OLIVER BELOPETA (Skopje Jazz Festival, Skopje, Republic of Macedonia)

Macedonian Music at the Crossroads

Summary themes:

• limitations of the regional music market;
• the impact of the market on bigger groups of pop and rock music;
• perspective of the "new kids on the scene";
• closure of Balkan influences;
• the growing awareness of the treasures of Macedonian folk music and its incorporation in modern musical styles;
• actual styles and artists and state cultural policy towards them.