Live Incubator 2027: Building the future of live music, together (SPOT, Trondheim Calling and Vienna Waves)
Live Incubator brings together a new generation of the European music industry to come up with ideas for international live music projects, develop them and raise funding for them. It’s run by SPOT Festival (DK), Trondheim Calling (NO) and Waves Vienna (AT), and funded by Erasmus+ Youth.
This year, we’re opening the programme to solo artists. You know the music industry from the inside: the closed doors, the unwritten rules, the pressure on early-career musicians, and the independent venues and festivals fighting to survive. Live Incubator gives you the space, support and network to do something about it.
What you’ll do
You’ll be part of a team of 9 people: 3 solo artists, 3 emerging professionals and 3 festival directors. Over the year you will:
- Explore the challenges facing the live music scene in your country and across Europe
- Develop one project idea with your team, from first spark to tested concept
- Learn how to plan, budget and find funding for a project
- Pitch your project to industry professionals at the partner festivals
- Leave with a concrete plan to keep the project going after the programme
Who you’ll work with
The directors of Trondheim Calling, SPOT Festival and Waves Vienna join the workshops as participants, not just as speakers. They share their networks, experience and honest feedback, and they work on the projects alongside you.
Timeline
- January ‘27: Online session #1
- February 3–7: Camp 1, Trondheim Calling (Trondheim, NO)
- March: Online session #2
- May 5–9: Camp 2, SPOT Festival (Aarhus, DK)
- September: Online session #3
- October 6–10: Camp 3, Waves Vienna (Vienna, AT)
- November: Online session #4
Between sessions, you’ll meet online with your project team to keep the work moving.
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Nordic Incubator: A Nordic Collaboration for the Future of Music (2025/26)
Expanding on the Live Incubator concept, Nordic Incubator was a new cross-Nordic initiative designed to strengthen collaboration, innovation, and knowledge-sharing across Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Greenland.
Nordic Incubator, formerly known as Live Incubator, is an international program launched in 2024 in collaboration with Scala and Fermaten, supported by the European Cultural Region and the Tuborg Foundation. The project aims to bring together emerging cultural and music-industry professionals from across Europe to develop innovative, practical solutions for the live music sector.
In fall 2025 a new era for emerging music professionals in the Nordics has begun with the launch of Nordic Incubator, the latest branch of the Live Incubator initiative. Building on the momentum of its European pilot program, Nordic Incubator expands the focus to include both artists and industry talents from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Greenland, strengthening collaboration and innovation across the Nordic music landscape.
Live Incubator first launched in January 2024 as a transnational program created by SPOT Festival, Scala, and Fermaten, with support from the European Cultural Region, Tuborg Foundation and Nordic Culture Point. Its mission: to unite entrepreneurial young industry practitioners across borders to co-create solutions for the future of live music. The inaugural program gathered 20 emerging professionals from Central Jutland and across Europe for months of development, culminating in a three-day creative sprint and final presentations at SPOT+.
With proven success and strong demand, the program continued in 2025 with 20 new young professionals coming together during SPOT Festival. And now the project is expanding its reach even further.
Nordic Incubator 2025/26 marks the first dedicated Nordic edition of the concept. Participants will work across borders to rethink the future of the live sector, develop new approaches to music export, and strengthen showcase and touring infrastructure. The year-long program combines co-creation, professional development, and real-world project building, centering on key shared challenges such as sustainability, representation and mental well-being.
The partners in the project are the four Nordic showcase festivals, Viva Sounds (Sweden), Trondheim Calling (Norway), Arctic Sounds (Greenland), and SPOT Festival (Denmark), each of which will host visits from the participating emerging artists and industry professionals. Frontløberne is also a partner and will document the program along the way.
The goal is clear: build a more connected, resilient, and future-ready Nordic music market. The incubator will foster long-term partnerships, empower the next generation of industry shapers, and share insights with the wider sector to inspire new models and collaborations.
As Live Incubator enters its next phase, Nordic Incubator stands as a new initiative, fueling innovation, expanding networks, and ensuring the Nordic region continues to lead in building a vibrant, sustainable future for live music.
The involved artists for Nordic Incubator in 2025/26 were 2J (NO), Andachan (GL), Dork (DK) and Nora Lucia (SE)
Take a look at the project book from Nordic Incubator here
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Live Incubator 2024: The first steps
The first edition in 2024 engaged 20 participants from 12 countries, who spent three intensive days before SPOT Festival developing projects that addressed challenges such as audience engagement, live production, and industry sustainability. Their work was presented at SPOT+ 2024, demonstrating the creative potential of Europe’s next generation of music professionals.
Participants 2024
Egill Ástráðsson (IS), Iwona Bronisz (PL), Miriam Boulos (ES), Nela Peshovska (MK), Regina Fisch (AT), Tena Šarčević (HR), Sophia Zimmermann (DE), Sita Rawie (NL), Simon Alejandro Larsen (NO), Robin Smedman (SE), Adela Kučkovská (SK/DK), Alma Azimi Steenberg (DK), Bastian Borup Terp (DK), Daniel Aneto Olesen (DK), Johanne Elise Friis (DK), Mai Hiura (DK), Malte Sanggaard (DK), Gracia Rios (ES), Sebastian Byrsting (DK), Sandra Flammild (DK), Rosa Lois Balle Yahiya (DK), Pablo Lara Garcia (ES), and Oscar O’Shea (IE/DK)
Live Incubator 2025 built on the success from the first year, and offered a new cohort the opportunity to access mentorship, resources, and networks to create projects that contribute to a more inclusive, sustainable, and future-ready live music industry. The program once again took place ahead of and during SPOT Festival 2025, with final presentations and showcases highlighting the participants’ work.
Participants 2025
Anna Sperkach (UA), Axxi Oma (DE), Ciliane SJ (DK), Diogo Marques Félix (PT), Emma Christensen (DK), Erika Severyns (BE), Eryn Kelly (NL), Helen Namdori Bitsch (DK), Johanna Siiger Ejstrud (DK), Kiana Lissa Marchi (DK), Kofi Bondzie Ramsing (DK), Kristiyana Georgieva (BG), Laura Lennert Jensen (GL), Lukas Menke (DE), Martin Midtbø Rokkones (NO), Mateusz Szota (DK), Nina Lindhardt Helios (DK), Omar Andrés Díaz Molina (ES), Špela Cvetko (SI) & Valen Caudana (DK)
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