We meet Veronika Belousova in advance of SOUND UP prime, a concert on 13 December 2019 in Moscow’s Zayarde Hall, the launch of a new symphonic orchestra aimed at performing the music of contemporaries

Independent // passionate // chaos - three words chosen by Veronika Belousova, initiator and co-founder of RUSH initiative and SOUND UP festival, to describe the Russian contemporary music scene. Veronika is one of its most passionate advocates and thanks to her and a network of collaborators, RUSH Initiative and SOUND UP festival are changing the face of contemporary music in Russia and abroad.

Hailing from Khabarovsk, she worked in marketing in Moscow before life brought her to Berlin. Veronika has always been a fan of live music, and while exploring her new city, she saw that amazing emerging acts were performing in empty spaces for free or super low ticket prices, meaning the artists would barely earn anything. It didn’t make sense. She had the idea that creating an experience that matched the quality of the music might drive the audience to come - and to pay. From that, the concept behind SOUND UP was born.

Although brands were happy to get behind the idea, investors and philanthropists felt it was risky to support a brand new music initiative in an already saturated market - Veronika was even told that the idea was too “glossy” for Berlin. A chance conversation at the Reeperbahn Festival 2015 (Germany’s largest annual music industry showcase) led her to change the geography of the project and launch the SOUND UP series in Moscow. SOUND UP brings the best emerging European and Russian musicians of all genres to specially curated audio and visual events in diverse venues across Moscow. The first performance - featuring German pianist and composer Martin Kohlstedt, Russian composer Misha Mishenko and violist Sergey Poltavsky in Multimedia Art Museum - took place in February 2016 and they haven't stopped since. Within a year, SOUND UP was crowned the best music festival of the year in Moscow of 2016.

"We have a growing cool and open-minded audience who trust our curation"

Veronika is keen to share SOUND UP’s success with her partner, Zhenya Lassar, a fellow marketer with a passion in visual arts. It was this arts-music match that brought both the sonic and visual experience to the highest level of quality. She also capitalised on her extensive personal network of music experts to drive RUSH Initiative to international success in less than 3 years. In collaboration with music journalist Denis Boyarinov, music curator and promoter Tanya Makarova and a committee of Russian and international music experts, RUSH Initiative has yearly cohorts of Russian acts that they develop and showcase to international audiences at industry and public-facing festivals.

The not-for-profit initiative has credibility in promoting emerging Russian music in a way no one else is. Russia is firmly stuck in its history of classical music and has no government-supported contemporary music or arts export structure. Even more, a governmental organisation might not support some of the progressive themes found in some of the brightest Russian bands, like Shortparis' anxiety-inducing take on Russia's complex social structure and multi-ethnic society in страшно and the very core of what Sado Opera, a Berlin-based queer performance group, represents.

*Veronika and Denis Boyarinov by Georgy Bezborodov*

So, then, RUSH has credibility amongst artists for its democratic selection process (a vote by the whole committee of experts) and amongst partners for its independence from the state. Until now there were no perceptions of Russian music to change "because Russia was not there at all". Now, other international organisations are keen to adopt the expert-led and democratic way RUSH are bringing new acts to international markets.

"I was tired of that question, is there anything in Russian music coming after those famous dead composers? And that's our mission: bringing Russia back on the musical map"

From the international response to Shortparis, Kate NV and Sado Opera shows we can see that RUSH - and their artists - are doing something great, even if Veronika humbly caveats RUSH’s contribution as ‘one of the many drivers’ of an act’s success. Whatever happens, international audiences and journalists are being introduced to a diverse and interesting scene that is just beginning to be explored. RUSH and SOUND UP act as discovery platforms for the best acts both inside and outside of Russia.

"Journalists are talking about the new Russian wave"

*The Jack Wood at the RUSH Reeperbahn Festival Showcase in 2017, photo by Daniel Peace*

Challenges remain for contemporary Russian music groups. Bands need to be based in Moscow or St Petersburg, near the European music scene and the Russian federal media. Travel and visa costs can be huge barriers, particularly for those living further East, and there are few foundations or grants that support Russian artists to travel. Musicians graduate from music training without business skills or industry awareness, especially in comparison to other countries like the US. This means that many acts have little or no online, social media or streaming presence and no music videos - something very important in the industry.

Veronika says that to make it, Russian musicians need to approach their music like a business and prioritise. "Not all the bands are going to make it, or make it fast", but at least RUSH gives them a year of having a passionate, networked and international team working for them and their success. That’s definitely a good start for the European chapter of their career.

Beside an artist’s ambitions and knowledge of how the music business works, “Russia also needs more passionate music professionals (managers, agents, record labels) that can help artists with their career in Russia and abroad”. She also mentions the need of government support, not just financial (though it will help) but also through a better understanding of the social and economic value that contemporary culture brings.

“This will help us all in getting Russia back on the music map”.

Stay up to date with the best in Russian music:

Follow Veronika on Facebook
Stay up to date with the best of the Russian new wave on RUSH’s Facebook and Spotify channel
Get inspired by SOUND UP’s events and go to SOUND UP PRIME in Moscow on 13 December 2019

Profile photo of Veronika by Inna Zaitseva