International Association
of Schools of Jazz
"Music in Europe"
Head of jazz studies of the Royal Conservatory The Hague, The Netherlands;
Chairman of the IASJ, the International Association of Schools of Jazz.
From 1st of July to 31st December Belgium hosts the presidency of the European Union. During the coming months, the largest European project, CULTURE 2000, will be evaluated. For a number of organisations this seemed to be the perfect time to draw attention to their case: more and better support for the music industry in Europe.
The list of organisations that took the initiative to this meeting was impressive:
ARTIS European Performers’ Collecting Societies’ Organisation
CIEM International Confederation of Music Publishers
EMO European Music Office
GESAC Groupement Europeen des Societes d’Auteurs et Compositeurs
IFPI International Federation of the Phonographic Industry
IMPALA Independent Music Companies Association
IMMF International Music Managers Forum
The European Commission was represented by Mrs Viviane Reding, the EU Commissioner in charge of Education and Culture, the Director General of DG EAC, Mr Nicolaus van der Pas, and key officials from the DG EAC, such as Jean-Michel Baer and Konstantinos Kosmopoulus.
The AEC was represented by Martin Prchal, AEC Chief Executive. An AEC member institution, the Royal Conservatory The Hague, was represented by Mr Walter Turkenburg, who also represented the International Association of School of Jazz (IASJ) and who is the author of this report.
The evening before the meeting interested participants were invited to a reception of EMMEN, the European Modern Music Education Network. This organisation represents 26 private music schools involved in modern (mostly pop and jazz) music. Schools are associated to the IASJ are: the Jazz&Rock School in Freiburg, Germany; Lipa in Liverpool, UK; Jazz Studio, Antwerp, Belgium; Taller de Music, Barcelona, Spain, L’Aula de Musica Moderna, Barcelona, Spain; Escuela de Musica Creative, Madrid, Spain; Musica Oggi, Milano, Italy.
EMMEN promotes the collaboration between private music schools in Europe, promotes modern music (pop, jazz, world music, contemporary folk music), and wants to establish firm bonds with the music industry and sees itself as part of that industry.
The hosts of the meeting were the DG for Education, Audiovisual and Culture (DG EAC) and the Belgian EU presidency. The meeting took place in The Palais d’Egmont, one of the beautiful palaces in the centre of Brussels with excellent meeting facilities. Interpreters in French, English, Spanish and Dutch were available.
At one end of a long oval table the main speakers were seated. In three ovals around them the participants listened most of the time but as the day went one, more and more remarks were made. All speakers had well prepared their five to ten minutes talk and all of them were informative and sometimes eye opening.
Following is an overview of what were the most impressive remarks made.
Three speakers opened the meeting. They all referred to a quote of Frederich Nitsche: "Without music life would be a mistake".
Richard Miller, the Minister for the Arts of Belgium, opened the meeting. He suggested that the model of support now given by the EC to the audio-visual industry could be an example for the music industry. He also suggested that in music education the emphasis was too much on classical music.
Viviane Reding, the EU Commissioner in charge of Education and Culture, was one of the many speakers who remarked that music education today is far from perfect. According to her music is art but also industry. Recent research has shown that 32 % of all music world-wide is European music. In Europe 41 % of all music is European. The position of European music should be improved. The EC is open for all kinds of suggestions. Especially since the Culture 2000 programme will continue after 2004 but should be improved.
Jordi Saval, known for his contributions to baroque and renaissance music, talked about music from the past that still can be considered as a living art form. For an ensemble of renaissance music it is just as hard as for a jazz group to obtain playing possibilities in Europe.
After the introductions, four Round Tables were organised. Representatives form organisations in the music industry presented their views on the various topics. Only after the third and fourth Round Table the floor was given to the other participants to react and to ask questions. Following is an overview of the most important and interesting remarks made.
Rupert Perry (UK), representing the record company EMI, gave some figures. He said that 7 out of 10 CD’s sold in Europe were from local musicians and the number is increasing. Also the music industry in Europe knows 850 independent record companies and 3 of the major music houses have their main quarters in Europe: BMG, Universal, and EMI. The other two, Sony and Time/Warner have large offices in Europe. There are possibilities and threats for the music market. The possibilities have to do with the new markets, especially in the middle and eastern part of Europe. The threats have to do with piracy. The on-line music industry in growing but new protecting technology against illegal copying has to be developed.
Bernard Miyet, SACEM (France), said that authors rights organisation has to reposition themselves in the lights of the new technological developments. A new legal framework is needed for example to regulate quota: an obligatory percentage of nationally produced music to be plaid on public radio. A point of view that was not shared by all of the participants!
Patric Zelpnik, UPFI (France), is an independent producer. He stated that the US market was as big as the EC market. Contrary to the US market the EC market is characterised by its diversity. In the last 10 years the share of classical music has dropped from 15 to 7 %. The big music houses, the five companies, the majors that run the audio recording and reproduction industry, see the new technological developments especially the internet as a thread. The independent companies however are heavily relying on new technology to reduce costs.
In the course of the day more and more negative remarks were made towards professional music training. Clearly people in the music business know little about what is going on the conservatoires nowadays. Most of them seem to think that conservatoires only train musicians for the classical music sector. Not aware that many schools have music business classes, Jean Francois Michel, EMO (France), stated that there was a gap between the realms of the conservatories and music academies and the reality of the music business. It has clearly escaped him that most jazz students are street wise to a high degree when they leave school. He also pointed out that the Culture 2000 program is only supporting traditional and classical music. According to him, the program has to be revised.
Allice Wenham of the AIM, an UK-based authors right collecting company, talked about chaotic system of VAT’s in Europe. There is no harmonisation to be expected in the off-line, the physical world. She proposed that in the on-line world, however badly controlled as it is at this moment, a policy should be developed towards a %-VAT tax for all arts. She also presented a report called "Banking on the Head". In this report is about an investigation on how to finance the SMEs, the small and medium size businesses in the arts. For SMEs there are hardly any possibilities to receive financial support from the regular banks due to the specific risks and needs. In order to strengthen the music business, especially the SMEs must grow. Over the last few years the film industry saw a healthy growth but that industry was also helped by tax breaks that do not yet exists for SMEs in music.
Frances Moore of the IFPI (UK) thinks that the EC does not take the music industry very seriously. Although there is no direct support in the USA for the music industry, no direct financing or subsidy, the US legislation and regulations is an enormous drive for the US music industry. This is absent in the EC. Due to the lack of support, the European music industry has lost their leading position in the world. The US music business leads by 14 billion dollars to 11 billion dollars in the EC. In the past some efforts were made but they turned out not to be successful. The fifteen ministers of culture decided a few years ago that a 0-% vat for the arts should be imposed but the ministers of finances of the EC rejected the proposal. Frances Moore formulates the tension between the music business and professional music training in a somewhat different way. According to her the music business in not prepared and does not have an answer to the larger number of talented musicians leaving the training institutions nowadays.
Jean Vincent of the FIM (France) gave a high priority for the teaching of music at schools. Without education there is no audience. Also he would like to see support for the smaller venues like jazz clubs. Major record companies should not only give tour support for already famous groups and bands, but also help the smaller venues. The majors should understand that these venues are vital for them as well and create a fund. Computers are copying machines for music. A tax should be put upon the sales of computers like there is now on blank cassettes and CD’s.
Gunnar Lageman from Sweden, representing Yourope, explained how his Nordic projects on education worked. Programs were developed and executed in which promoters received training courses on management skills with e-learning as the main method. Through the training of promoters their skills and knowledge were enlarged. All participants were active and successful promoters before they received their education but they felt that after the training the music industry had grown in efficiency and professionalism.
At this moment the floor was given to Martin Prchal, Chief Executive of the AEC (the Association of European Conservatories), an association in which most European institutions for professional music training participate. Martin Prchal stated clearly that it was on omission that professional musical training was not taken in account during this conference. Music education is an important part of the music industry in Europe. In the AEC over 160 conservatories collaborate in projects in the framework of the SOCRATES Programme. Another important project is a Project on Cultural Diversity. In the framework of this project, the AEC has almost completed a survey that shows how divers the curricula of the European conservatories are. Mr Prchal pointed out that most of the earlier speakers during this conference referred to a completely wrong and outmoded view of professional musical training, which, according to these speakers, was only serving the field of classical music. Problems that should have been addressed here in this meeting are the comparability of music training programs in the European countries, mobility issues and the social and fiscal position of music teachers and the lack of funding for the development for continuing musical education. The overall idea of most of the participants seemed to be that professional music training will take care of itself. Martin Prchal pointed out that this was a wrong and dangerous way of thinking. He stressed a clear relationship: without good professional music training there will be no European music industry.
Henry Marty-Gauquié, from the European Investment Bank (EIB, Luxemburg) (www.eib.org) explained that now there are possibilities for support for music businesses. Especially projects that included the development of new technology and that promoted the dissemination of European culture were eligible for support. The EIB is not there to replace other possible support such as local subsidies. The maximum support given is on a 50% - 50% basis. At this moment about ten big projects are supported with 20 to 40 thousand Euro each. Also small and middle size enterprises can and will be financed. In most cases the EIB deals with the financing of cultural projects with capital risks for which ordinary banks would not give financing.
Peter Smidt, The Netherlands, Donamus, stated that for most music groups the local markets are too small. Any group of any size of any style has to go abroad. In their endeavours to expand to other European markets, the European musicians are confronted with an enormous amount of regulations of which the German tax regulations are the most horrible of all of them. Via the various music information centres in Europe he has tried to develop Tour Support for European pop groups to enable them to play at European pop festivals.
Rudy Demotte, the Minister of Culture of Belgium spoke some encouraging words in the end. But before him Nikolaus Van der Pas, the Director General of the DG EAC of the European Commission, presented a number of conclusions and made some further remarks.
Van der Pas was happy to hear so many good ideas at this meeting. He pointed out that the EC had limited means for culture: only 160 million Euro per year. Music, however important, is only a part of the entire cultural life in Europe. The main cultural program is Culture 2000. This program runs until 2004. The mid-term evaluation will start during the end of November 2001. Many of the proposals and ideas of this conference fit within the Culture 2000 program but many other do not and have to be dealt with elsewhere! A meeting like today shows that a program like Culture 2000 is not complete.
Van der Pas wants to discuss a number of items in the coming period. First of all it is clear that the financial means are not sufficient. Secondly, facilitating mobility has a high priority. In this context, a closer look will have to be given to the position of the existing European cultural networks, which could play an important role: should these networks be supported and if so, how? Also, the EU should place a stronger emphasis on the connection between education and culture, e.g. by promoting music education in schools and institutions. Finally, it is worthwhile to investigate if the music industry could benefit from support in the same way as support was given tot the audio-visual industry in programs such as Media and Media Plus.
Van der Pas ended by pointed out that in 2004 new intergovernmental contracts will be signed among others on cultural programs. Also the possibility that new countries will enter the EC will affect the present situation. Nevertheless Van der Pas was sincerely happy to have received the ideas and good plans he had asked for and hoped that many of the participants would return at end of November for the evaluation of the Culture 2000 program.
Representatives were present of organisations such as the UNESCO, SGAE, GEMA, FEP, NVPI, WAGRAM, IRMA, PRODISS, EMMEN, E-DIMA, FUSIC, GESAC, SIAE, MIM, AKM, KODA, UIN, TEOSTO, ACFCI, CONAMUS, SACD, SESAM, MIDEM, SABAM, ARTEDON, EJYO, MUCE, AEC, KERN, UPCI, IUC, BEMF, EMR, STIM, VUT, AER, NVPI, FONO, BUMA-STEMRA, BGI, CRISP, KNTV, UC, LARM, ADAMI, AEC, SERIOUS, IASJ. Also representatives of companies as divers as the Walt Disney Company, Bertelsmann, Time Warner, and EMI attended the meeting.
In total around one hundred and fifty people were present. Except representatives of the above-mentioned organisation, local, national and international politicians were attending the meeting.
For questions about the conference Music in Europe, please contact:
Kern European Affairs