Ruth Koleva

Ruth Koleva is a Bulgarian musician, festival founder, and music industry strategist working at the intersection of culture, policy, and independent music. Over the past decade, she has become one of Southeast Europe's most influential voices in shaping the region's music ecosystem, combining artistic practice with institution building, international advocacy, and cultural entrepreneurship.

Before focusing on festivals and policy, Ruth served as Head of Partnerships at Kanjian, China's largest independent music company, where she helped connect international rights holders and music businesses to one of the world's most complex digital music markets.

In 2019, she founded Sofia Live Festival, which has grown into Bulgaria's leading contemporary music festival and one of the region's most internationally recognized events, presenting artists including Massive Attack, Underworld, Michael Kiwanuka, Three Days Grace, IDLES, Nothing But Thieves, James Bay, Molchat Doma and many others. The festival has become known not only for its programming but also for helping redefine Bulgaria's position on the European live music map.

Recognizing the need for stronger industry infrastructure across Southeast Europe, Ruth launched SoAlive Music Conference in 2023. In just a few years, it has become the largest professional music conference in the region, bringing together artists, labels, festivals, digital platforms, policymakers and executives from around the world to address the future of independent music.

Her work increasingly focuses on structural change rather than individual projects. She is the co-founder of IndieBalkans, an open platform connecting artists and music professionals across the Balkans, and currently serves as President of ANMIP-BG (the Association of Independent Music Publishers and Producers in Bulgaria), a board member of IMPALA, and a board member of PROPHON, the Bulgarian neighbouring rights society. Across these roles, she advocates for fairer music markets, stronger copyright frameworks, greater discoverability for small-language repertoires, and more equitable opportunities for independent artists throughout Europe.

Alongside her industry work, Ruth is a regular guest lecturer at Berklee College of Music, where she speaks about festival development, music ecosystems, copyright, entrepreneurship and the future of the independent sector.

As an artist, she has received numerous distinctions, including Forbes 30 Under 30, Grazia Magazine's Woman of the Year, and Best Jazz Vocalist at the JAJ Awards in Japan.

Whether building festivals, influencing European music policy, or creating new platforms for collaboration, Ruth's work is driven by a simple belief: that culture doesn't grow through algorithms alone—it grows through infrastructure, communities, and people willing to build what doesn't yet exist.