IMC 2nd World Forum on Music, Beijing, China, October 11-14, 2007
2nd World Forum on Music went to the heart of music's key issues

The Forum dealt with many issues crucial to the music world today -aspects of the new music economy that comes with digitisation, the survival and revitalisation of traditional music, the changing face of music education, the cultural and economic development of music sectors, and music's potential contribution to broader development and the economy. Speakers, both Chinese and foreign, were experts of international stature. Representatives of 36 nations attended the event which was organised by the International Music Council in collaboration with the Chinese Musicians' Association.

A session dedicated to the development in music and music in development inaugurated the Forum and set immediately the stage for three days of high-level presentations and discussions. Experts from intergovernmental organisations such as UNCTAD and World Bank, government agencies and major record companies provided a deep insight into how music, as an element of creative industries, can be developed economically to support itself and its musicians and music workers and eventually become an important financial contributor to national economy.

The debate on intellectual property rights met in full the expectations of both the organisers and the audience as it achieved its goal to give a comprehensive outline of the key issues for IPRs in the music sector and the diverse, sometimes controversial approaches at global policy level to address them. The speakers offered perspectives of authors, musicians, collecting societies, research, online-business and music industry as well as the relevant UN organisation WIPO. Their backgrounds as lawyers, musical practitioners, entrepreneurs and academic scholars provided the ground for an exciting exchange.

Key civil society players and a representative of the UNESCO Beijing office were invited to discuss the UNESCO Convention for the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions and in particular its potential role as a useful tool to promote musical diversity nationally and globally. Panelists looked into the threats and opportunities of the convention and how civil society players could position themselves in the debate.

Under the title "Sustainable futures for musical traditions", another session aimed to bring together a number of key strands in the discussion on intangible cultural heritage, and to explore practical ways to safeguard musics, among others by developing an integrated approach to assist musical traditions in danger of disappearing. The session featured a panel with a rich and diverse background of various aspects of music: ethnomusicology, music education, composition, music business and arts policy.

Our musical future - Challenges and changes provided the framework for a stimulating and thought-provoking debate on possibilities in the performance, production and consumption of music over the next 10 years. Having identified dominant social, cultural, political and technological trends, panellists examined their likely impact on musical artists, audiences and participants with special emphasis on IMC's musical rights. Those attending the session were given a number of predictions, possibilities and challenges for their work.

The last Forum session explored the latest trends in music education today, viewed from a global perspective. It saw presentations by an interesting array of stakeholders, varying from experts in professional music training to music education activities for children. Through the presentation of case studies, the session also addressed the rich diversity of styles, paradigms and approaches to music education in different educational and cultural contexts.

The 2nd World Forum on Music also seized the opportunity of being held in China to offer a platform for expert presentations on diverse aspects of Chinese music, from an anthropological approach to the transmission of oral traditions, from the role of school arts education in the dissemination of ethnic minority music, to the teaching of Chinese traditional music instruments and music types.

The Chinese Musicians Association, co-host of the event, presented a most astonishing array of music from across China, from the ancient to the newly composed.

Information: International Music Council Silja Fischer 1 rue Miollis, 75732 PARIS cedex 15, France Tel. +33 1 45 68 48 50 - Fax +33 1 43 06 87 98 e-mail: forum.imc@unesco.org - Website: www.unesco.org/imc