Eastern European Music Academy is a collaborative effort between Music Export Ukraine, RAW Music (Romania), and Lala Slovak Music Export (Slovakia), EEMA offers a transformative three-month hybrid project designed exclusively for independent music professionals from Eastern and Central Europe, as well as the Baltic countries.

This exclusive program is designed for talented individuals aged 18-30 who are eager to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to excel in the music industry. Backed by renowned experts and esteemed organizations like Live Nation, Global Records, and experienced DIY companies, EEMA ensures a comprehensive learning experience that covers every aspect of the music business, from creative endeavors to strategic marketing. Over the course of 12 weeks, selected applicants will embark on a transformative journey. Through expert-led classes, tailored consultations and immersive networking opportunities, participants will acquire invaluable insights into the music business landscape.

The first and second editions of EEMA have been successfully completed, and we are happy to present to you the results of this exciting learning and networking process, which took place in direct engagement with the supervision of world-class music industry experts and in a supportive, friendly circle of young industry professionals from Eastern European countries! Students of the Academy gained invaluable insights about every aspect of the music industry operation and learned about its latest trends, developed strategies on how to build  their careers and received a lot of useful tips during 3 fast-moving months of online lectures and consultations. 

69 students from 10 countries were selected for the EEMA Spring 2023. There were representatives of Ukraine, Romania, Slovakia, Poland, Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Croatia and North Macedonia. The course participants included DIY artists, managers, agents, promoters, PR people and journalists aged 18 to 30. There was a 10% quota for people 30+ with the youngest student being 18 and the oldest being 39 years old. For the EEMA Autumn course we had a slightly updated diversity of countries with students from Latvia, Hungary, Moldova and Kosovo.

According to the Creative Europe program, project costs were shared with the participants: 20% was paid by an individual contribution of 100 euros as a participation fee. A total of 17 scholarships covering 50% or 100% of tuition fees were awarded in EEMA Spring 2024. There were 10 scholarships in the autumn edition.

The top 10 graduates of the first edition, half of whom were scholarship holders, took part in an international professional event in the fall of 2023. As a part of the EEMA delegation, they participated in the Mastering the Music Business showcase festival and conference (Romania). There was a special close event with a workshop on showcase lifehacks from Peter Astedt (Future Echoes, Sweden), Carina Sava (MMB, Romania) and Katja Thalerova from SHARPE festival. In addition to this, all the alumni were introduced to all the delegates at the reception, and had a one-to-one meeting with up to three delegates of their choice facilitated by MMB. What a bunch of opportunities that trip was!

EEMA is our flagship project, which сreates an effective alternative to formal education in the music industry and has a significant influence within the entire region of Eastern Europe. We are very proud to observe unpredictable results that grow from the established EEMA community.  For example, top - 10 EEMA Spring 2023 alumni Wojciech Gwadera together with EEMA Autumn 2023 student Sara Shamas launched a new Polish booking agency  Perpetual Agency  with Ukrainian singer Richie Beige from EEMA Autumn 2023 in the roster. Cheers to their upcoming gigs! Another minute to be proud - Tamara Kramar from EEMA Autumn 2023 has been selected for ESNS 2024 - we are very sure that with all the knowledge she got at EEMA - her career will flourish from the opportunities of this biggest showcase festival!