Waves Festival

What Waves Festival does

Waves Vienna is an annual music showcase festival and industry conference held in Vienna, Austria, and organized by the non-profit association Wien macht Kultur since 2011, with MICA co-organizing the conference component. The event targets emerging artists, music industry professionals, and music festival attendees, and positions Vienna as a meeting point for East-West music exchange. The 2025 fifteenth edition featured 118 acts from 24 countries across multiple venues along Vienna's Gürtel, with parallel conference programming for 1,479 delegates from 30 countries. Core outputs are the festival performances, the professional conference (panels, workshops, networking), and a portfolio of ecosystem programs including the XA Export Award, the EU Creative Europe-funded UpBeat program, the CEIFA award, the Colombia Work Exchange (CWX), the UK Residency Programme, and the Young Professionals Programme. Operations are supported by the TMSQR mobile application (timetables, delegate directory, messaging) and Universe-platform ticketing.

The business model is event-driven and multi-streamed. Revenue comes from festival ticket sales across Super Early Bird, Early Bird, and day-pass tiers; from conference and pro passes for delegates; and from corporate sponsorships and partnerships (e.g., Qobuz announced for 2026). The organization is supported in part by EU/public grant funding for specific programs, consistent with its non-profit status. Artist participation is open-application based, with selected artists receiving a €300 performance fee plus festival access, catering, and accommodation. Go-to-market relies on social media, email newsletters, press coverage, and industry partner networks. The operating team is small at 7 employees, and the event follows an annual cadence concentrated in the autumn window.

Name

Waves Festival

Legal name

Wien macht Kultur

Website

https://wavesvienna.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Waves Vienna is an annual music showcase festival and industry conference in Vienna, organized by the non-profit Wien macht Kultur since 2011. It serves emerging artists, music industry delegates, and festival attendees across 30+ countries through live performances, B2B conference programming, and artist-development programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Festival & Conference

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Festival Organizers & Promoters (MPAGAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Concert & Tour Promoters (MPAIAFAA), Corporate Conferences & Sales Kickoffs (MPAGAGAC)

Keywords

• Music showcase festival
• Music industry conference
• Live music events
• Artist development programs
• Music industry networking

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Festival Tickets: The festival sells tickets for admission to festival events, with various pricing tiers including Super Early Bird, Early Bird, and regular tickets, as well as day passes and full festival passes.
2. Conference Passes: Conference passes and Pro Passes provide access to the music industry conference portion of the event, featuring panels, workshops, networking sessions, and delegate activities.
3. Sponsorships and Partnerships: Corporate sponsors and partners provide support in exchange for visibility and association with the festival, including partners like Qobuz and various music industry organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Waves Vienna operates an annual music showcase festival and accompanying music industry conference in Vienna, Austria, featuring 100+ acts performing across 11 stages along Vienna's Gürtel area, alongside a professional conference with panels, workshops, keynotes, and B2B networking for music industry delegates from 30+ countries. The organization also runs artist development programmes, industry awards (XA Export Award, CEIFA), and international exchange initiatives (UpBeat, CWX, UK Residency).

Product overview

Waves Vienna is a music festival and conference organization that has operated since 2011, featuring an annual festival with 100+ acts across multiple venues and a professional conference programme. The core offerings include the Waves Vienna Festival (showcase performances along Vienna's Gürtel), the Waves Vienna Conference (industry panels, workshops, networking), the XA Export Award (in partnership with FM4 and Austrian Music Export), and delegate programmes. Supporting initiatives include the UK Residency Programme, Young Professionals Programme (launching 2026), Colombia Work Exchange (CWX), CEIFA award for indie festivals, and the EU-funded UpBeat Programme. The organization also operates a mobile app and offers various ticketing options including Conference Passes and Pro Passes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CEIFA - Central European Indie Festivals Award: An award celebrating outstanding independent music festivals from Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Slovenia. First edition launched in 2025.
• XA - Export Award
• Young Professionals Programme
• UpBeat
• CWX - Colombia Work Exchange

Products and services

• Waves Vienna Festival Annual multi-venue music showcase festival featuring 100+ live performances across pop, indie, electronic, and club culture genres, held along Vienna's Gürtel area. Aimed at individual music fans and festival-goers seeking diverse live music experiences and artist discovery.
• Waves Vienna Conference Professional music industry conference offering panels, keynotes, workshops, masterclasses, and B2B networking opportunities, focusing on East meets West themes for pan-European cooperation. Aimed at music industry professionals including labels, bookers, managers, promoters, publishers, and export offices.
• XA Export Award

Quantifiable outcome

• 15,411 visitors attended the 15th edition in 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• QobuzminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026French music platform joining as new partner for 2026, bringing shared focus on sound quality, music discovery, and human curation.
• Wien macht KulturcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Viennese association that organizes Waves Vienna, working collaboratively with different companies and institutions in various areas.
• MICA (Music Information Center Austria)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of the Waves Vienna Conference alongside Wien macht Kultur. Provides music industry information and support for the conference programming.
• Vienna Business AgencycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-host of the Waves Vienna Conference, providing support for conference programming and events.
• Austrian Music Export (AME)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-programmer of the conference, working on artist export opportunities and international networking.
• The Spanish WavecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpanish delegation organization leading Guest of Honour programming for Spain in 2025, coordinating Spanish artists and industry professionals.
• UpBeat ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEU Creative Europe funded project with Waves as partner, bringing European artists to the festival and supporting music industry exchange.
• FM4 (Austrian Radio)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerAustrian radio station co-organizing the XA Export Award with Waves Vienna and Austrian Music Export.
• The Gap MagazineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAustrian music magazine providing advertising support worth €7,000 as prize for CEIFA award winner.
• VTMÖ (Association of Independent Austrian Music Industry)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCooperation partner for conference programming, representing Austrian independent music industry interests.
• ÖMR (Austrian Music Council)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerUmbrella organization of interest groups for music in Austria, powering networking events and policy discussions at the conference.
• CNM (Centre National de la Musique)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerFrench music export office organizing French artist pitch breakfast and supporting French artists at the festival.
• Europe in SynchminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEuropean initiative dedicated to knowledge transfer between music, film, TV, advertising and games industries, hosting SynchClinic at Waves Vienna.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• MENT Ljubljana: Slovenian showcase festival and conference focused on emerging European acts. Most relevant CEE regional peer to Waves Vienna, with a similar delegate-driven, multi-venue model.
• Linecheck Music Meeting and Festival: Italian showcase festival and music industry conference held in Milan. Comparable South-European peer with a similar showcase-plus-conference structure and international delegate focus.
• The Great Escape: UK showcase festival held in Brighton featuring emerging artists across multiple venues alongside a music industry conference. Highly comparable to Waves Vienna's showcase-plus-conference format and central role in European A&R.
• Focus Wales: Welsh showcase festival and industry conference featuring emerging artists alongside B2B delegate programming. Direct comparable in scale and scope, and a partner in Waves Vienna's UK Residency Programme.
• Eurosonic Noorderslag: Dutch showcase festival and music industry conference held annually in Groningen. Closest structural peer to Waves Vienna, combining a multi-venue festival with a pan-European delegate conference aimed at A&R and bookings.
• Tallinn Music Week: Estonian showcase festival and music industry conference in Tallinn. Comparable as a Northern European showcase-conference hybrid targeting international delegates and emerging artists from the Baltic and broader region.
• Reeperbahn Festival: German showcase festival and conference held in Hamburg each September. Directly competes with Waves Vienna for European delegates, labels, and sponsors and combines live music across city venues with a substantial conference programme.
• POP Montreal: Canadian independent music festival and conference in Montreal showcasing emerging artists alongside an industry delegate programme. Comparable showcase-plus-conference format with similar scale and A&R focus.
• Wide Days: Scottish showcase festival and conference in Edinburgh featuring emerging UK and international acts. Highly comparable regional showcase model and is a partner festival in Waves Vienna's new UK Residency Programme.

Broad incumbents

• SXSW (South by Southwest): Much larger US-headquartered showcase festival and conference spanning music, film, and technology. Relevant as the global category-defining benchmark for combined showcase and conference formats, though at vastly greater scale than Waves Vienna.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/WavesVienna
• Facebookfacebook.com/wavesvienna
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wavesfestival
• Instagraminstagram.com/wavesvienna

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Waves Festival