortlist of applications that we recommend for consideration, but the final decision is always up to the festival organisers, because they know their audience best.
The result is a consensus between our vision of the industry and its prospects, as well as the international expertise and interest of our foreign partners.
You are creating a very powerful educational project with the Eastern European Music Academy, which is unique in your region. The sixth iteration is already underway. Tell us about who it is for and what it teaches.
The academy’s primary target audience is self-managed artists or their managers. At the beginning of MEU, we noticed that we had a lot of musical talent and a strong school of artistic training, but there were some management issues. When an artist is working on stage, there needs to be someone behind the scenes who negotiates, plans appearances, and monitors the budget. This is the component that we were lacking due to several factors over which we have no control, not least, economic challenges.
One of them is that management usually works for a percentage of the total profit, which is a problem for a novice artist who is just starting their career. That is why we always have to seek consensus on how international markets work, how to deal with specific legal situations and establish the first sources of musical income.
Fortunately, there are many opportunities for this now, via factors such as concerts, merchandising, synchronisation, digital platforms, copyright, etc. The music industry is one of the most complex in terms of the types of rights that exist in the entertainment industry, in their monetisation and exploitation. This is what we teach managers and artists who run their own businesses at our Academy. After that, they become export-friendly in accordance with all international criteria and can confidently move forward on a global level. The project is super inclusive, as most of the training takes place online, and we always try to involve regional experts from outside the usual Kyiv-Lviv bubble, where the most significant number of creators are concentrated. The only requirements are knowledge of English and a desire to learn.
As an incentive, the best students of the academy get the opportunity to attend one of the European showcase festivals. What is it and what can it give an artist?
For the past few years, we have been taking a dozen of the best students to a showcase festival.
This is a special type of business event in the music industry, divided into a conference part, where the best specialists exchange experience and make new, valuable contacts, and a concert part, which tests the artist, confirms or refutes their competitiveness at the international level.
As a rule, it is a small club format, where both music fans and a business audience gather in search of fresh artistic inspiration. On this occasion, we are taking our students to one of the most expensive and prestigious showcase festivals, Eurosonic, which takes place in the Netherlands every January. This event is necessary to put into practice all the skills they will acquire during their studies, as well as to raise Ukraine’s profile and involvement in the European creative community.
Networking is one of the most effective tools for establishing creative connections. Can you share some practical examples of networking turned into a great collaboration?
Everyone who attends such an event will likely share at least 5-10 similar stories. I acknowledge that sometimes networking is a long-term process, and that’s okay too. I recall colleagues from DakhaBrakha mentioning that they attended the WOMEX festival five consecutive years before meeting their current American agent, with whom they are now organising extensive tours across the United States. Another talented band, The Unsleeping, was performing in Vienna when a stranger approached us and started asking about them. At first, we thought he was just an ordinary music fan who had come to the club, but then he handed us his business card. It turned out that he was the manager of Live Nation, one of the largest transnational entertainment companies in the world, which organises concerts for artists such as Beyoncé, The Weeknd and others. He said, ‘Give me a call and tell me about these guys, they’re cool.’ Unplanned meetings and brief conversations often work much better than cold emails, which are not read. That’s why we encourage our artists to utilise this practical component, as it provides a face-to-face meeting that can make the most objective impression.
One of MEU’s new projects is POLYGLOT, about which significantly less is known. Please tell us what it is and what results you are ready to share.
We are testing new approaches to export opportunities, and POLYGLOT is a kind of experiment that is unfolding before our eyes. Let’s start with the fact that we all often listen to songs in foreign languages on streaming platforms without understanding their meaning.
Therefore, our office decided to investigate whether translating, say, a Portuguese song into Ukrainian or vice versa would affect the listener’s perception and the number of plays. We selected 10 potentially interesting songs from seven countries, including Ukraine, translated them, and have already started re-recording them in local languages.
Very soon, Ukrainian songs will be heard in Catalan, Portuguese, Polish, and Latvian. We will release and promote these tracks, and then it’s up to the audience – if we get positive feedback, we will continue in this direction.
Is it like a cover?
From a legal perspective, it’s not a cover, but rather an adaptation, because not only are the lyrics changed, but also the arrangement, depending on the vision of the artist who wants to reinterpret the song.
Were there any problems with obtaining permission or rights? Do you try to work on older compositions, perhaps folk songs?
This is still a pilot project, so there are many questions, not only from our artists, but also from European ones. This demonstrates once again that rights in the music industry are a very complex thing that few people really understand.
That’s probably why music attorneys earn so well. But it’s also a promising area, as a music catalogue and its distribution via streaming platforms is a good source of passive income, especially at the international level, where royalties are significantly higher.
Although we primarily focus on developing Ukrainian talent, we also need to build an audience that is willing to give up piracy and normalise the payment and support of their artists. These funds are a good reinvestment in cool music videos, new tracks, and the organisation of tours, which we all lack so much right now. The process has been started, but there is still a lot of work to be done. According to the official international classification, we are still considered an “immature market,” meaning that streaming penetration in Ukraine is still very low. While in Sweden or the United States, about 50–70% of the total population pays for music, in Ukraine, this figure is only 5–6%.
From your experience and observations, which artists are accepted and loved in Europe? What genres, trends, and styles are currently popular?
Ukraine is quite similar to Europe: there is a demand for new, fresh talent. Every year, a prodigy emerges who offers something interesting and extraordinary. However, there is one significant difference – Ukrainian rap/hip-hop does not occupy such a dominant position in the genre diversity as, say, in Poland, France or Germany. If you look at the Polish streaming charts, you will see that 9 out of 10 tracks in the top are Polish-language rap. Our listeners, on the other hand, love pop-rock music.
You can also add folk and pop music, which is very popular on YouTube, thanks to our parents’ generation joining streaming platforms. Another interesting thing I’m noticing more and more today is Ukrainian youth’s interest in music from the past.
There is currently a global trend towards a renaissance of idols from the past. Ukrainians have benefitted from this wave. Which luminaries would you personally like to see make a comeback?
This is indeed a global trend, the so-called ‘recession pop.’ I would probably like to see the return of my favourite Ukrainian band of the 2000s, Dymna Sumish, which, unfortunately, hardly releases anything new. I really like the mix of candid lyrics by Sasha Chemerov and expressive rock music.
I’m also a big fan of Territory A. You won’t believe it, but one of the most amazing performances I’ve ever been to was Aqua Vita‘s concert at the Respublica festival. Music, like everything else on this planet, is cyclical, so I’ll be eagerly awaiting the return of my idols from the past.
I’m sure you’ve often observed foreigners’ reactions to Ukrainian songs. Which one stands out the most?
One of the most interesting moments was at the Pohoda festival in Slovakia, where the band Go-A performed in a huge open-air tent. There were 3-4 thousand people there. The lead singer performed electro-folk, and those same thousands of people danced in circles, following her hand movements as if spellbound. How beautifully Katya, the frontlady of the band, knows how to control the audience, I thought at the time. It’s not often you see a frontwoman on stage who genuinely enjoys herself, which is why Europeans are so impressed by her vibe.
You may know the most remote or exotic country a Ukrainian artist has ever visited. Or has a song been played on the radio?
We’ve been everywhere, from Iceland to Latin America. The thing is, it shouldn’t be a one-off appearance on the radio or a local TV show, but a strategic mission for many years to come. That’s when you’ll see great results.
What do you consider MEU’s most significant achievement to date?
Ukraine has become a full-fledged member of the European music community. No one asks anymore who we are and what we are doing here. Some will say that Ukraine is on the agenda because of the tragic events, but that does not negate the need to use the attention to our advantage. Despite its geographical proximity, Ukraine remains mysterious and unknown to many in cultural and spiritual terms. That is why each of us must act as a brand ambassador, using every opportunity to talk about ourselves and the reality in which we are forced to live.
Why is music important during war? The answer is obvious, but on the other hand, do you believe in cultural diplomacy?
Changing world events distract the focus of Europeans from the horrors we are experiencing. Culture is perhaps the only tool that captures the attention of audiences and, therefore, allows us to tell our stories.
The conclusion is simple: if we want to be heard, we must speak through art. Despite the undeniable talent of our performers and the genre diversity of Ukrainian music, only a few manage to achieve international recognition.
Why, in an age when digital content has no borders, are our artists still overlooked? Do you believe that one day, for example, Tina Karol will be singing with Aguilera or Jamala will win a Grammy?
Jamala has a slightly better chance because her music, like the messages she conveys, resonates more strongly with international trends. Tina works in the pop niche, where competition is fierce, and it’s challenging to outshine Beyoncé-quality performers in alternative genres. Ukrainian metal music is breaking all the moulds, and Austria’s largest metal label, Napalm Records, signs our metalheads as soon as they make their first demo recording. Ukrainian electronic music is played in the best clubs in the world. Our Miss Monique became the first resident DJ at the legendary Hï Ibiza, where she plays DJ sets alongside David Guetta. We can see how Europeans have fallen in love with our folk music, especially Go-A, Onuka, and DakhaBrakha. So, there is always a chance to reach the world stage. The key is to be talented, proactive, have a solid business strategy, and a bit of luck, because without these elements, you won’t get anywhere in the music industry.
What advice would you give to young artists who are just starting? How do they become visible, and where do they start?
Begin by learning, as this will help them understand the direction they are heading and the tools they are working with. There are many online opportunities, free courses from Berkeley, Coursera, and others. Also, pay attention to digital, because it is crucial now.
It is incredibly wrong to neglect modern promotional tools or hope that those who need you will find you on their own. They need to work hard, try out different methods to see what works best for them, and only then make further plans for promotion, performances, etc.
Is it true that the industry has only deteriorated in recent years, or have there been some positive developments?
The most significant changes have affected concert activities. Given that part of the country’s premise is occupied, artists are limited to performing in central and western Ukraine. The same Atlas, which used to be able to host up to 600,000 people, welcomed only 20,000 this year.
The only positive developments are in digital media, where the number of people listening to music on official services is gradually increasing. Switching from Telegram to official streaming platforms is also a small step towards Europe, or at least towards European thinking.
Unfortunately, the music industry faces numerous problems, and their solution depends not only on artists and audiences, but also on our authorities. We are talking about the royalty payment system and the work of collective management organisations. All music played on television, in cafes, and restaurants should be monetised, with the majority of the revenue going to the artists in a fair amount. This can only be achieved through direct dialogue with the state and consolidated lobbying of interests, through the joint efforts of labels, music organisations and independent artists.
Author: Anna Lysenko
Editor of Ukrainian text: Anastasia Zanuzdanova
Editor of English text: Helen Lewis
Photo credits: Oksana Osypova, Patrick Münnich, Yustyna Kaminska
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