A record 3,589 artists applied to play at Tallinn Music Week 2027
The artist application call for the international new music and city festival Tallinn Music Week (TMW), taking place on 8–11 April 2027, has drawn an all-time record of 3,589 submissions from musicians in 148 countries. The highest numbers of applications came from the United Kingdom, the United States and Italy.
The call opened in April and closed on 26 October. It exceeded last year’s record by nearly 70 per cent. The 2026 festival received 2,198 applications from 134 countries, while the forthcoming edition has attracted as many as 3,589 artists from 148 countries, from every continent except Antarctica.
The most applications came from the UK, followed by the US and Italy. Estonia and neighbouring Finland come next, with Canada and Germany sharing sixth place.
The biggest leap came from the US, which rose from 11th place to second with 377 applications – nearly five times last year’s total. Italy, Belgium – where applications doubled – the Netherlands and Denmark also moved up the ranking. Brazil entered the top 20 for the first time as the only South American country on the list, with its applications more than doubling. Among Estonia’s neighbours, submissions from Finland to the north rose by around a third and from Latvia to the south by even more, whilst Estonian artists themselves submitted more applications than in any of the past four years.
Asia and Oceania did not make the top 20, but showed impressive growth. Applications from Australia rose sixfold. India’s more than tripled, South Korea’s nearly tripled and Japan’s doubled. Applications also arrived from Central Asia, including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, and from Africa, with Nigeria, South Africa and Ghana among them. The call even made waves as far as the Cayman Islands, Barbados and the Faroe Islands.
“The record number of applications is both a great joy and a great responsibility for us,” says Taavi Esperk, Head of Music & Production at TMW. “When more and more artists from the world’s biggest music markets and from every continent want to perform in Tallinn, it’s a clear sign that TMW is firmly on the world map. This is no coincidence. For years we have been introducing TMW across Europe and beyond, and making ourselves visible in the international media, so that Estonia and our music are seen and heard ever further afield. Now comes the most exciting part: listening through over 3,500 applications and spotting tomorrow’s faves among them. Luckily we have a brilliant team of co-curators to help us!”
TOP 20 TMW 2027 applications by country
- UK: 489
- USA: 377
- Italy: 248
- Estonia: 237
- Finland: 224
- Canada: 207
- Germany: 207
- France: 193
- Sweden: 173
- Spain: 153
- Belgium: 89
- Poland: 86
- Portugal: 77
- Netherlands: 73
- Denmark: 70
- Ukraine: 67
- Latvia: 63
- Norway: 63
- Ireland: 62
- Brazil: 61
Around 180 artists will be selected from the applications received and announced in January 2027. The three-day showcase programme takes place in various venues across Tallinn. It is curated by a team of representatives and experts from Estonian and international music organisations.
The most recent edition of TMW, held in April 2026, featured 203 artists from 37 countries, from Europe to Canada and from South Korea to the African diaspora. In total, the 18th TMW drew 22,271 visits.
Held in Tallinn every spring since 2009, TMW is known as one of the most diverse and daring showcase festivals in Europe. The festival brings together nearly 1,300 music professionals from around the world, including representatives of agencies, record labels, promoters and media.
TMW 2027 passes are on sale via the TMW webshop. A Festival Pass granting access to all music festival events costs 75 euros (end price 99 euros). A PRO Pass providing access to both the festival and the conference costs 200 euros (end price 250 euros).
TMW is organised by Muusikanädal NGO and Shiftworks in collaboration with a wide range of programme partners and co-curators. TMW’s strategic partner in the field of music is the national music export office Music Estonia.
TMW is a co-founder of the Federation of International Music Conferences (FoMC). It is a member of the European talent exchange programme ESNS Exchange and a partner festival of the international gender equality initiative Keychange and of UPBEAT, the European showcase platform for global music.