Author: Press Officer

The Ivors Academy and Help Musicians, with support from The Ivors Academy Trust, have launched a Music Creators Mentoring Programme. Applications for both mentors and mentees are open now until Wednesday 12 August 2020.

The programme will match 50 emerging music creators (mentees) with 50 suitable mentors, providing a huge range of benefits for both groups including:

• Guaranteed eight hours of 1-1 online mentoring
• 6 months free The Ivors Academy membership for all mentors
• Online training sessions
• Access to online resources, and much more

The programme will take place as part of two groups, applicants can choose which group works best for them:

• Group 1: 14 September 2020 to 28 February 2021
• Group 2: 12 October 2020 to 31 March 2021

For full information and to apply as either a mentee or mentor visit:

https://ivorsacademy.com/news/music-creators-mentoring-programme/

Catherine Martin T.D., Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht has announced the establishment of a new Taskforce which will see a range of Departments, Agencies and groups working together to promote and develop a vibrant and sustainable night-time culture and economy.

Speaking today, Minister Martin said: “The establishment of a Night-Time Economy Taskforce is a key commitment in the Programme for Government and I am delighted that my Department will be leading and driving this initiative.  The importance of working collaboratively with all relevant partners including key Government Departments and Agencies cannot be overstated.  I want creative thinking and innovative solutions to the challenges facing the night-time economy and I want every opportunity explored and maximised.  I am particularly pleased that Sunil Sharpe of Give us the Night has agreed to participate in the Task Force, as well as the Lord Mayors of Dublin and Cork cities, who have already overseen much work in this area.   It is anticipated that Give us the Night and the two Local Authorities will give a presentation on their vision, and their work to date at the first meeting of the Taskforce.”

Minister Martin also said: “I am also asking the Taskforce to conduct an intensive stakeholder engagement process with all relevant sectors and interested parties who have a significant role in the night-time economy to ensure that all views and ideas are considered by the Taskforce.  While it won’t be possible to have every interested party on the Taskforce, they can be sure that their views will be heard and will be an important part of the process.”

She continued: “Covid-19 has severely restricted social gatherings and has been detrimental to the night time economy and culture of our cities, towns and villages.  However, as the economy opens up in the coming months (dependent on the current health advice), the industry needs to be ready to bounce back and to have as few obstacles as possible to develop and grow.  This Taskforce will be well placed to look at all the challenges facing the development of a vibrant night time culture and economy such as regulations, licencing laws, transport, and diversity of cultural activities among other issues.”

This commitment follows work already carried out in relation to this project in 2019 and earlier this year.  The Taskforce will be chaired by the Department of Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht and will meet in the coming weeks. It is expected to deliver a report with policy recommendations to the Minister within six months of this first meeting.

The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) today announced an important advancement in their cooperation, with a particular benefit for Collective Management Organizations (CMOs) representing creators in developing countries.

Mr. Gurry, Mr. Oron and Mr. Wegelin explain the effects of the collaboration between their organisations here WIPO Director General Francis Gurry and CISAC Director General Gadi Oron signed an agreement that will allow CMOs to manage their repertoire and share it with other CMOs beyond their borders using CISAC’s CIS-Net international repertoire database.

Under the agreement, CISAC-member CMOs using WIPO Connect, a new software tool developed by WIPO for CMOs in developing countries, will have access to an enhanced solution to facilitate their participation in CISAC’s international information systems network. It has been specifically designed to improve CMOs’ international coverage and boost the earnings of creators and publishers who have their rights managed by those CMOs.

This new CISAC-WIPO partnership follows an agreement signed earlier this year on metadata between WIPO and SUISA, the Swiss authors’ CMO and a CISAC member. Under that agreement, WIPO Connect user societies obtain access to the global system for identifying authors, composers and publishers – the IPI system – managed by SUISA on behalf of CISAC. With this agreement and the new one now concluded with CISAC, WIPO Connect users will be able to share their domestic repertoires on the international information exchange systems operated by CISAC. This will help to accurately identify internationally the repertoire of authors and composers who belong to societies using WIPO Connect, and allow them to be remunerated.

“I welcome these agreements which will pave the way for Collective Management Organizations in all WIPO member states to participate in the global copyright infrastructure and remunerate authors and composers’ for their music that is played abroad,” said Mr. Gurry. He added that “WIPO and CISAC have a longstanding and fruitful cooperation and we share the mission of promoting the creative sector’s contribution to cultural, social and economic development. In today’s global digital content marketplace, providing CMOs in developing countries with an IT solution that is linked to industry databases and tools is essential in realizing this mission.”

Mr. Oron said “We are very pleased to conclude this agreement with WIPO and help support societies in development around the world. WIPO connect has huge potential for societies who currently struggle to take part in our international information exchange systems. With this new tool and the agreement now concluded, WIPO is better placed to support these societies’ efforts to receive royalties from abroad and to provide better services to the creators and publishers they represent.”

SUISA CEO Andreas Wegelin said “SUISA welcomes its agreement with WIPO, which will help identify and document more authors, composers and publishers, especially in developing countries. SUISA and WIPO are both providing training and assistance to music societies in Africa and other emerging markets and we hope that our agreement will contribute to effective and efficient solutions for our sister societies using WIPO Connect.”

This diploma scholarship will offer one lucky student the opportunity to study a year-long Music Business Diploma course free of charge at BIMM Dublin. If you’re interested in applying for the scholarship, please submit an application to info@nullbimm.ie by 12th August 2020.

Speaking on the news of the announcement and partnering with IMRO, Alan Cullivan, College Principal at BIMM Institute Dublin said: “IMRO is a vital organisation within the Irish music industry and has been for many years. It always displays unwavering support for Irish artists, both new and established, in their role of collection society, education provider and lobbyist for greater development and investment in homegrown talent. Partnering with IMRO on our new Music Business Diploma Scholarship makes perfect sense for us, as no one cares more about the business of music in Ireland than IMRO”.

Keith Johnson, Director of Marketing & Membership at IMRO spoke about the importance of supporting the next generation of music industry professionals: “IMRO is delighted to continue its partnership with BIMM Dublin in relation to their Music Business Diploma course. It is critical that we support and nurture the next generation of creative thinkers and industry professionals. BIMM graduates are to be found in every sector of the music industry in Ireland, which is testament to the quality of tuition, experiences and industry connections that students are exposed to during their time at this renowned institution”.

WHY CHOOSE A DIPLOMA IN MUSIC BUSINESS?
BIMM Institute Dublin Diploma in Music Business course was launched in 2018. This part-time course offers a practical skillset so that you can enter into the world as a future entrepreneur or into employment in areas such as:

• Music Promotion and Marketing
• Artist Management
• Tour Management
• Physical and Digital Music Distribution
• E-commerce in the Music Industry
• Music Publishing and Recording
• Live Music Events and Touring

This course is perfect if you have no prior experience of the industry and wish to use it as a foundation for further study or entrepreneurship. You’ll also be taught by expert lecturers – who are still active in the industry – and thrive in a unique, collaborative community that’s seen the likes of Fontaines DC, IDLES and Mabel walk through its doors and into the music industry.

HOW TO APPLY FOR A DIPLOMA IN MUSIC BUSINESS SCHOLARSHIP

• Please request an application form by emailing the BIMM Institute Dublin Admissions team at info@nullbimm.ie or call +353 1 5133 666.
• Return the completed application form via email to info@nullbimm.ie before 12th August 2020.
• Once you have applied, BIMM will contact you with interview details.
• You will receive at least 10 days’ notice of your scheduled interview time.
• Bring along any relevant material to your interview that demonstrates your experience in music or the creative industries.
• Internal applicants are welcome and Skype interviews can be arranged if you’re unable to attend your interview.

A host of prominent European creators have added their name to an op-ed which calls on EU leaders to deliver meaningful support for the creative industries during the pandemic crisis. In the op-ed, the creators detail the devastating effects the COVID-19 crisis has had on the creative sector and call on EU leaders to “be bold”, to rethink current pledges and invest more in creativity and the arts.

This op-ed is especially pertinent given the meeting of EU leaders in Brussels on 17-18 July, where the EU recovery plan and budget will be the main topics on the agenda.

A full list of names can be seen below the letter but some prominent names from across Europe include: singer Björk, electronic music pioneer Jean Michel Jarre, film director Agnieszka Holland, conceptual visual artist Daniel Buren, performance artist Marina Abramovich, award-winning author Nina George, singer MØ, Benny Andersson of ABBA, choreographer Anne-Teresa Keersmaeker, film directors the Dardenne Brothers, singers Ibeyi, and many more.

In May 2018, the European Commission proposed MFF 2021-27, which allocated €1.8bn for Creative Europe, an increase from the current Creative Europe €1.4bn amount. In May 2020, amidst the devastating crisis in the cultural sector, the Commission reduced this earlier proposal to €1.5bn in its new MFF draft, despite the European Parliament’s position of doubling the amount. The Commission also did not detail any targeted support for cultural and creative sectors within the various elements of recovery mechanisms (Next Generation EU).

The creative sector welcomes several recent high-level statements in support of culture at the EU level made by Mariya Gabriel, Didier Renders, Thierry Breton, Emmanuel Macron, among others, but now asks for a concrete commitment to realise this objective.

The following letter follows an unprecedented campaign by cultural and creative organisations, 99 in total, including GESAC, urging the EU institutions and member states to recognise that cultural and creative industries are under existential threat, although they should be at the centre of a sustainable recovery plan to re-boost EU economy. Germany, France and Italy are supportive of allocating more EU budget for culture.


A CALL TO INVEST IN ALL OUR CREATIVE FUTURES

European culture is in the midst of a crisis. How decision-makers choose to respond now will set the scene for the next decade of cultural and creative life in our union.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, theatres, cinemas, music halls, museums and other venues of cultural expression have remained closed. Many of those venues will simply not reopen. 

The result has been to squeeze the life out of the cultural and creative sectors, exacerbating the desperately perilous situation in which culture, the arts and the creative sectors at large find themselves. 

Cultural and creative sectors are Europe’s third largest employer. Meaning the economic consequences of a stagnant sector have reached far beyond the realm of culture.

But, despite such a diminished cultural landscape, it is to culture that we have all turned during this time of great personal and societal adversity. 

It is music that has brought us together on balconies, films and TV series that have entertained us, documentaries, books, performances, pieces of art that have all truly comforted us in our solitude and helped us to escape intellectually and creatively.

Europe’s most treasured asset is our culture. It is a culture united in its diversity, a culture that draws in millions of people from all over the world every single month.

Cultural expression in all its diversity is at the heart of what is meant to be European.

Despite strong messages from leaders of the European Union that our sectors would be firmly supported, the current proposals for a recovery plan and a European budget strangely fail to consider the needs of the cultural and creative sectors. 

As creators and professionals from the sector, we call on the EU leaders to be bold and to invest in culture and the arts, to invest in all our creative futures.

We need a plan that revives our cultural ecosystem and inspires the next generation of Europeans. 

This means providing the financial resources at a level which will allow art, culture, cultural and creative enterprises, creators and creative workers to continue their work, to survive and thrive into the future. 

This is an opportunity for the EU to amply demonstrate that it can honour its values. The time is now for Europe to be ambitious and invest in its creative future.

Culture is the fertile soil out of which Europe’s next generation will unite and flourish. Let’s show Europe’s next generations what kind of future we want to offer them!