Dogaja Project
Empowering Local Music Markets
The 11th edition of Most Music: Wanted Berlin features a pilot project that centers on a music focused cultural exchange between Berlin & local music markets (this year highlighting Slovenia, Croatia and North Macedonia). Led by Danaja Antonija Volk in the effort of re-connecting, re-affirming and creating the bonds between music scenes of Berlin and the other regions. The MW:M pilot project participants Mirna Čupić, Ružica Petrova, Lorena Junghans and Kasja Borić –that have their roots in Romania, Slovenia, North Macedonia and Croatia are all involved in the music scene in their own ways. Their work is based in awareness, community-led projects, events organization, radio, PR, DJing/performing, artist management and more. The project is coordinated in collaboration with one of the leading music business and showcase festivals in central and eastern Europe, MENT in Ljubljana, Slovenia and the Balkan wide initiative New Faces.
The young industry professionals are invited to collaborate between those who stayed and are the backbone of the local scenes and the ones who belong to the diaspora, working and developing projects in Berlin. The pilot project is just the beginning of an overdue re-evaluation of the music industry and its sustainability, as well as its inclusivity that refrains from noticing other local music markets from the Eastern European region as a worthy component of the music scene‘s wider ecosystem, the participants are here to change that, challenge that and readjust the western-centric models that seemingly have interest in the region mainly in order to exploit its natural resources and cheap commissions in forms of festivals and holiday resorts without giving much back.
Future Plans: The project aims to grow by engaging more participants and collaborating with additional music business conferences. As the project is co-created, its specific objectives will evolve over time. Ultimately, our goal is to build a network of skilled, independent professionals across various music markets who can collaborate and share resources.
Meet our participants from MENT and New Faces:
Mirna Čupić
Mirna Čupić cut her teeth stagehanding and volunteering in KSET venue and at multiple film and music festivals in Croatia. She has been running KSET’s booking team from 2021 – 2024; managing events, writing projects and organizing concerts and various programs. As her experience grew, she started working professionally for festivals: leading hospitality sectors for SHIP and Motovun Film Festival and stage managing for Tam Tam festival. In 2022 she participated in MOST Management Training Pillar which introduced her to the international music industry. Freshly graduated with a master’s degree in psychology from Zagreb’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, she is also active as a guitarist and vocalist in two Zagreb based bands: Kaleido and Panakota.
Ružica Petrova
Ružica Petrova Since 2023, Ružica has been working as a production assistant at MENT Ljubljana. She is a music journalist and a member of the music department of Radio Študent Ljubljana, one of the oldest non-commercial radio stations in Europe. As part of the radio she is the co-author and co-host of Hiljadu Decibela, a semi-monthly radio show that covers new music releases, artists and alternative scenes from the former Yugoslav countries. She is also an active host of DJ Seansa, a weekly show that through exclusive DJ sets and interviews promotes both upcoming and well established artists from Slovenia and different parts of the world. In the past three years she was part of the organization team of TRESK, an annual music festival organized by Radio Študent, which brings together local, regional and European independent labels, distributors and artists. She is one half of the turbocharged DJ duo The BPM Police and recently started DJing solo as Sahara Transport Services.
Come and meet Ružica moderating Hear What the Pros Think: Join the MW:M Listening Session!, November 14th, 17:00-18:00, Haus für Poesie.