British 2012 breakout star Jake Bugg and French electro-funk band Skip The Use will be among 26 acts put forward by European Broadcasting Union (EBU) Members to rock January’s Eurosonic Festival, in the Dutch city of Groningen, with live performances brought to millions via the EBU’s Euroradio network.

The three-day event, from 9 to 11 January, which is supported by *24 EBU Member radio stations, has been Europe's showcase for emerging artists for 13 years. Concert recordings will be provided to Eurosonic partners so European radio stations can deliver coverage to a pan-continental audience.

The Festival kicks off with the European Border Breakers Awards (EBBA), which celebrate European musicians whose appeal transcends geographical frontiers. Winners voted for by EBU Members will receive their awards from prominent British musician and BBC presenter, Jools Holland. The production of the awards show will be available for TV, radio and online.

The Eurosonic Festival is unique both for its music and for the cooperative spirit that distinguishes public service media. Five EBU Members – VRT (Belgium), ARD-WDR (Germany), NPB (Netherlands), SR (Sweden) and BBC (United Kingdom) have agreed to collaborate to provide production and technical support.

EBU Manager of Eurosonic Laurent Marceau said Eurosonic gives valuable exposure to emerging artists.

He said: "The Festival is the ideal platform to discover new talent, and has played a vital role in the development of the European music scene since its launch in 1999."

As in previous years, a special Media Compound will be constructed to facilitate transmissions, interviews, session recordings, reports and the collection of audio and video material.
A number of radio stations will broadcast the event live from the Media Compound, including RTBF Pure FM (Belgium); DR P6 Beat (Denmark); Radio France Le Mouv' (France); YLEX (Finland); ARD-WDR 1Live (Germany); RUV Rás 2 (Iceland); RTÉ2FM (Ireland); 100.7 (Luxembourg); RTS (Serbia) and BBC Radio 1 (UK).

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