Year in Review: 2024
Hayat Sebep & Cemre Arca at Needle Festival. P: Michalakis Georgiou
A look back at 2024 with SCALA Music & Sound Hub and reflecting on Cyprus’ moves & actions in music
SCALA Music & Sound Hub is immensely grateful for all the artists, songs, partners, kick-offs, and festivals in Cyprus and abroad that made 2024 a joy! Here are just a few highlights looking back at 2024 with SCALA and reflecting on Cyprus’ activities in music.
SCALA Projects & Initiatives:
SCALA Music & Sound Hub collaborated with:
40+ artists
45+ cultural professionals
4 festivals & projects
- and we couldn’t have been more grateful!
Monsieur Doumani at Needle Festival. P: Michalakis Georgiou
In collaboration with Larnaka 2030, Needle gathered together 6 artists Greek-speaking & Turkish-speaking Cypriots across different arts sectors to research and embrace Larnaka’s cultural heritage in a 6-week co-creative residency. The artists presented their new works as part of the lineup of Needle’s closing festival.
As part of Needle’s residency, SCALA hosted a series of workshops and open discussions on topics ranging from developing artistic identity, to mobility, and export-readiness.
P: Valentin MA
Together with Esben Aarup, SCALA launched Live Incubator for the Scandinavian showcase conference SPOT in Denmark. The pilot project gathered together 20 EU live music professionals under age 30 to find solutions to challenges faced in the sector. And we’re soon to enter into a brand new edition in 2025!
INCOMING: stay tuned for announcements about what SCALA is showcasing in 2025.
Making Waves
From sync placements to new collaborations - here are just a few of the Cypriot artists that exported their music abroad in 2024, plus notable releases by Cypriot labels.
Monsieur Doumani: Sync placement of ‘Antics’ from the 2018 album ‘Angathin’ in ‘Find Me Falling’ - Cyprus’ first film on Netflix.
Spivak: Autumn tour including performances at Mutants Festival (GE) and releases on Doyenne (UK), praised by the likes of Mary Anne Hobbs (UK). Also in 2024, her track ‘18:00’ from her 2021 album ‘Rare Backwards’ (Ecstatic Recordings, UK) was included in official Spotify playlist ‘ethereal voices’ - making her one of the first Cypriots to land an editorial playlist.
Buzz’ Ayaz: Spring tour including at Globaltica (PL) in support of their debut album ‘Buzz’ Ayaz’ released by Glitterbeat (DE), praised by Gilles Peterson (UK), amongst others
Nama Dama & Freedom Candlemaker: Showcase at Athens Music Week followed by a Greek winter tour in support of their upcoming albums.
Structure of Magic: Release of ‘O Xronos Lifki’ as part of the ‘Bon Vivant’ compilation album by Epicure Records (FR).
Kontovourkis & Co.: Single ‘Avrio Mesimeri’ (self-released) received global radio attention including from Resonance 104.4FM (UK), Radio Študent 89.3 MHz (SI), and PBS 106.7 (AU).
Pyrgatory Studios: Notably one of Cyprus’ most active labels in 2024 with 3 releases: ‘Stillrun’ - isel, ‘Big 2007 Facts’ - Spivak, and ‘is a combination of youth and nuclear pasta’ - panayiotis, plus plenty of fantastic concerts in 2024.
+ Guess Who: This little island of ours is home to some of the world’s most influential figures shaping the future of the global record industry infrastructure. In 2024, they released the general availability for identity verification among the worldwide music industry and community. Who’s already supported the Cypriot founder and signed up to join in 2024?
Cyprus in Music: 2024
Status of the Artist:
In 2024 Cyprus took a step towards establishing the Status of the Artist. But questions remain regarding eligibility of salaried artists and the eligible amount of income derived from artistic activities.
Music Development Fund:
In 2024, the Musical Development fund of the Deputy Ministry of Culture’s Department of Contemporary Culture allocated 14 out of the 64 published awardees to projects supporting the performance or creation of new, original works totaling €101,480, while the majority of funds were awarded to 24 projects within the Western European Contemporary - Classical Music genres, totalling €195,555 (5 of which related to new works), followed by 18 projects dedicated to performances of older popular-music catalogue from abroad (76% of which related to catalogue from Greece).
Strategic Plan for Contemporary Culture:
Also in 2024, the Deputy Ministry of Culture laid out its strategic plan for Contemporary Culture for the coming years, focusing on five pillars:
1) Cultural Sustainability, 2) Audience Development, 3) Research, Technology & Innovation, 4) Public Health & Social Welfare, 5) Environment.
SCALA is immensely grateful for all the artists, songs, and partners that made 2024 a joy. 2025 - Welcome!