News from ECSA - February edition

The news that deeply overshadowed the month, both for ECSA and many of our members, was the loss of fearless advocate for music authors and long-time ECSA friend Jörg Evers. Jörg has played an immense part in the improvement of music authors’ rights and will be remembered as a friend, colleague and mentor to many creators in Europe and around the world. Our sincere thoughts and condolences go out to his family and loved ones. A full statement from ECSA, including several contributions from ECSA members for Jörg and his loved ones, can be found here. © Florian Jaenicke

The EP Committee on Culture and Education recently decided to draft an own-initiative report on “Cultural diversity and the situation of authors in the European music streaming market”. Member of European Parliament (MEP) Ibán García Del Blanco (S&D - Spain) will be the rapporteur, whereas MEPs Theodoros Zagorkis (EPP - Greece), Laurence Farreng (Renew - France), Alexis Georgoulis (The Left - Greece), and Niklas Niennas (Greens - Germany) will represent their political parties as shadow rapporteurs. ECSA warmly welcomes this decision, which shows that fixing music streaming and making it sustainable for music creators is now on the European Parliament's agenda.

On 16 March, ECSA President Helienne Lindvall will represent ECSA at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) information session on music streaming. This meeting will take place in the context of the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR), as requested by WIPO Member States, in particular several Latin American and Caribbean countries. The EU and its Member States have also welcomed such an information session. More info and registrations can be found here. © Marek Ślusarczyk

On 9 February, ECSA, together with five authors and performers' organisations (EWC, FERA, FIA, FIM, & FSE) published a joint statement on Artificial Intelligence (AI), in particular on the AI Act. As the EU institutions are addressing the use of AI, the signatories of the statement urge policymakers to put the notions of transparency and consent of creators at the heart of future policy decisions. Read the full statement here. On 15 February, Member of the European Parliament Emmanuel Maurel (The Left - France) asked a written question about works of art generated by AI and artists’ rights, to the European Commission.

ECSA organises the 2023 edition of the Creators' Conference on March 21 in Brussels, at Cinema Palace. This year's edition will be addressing music streaming, AI, creators contracts, and the EU strategy for the music sector. Find out more information here and register for the event via this link. 

On 28 February 2023, ECSA organised a Capacity Triangle Webinar for music creators: "The Importance of Managing your Metadata: How to Get Paid and Credited Correctly". During the webinar, several experts explained how to correctly transmit metadata to eventually be credited and paid correctly for created music. Around 70 people attended the event ​​A recording of the webinar is available here.

In light of the Music Freedom Day on 3 March, the National Music Council of the United States (NMC) and the International Music Council (IMC) organise a Symposium to address the increase in political violence against songwriters, composers and music performers. The event includes panels and interviews with experts and activists from all over the world. The online event takes place on 3 March. Read more here. © Cottonbro Studio

Last January, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a proposal that would impose very steep increases to some of its filing fees, including on artists' visa applications costs. If adopted, this new rule would severely impact the mobility of artists and cultural professionals between the USA and EU. ECSA supports the joint letter, initiated by PEARLE* and On The Move, inviting the European Commission to reach out to the US administration on the issue. Read the full letter here. 

On 15 February, the European Commission referred 11 Member States to the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) for failing to notify the Commission of transposition measures under two directives with respect to copyright. The Commission refers Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Latvia, Poland and Portugal to the CJEU following their failure to notify complete transposition measures on the 2019 Copyright Directive. The Commission also referred Bulgaria, Finland, Latvia, Poland and Portugal for not notifying complete transposition of the EU Directive on copyright and related rights applicable to certain online transmissions.            © Dati Bendo

24 February marked one year since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. ECSA continues supporting Ukrainian creators and joined the initiative of German Composers' Association’s (DKV), which called on all actors in the cultural sector to send a signal of solidarity for the artists in Ukraine. Read DKV’s full press release (in German), supported by ECSA, here.

This year’s Nordic Film Music days took place on 18-19 February in Berlin. The event included seminars, screenings and an award ceremony. One of the seminars, covering the US and European film industries, featured ECSA Vice-President Jesper Hansen and ECSA Board Member Anselm Kreuzer. Find more information on the panel here. ECSA also congratulates the winner of the HARPA Nordic Film Composers Award 2023, Norwegian composer Jørund Fluge Samuelsen!

The Oieras 2023 Contemporary Music Cycle (CROMA - Ciclo de Música Contemporânea de Oeiras), organised by ECSA member Associação Portuguesa de Compositores (APC), takes place from 13-18 March in Carnaxide, Portugal. ECSA is more than pleased to contribute to this event. An ECCO concert will take place in this frame on 17 March through ECSA’s ECCO-System grants, with the invaluable support of the Creative Europe programme. 

In October, ECSA expressed its concerns about the restructuring plans of Austria's public national broadcaster ORF (Österreichischer Rundfunk). Unfortunately, it still appears that music, as well as all arts and culture in general, fall victim to the plans for the new financial model of the ORF. ECSA supports the initiatives of the Austrian Composers Association and its members against these measures. We warmly ask everyone to sign the petition to save the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra (RSO), and support the Austrian Music Council’s statement (both in German). © Pixabay

On 11 March 2023, the Songwriting Academy organises a female songwriting camp in the frame of International Women’s Day. ECSA President Helienne Lindvall will be one of the guest coaches. Participants will get professional coaching advice, meet other songwriters, and write and pitch for major label artists. Applications are now open and ECSA members are entitled to a discount of £50 on the participation fee via this link. Please contact info@composeralliance.org for a discount code. Learn more about the application process here.

The call for music showcases of all genres for the 2023 edition of “FEST - Music Walk With Me” is now open. The festival takes place on 20-25 June 2023 in Espinho, Portugal, and offers networking opportunities between musicians and film makers. More information on the call and application process here.

The 24th edition of the International Festival of Music and Cinema is taking place from 27 March - 1 April 2023, in Marseille, France. The festival features screenings of numerous young cinematographic creations and musical compositions for screen, as well as competitions for long and short movies. Learn more about the program and register here. © 2023 Music&Cinema. 

The Klami Competition 2023-2024 for composers is open for submissions! The event aims to produce a new repertoire for a small orchestra of sinfonietta type. The results announcement and awards presentation will be part of the final concerts, taking place in autumn 2024 in Kouvola and Kotka, Finland. Find out more about the competition here.

Disney+ Original “The Good Mothers”, a UK-Italy co-production, has won the Berlinale Series Award! Congratulations to Giorgio Giampà, an award winning film music composer, who composed the series' original score. Read more about the film here.