[CLOSED] Call for Applications “SOUNDCHECK” - BIME Bilbao 2026

✷ What is Soundcheck

Soundcheck is the participatory section of Music & Brands at BIME: an opportunity to present your music project to brands, agencies and relevant industry players who can help bring it to life. Four finalist projects will present live at BIME on 27 October, with a 5-minute pitch followed by 10 minutes of jury feedback — and the winner will receive a prize designed to open real doors.

✷ What we are looking for (and what we are not)

We are looking for:
- Music projects, platforms and formats with potential for brand collaborations: content or live formats, communities and scenes, technology applied to live music, cultural projects with their own audience.
- In short: projects that a brand can make its own.

We are not looking for:
- Demos or artist projects looking for a label or management.
- Projects with no potential for brand collaboration.
- Ideas with no degree of development.

✷ Participation requirements

- Minimum level of maturity (mandatory): your project must demonstrate at least one completed pilot, a previous edition, or a committed team and artists. Provide links or materials that demonstrate this.
- Identified team, with at least one person responsible for the project.
- Legal age and legal capacity to represent the project.
- Languages: applications and presentations may be made in Spanish or English.

✷ How to participate

Complete the application form* before 5 October at 23:59 (CET).


Required materials
- Presentation video: maximum 2 minutes.
- Deck: maximum 8 slides with the following sections: 1) cover 2) opportunity 3) the project 4) audience 5) brand fit 6) traction and results 7) team 8) needs.
- Applications that exceed the limits or do not include the required materials will not be evaluated.

*All projects are submitted using the same form and the same materials to ensure a fair evaluation process.

✷ Timeline

Call opens 9 September
Call closes 30 September, 23:59 (CET)
Project evaluation 1–9 October
Finalists announced 15 October
Presentation at BIME (5' pitch + 10' feedback) 27 October



✷ How we evaluate

The organisation first verifies that each application meets the requirements. The jury then evaluates eligible applications by scoring each criterion from 1 to 5; the final score is the weighted average. We publish the descriptors so you know exactly what we value:

Criterion Weight What a 2 means What a 5 means
Quality and clarity of the idea 30% It takes effort to understand; the proposal is generic or confusing. It is immediately clear; the proposal is unique and well defined.
Cultural potential and conversation 25% Limited interest within its own circle; unlikely to generate conversation. Connects with a real scene or trend; it is easy to imagine people talking about it.
Brand fit and collaboration potential 20% It is unclear what a brand would do here. Specific brands and clear ways of collaborating can be identified.
Execution capacity 15% Team or plan is not very credible; no evidence. Strong team and evidence that they have already done it or can deliver it.
Narrative and presentation 10% Materials are confusing or incomplete. Materials are clear, engaging and within the limits.


✷ The prize

The winning project receives a package designed to open real doors:
- Fast-track with brands: three guaranteed working meetings with brands from the jury.

The four finalists will also receive direct feedback from the jury and visibility across BIME's channels.

✷ Terms and conditions

- Intellectual property rights in the projects remain with their authors at all times.
- Submitted materials will be used exclusively for evaluation and treated confidentially by the organisation and the jury.
- BIME may publicly announce the names and a brief description of the finalist projects.
- The jury's decisions are final and cannot be appealed.
- The organisation may resolve any circumstances not covered by these terms and conditions and adjust the timeline for justified reasons.
- Participation implies full acceptance of these terms and conditions.

✷ Questions and contact

For any questions about the call, write to pro@bime.org