A strong third edition of the Spike Bulgarian Music Showcase will be held in Plovdiv at the end of May. The conference will be in a three-day format – on May 23, 24 and 25. Special for the event over 220 participants from over 20 countries arrive in Plovdiv – 30 groups and individual performers who will play on 5 different stages in the city.
Among the delegates this year will be some outstanding personalities of the world music industry – Steve Lillywhite (producer of U2, winner of 6 “Grammy” awards and the Order of the British Empire), Lennart Ostlund (the man next to ABBA, one of the most famous Swedish music producers, 44 years part of Polar Studios), Adam Lewis (head of Planetary Group), Carl Martin (world-renowned designer of music spaces), David Silba (Summerfest, America), Eileen Crowley (world music digital marketing and streaming specialist , part of the prestigious Billboard 40 under 40).
Spike Bulgarian Music Showcase covers all major topics in the music business and as before will be completely free to attend for anyone interested in show business or just wanting to listen to super cool artists from around the world. During the day, the event offers a rich discussion part, which will be held again in two halls in the House of Culture “Boris Hristov”. All the news from the world of the music industry will be discussed there, presented by specialists from over 20 countries. There are no stylistic restrictions – we will talk about the music in all its variety and completeness.
Very soon, the program will be announced with the performances of the musicians who will appear on the stage of Rock Bar Download, Bar Fabric, Temple Bar, Bezistena and the big hall of Radio Plovdiv. The project is part of the program of Plovdiv – European Capital of Culture 2019.
More about some of the guests:
STEVE LILLYWHITE (UK)
Steve Lillywhite is a British record producer who has won six Grammy Awards (including Producer of the Year in 2006). In 2013 he was awarded the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to music. Steve is the author of over 500 legendary recordings working with various musicians including U2, Rolling Stones, Pogues, Peter Gabriel, Morrissey, Killers, Dave Matthews Band, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Simple Minds, Counting Crows, Talking Heads, David Byrne , XTC and many others. Among the hundreds of hits he’s produced are U2’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “New Year’s day” and “Like a Fairytale of New York” – our favorite Christmas take on the Pogues. Today, Steve lives in Jakara and works only with select artists.
LENNART ÖSTLUND (SE)
Lennart Ostlund is a guest on Spike for the second year. He is one of Sweden’s most famous music producers and recording engineers. Lennart began his career at the legendary Polar Studios, built by ABBA, and worked there for 44 years. Over the years Lennart has participated in various recording stages with the biggest artist in history such as Led Zeppelin, ABBA, Rammstein, Genesis, Ramones, Europe, Rainbow, Backstreet Boys, Beastie Boys, Belinda Carlyle, Burt Bacharach, Emma Bunton, Celine Dion , Tony Banks, Big Country and Roxette and many, many more.
Adam Lewis (US)
Adam Lewis runs Planetary Group, an artist development firm based in Los Angeles. Planetary Group focuses on supporting young artists through digital marketing and PR and communication with radio stations. In recent years, Adam has worked with Arlo Parks, Soccer Mommy, Courtney Barnett, Cate Le Bon, The Chats, Vacations, The Last Dinner Party and Portugal, The Man. Adam currently works on strategic advertising and promotion projects for Great Northeast Productions. He previously worked for TVT Records where he collaborated with Sevendust, Guided By Voices, The Black Crowes and Snoop Dogg. In his professional asset, Adam Lewis has organized tours and hundreds of concerts and much more invaluable show business experience to share.
Carl AH Martin (UK)
Carl Martin is an architect by education and profession. For over 40 years, he has been involved in the design, construction and operation of music arenas. He is the specialist who will tell us his professional experience about the entire process of creating a music space – from large open spaces to small halls. All stages of venue acquisition, design, negotiation with subcontractors and the entire process all the way to venue marketing are his specialty, knowledge about which he will share with the Spike audience.
David Silbaugh (US)
David Silba is best known for his work as a talent scout at one of the biggest music festivals in the world, Summerfest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (a huge festival that features over 800 artists from all genres). David also produces the Emerging Artists Series for the same forum. David also has extensive experience as an A&R consultant for GMR Marketing. He worked a lot and the extremely interesting segment of “sound branding” – creating customized music for sports teams, sports events and brands. He curates the SXSW Music Library for APM Music, providing independent artists with opportunities to “dub” music for film, television, advertising and gaming. For 8 years David also held the very interesting position of consultant and artist relations for Gibson guitars. Last but not least, David is a former member and voting vice president of the board of the Chicago Chapter of The Recording Academy (GRAMMY). He is currently on the board of directors for Sing Me A Story and on the advisory board for FestForums.
AILEEN CROWLEY (New York City, US)
Eileen Crowley is a specialist with experience in streaming, marketing and digital strategies, managing partner at Lark42. Aileen has an impressive track record, being part of the first global streaming team within Universal Music Group. A few years ago, she made the prestigious Billboard 40 under 40 list, and last year she developed the first-of-its-kind AI Music Marketing course. Eileen is also part of the leadership team building a new model record label – DigSin and the first playlist promotion company DigMark. She is a good presenter and a welcome guest on many music panels around the world. Her extensive experience from music startups to major labels makes her a preferred consultant for artists and companies.
