The largest music booking and discovery platform in Europe, gigmit, has teamed up with the leading Hungarian world music festival promoter HangvetÅ‘ who developed and leads the UPBEAT platform with 33 international music festivals. The partnership with gigmit is set to develop the new artist superpowers and build on top of the existing community of 275,000 artists and festival users. Now, the partners are proud to announce the launch of the UPBEAT Universe, a groundbreaking digital platform designed to connect emerging artists with elements of world, folk, or roots music with global bookers and festival organizers with the financial support of Creative Europe.

What is the UPBEAT Universe?

UPBEAT Universe is a dynamic matchmaking platform where artists can apply to join a global network of 33 showcase festivals, all of which will book artists through gigmit, and hundreds of bookers and talent buyers who use the platform to discover new talent. Designed for artists who blend heritage and contemporary sounds, UPBEAT Universe amplifies voices from the world's diverse music scenes, offering a digital boost to their careers. Whether you are a folk, roots, or world music artist, this is your gateway to new booking opportunities, increased visibility, and professional connections.

A Global Gateway for Artists

Powered by gigmit, the platform allows artists to easily create digital profiles, showcase their work, and connect with top-tier festivals. Over 30 festivals like Budapest Ritmo, WOMEX, and Tallinn Music Week are using the UPBEAT Universe to announce their calls for submissions, giving emerging artists a head start in securing gigs across the globe.

Since its start, the UPBEAT Universe has gathered a growing network of over 500 festival bookers, booking agents, talent buyers and managers ready to use the streamlined, digital space to connect with world music, folk, and roots artists. The first time in history, a formerly very fragmented music scene has not had the chance to unlock a global potential with the support of the digital booking and networking platform. 

Boosting Visibility and Career Opportunities

For artists, the gigmit platform offers a range of benefits:

• Direct access to a wider pool of global promoters and festival bookers.
• Increased visibility through gigmit platform – a well-recognized, quality-endorsed and data-driven technology.
• Easy-to-use digital artist profiles (Electronic Press Kit, EPK) that have been developed with 100s of booking agents and talent buyers.

For club or festival bookers (and music professionals), gigmit offers:

• A curated selection of talent, all endorsed by the UPBEAT network
• Local streaming and social media data around each artist to understand commercial potential.
• An end-to-end booking solution to discover and book artists in minutes.

Why UPBEAT Universe?

"The UPBEAT Universe is like building the first arena in a developing city. I couldn't be more proud to finally have released extremely powerful features for artists, festivals and music professionals within the gigmit platform ecosystem. UPBEAT Universe represents a critical step for artists who want to be seen and heard on a global level," says Marcus Fitzgerald, CEO and founder at gigmit. "By working with UPBEAT, we are amplifying not only the individual artists, but also the genres they represent. This platform is a powerful tool for both artists and bookers, offering streamlined processes for finding and booking talent that fits the needs of a rapidly evolving global music market."

"UPBEAT is a platform project co-funded by the European Union. We are a network of 20 member and 13 associated partner festivals committed to supporting emerging European world music artists in their career development by providing new performance, networking and training opportunities. We are proud to have our new online community, the UPBEAT Universe now available on gigmit." says Veronika Vajda, project manager at HangvetÅ‘ – UPBEAT.