Radar: New Music Declaration

Radar: New Music Declaration

The European Composers’ Forum and the European Composer and Songwriter Alliance intend issuing a ‘Declaration on the Future for Contemporary Art Music Creation in Europe’.

Photo: Composers at Artmusfair (l-r): Patrick Ager (authority on EU politics), Sarah Rodgers (composer, Chairman of British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors), David Stoll (composer, Board member of BASCA), John McLachlan (composer, Director of the Association of Irish Composers, Ireland) and Klaus Ager (composer, President of the European Composers Forum)

Glasgow – The European Composers’ Forum and the European Composer and Songwriter Alliance, which together comprise representatives from twenty-nine countries, intend issuing a ‘Declaration on the Future for Contemporary Art Music Creation in Europe’. The document comes out of meetings held at the ArtMusFair conference, which took place in Glasgow last October.

The final wording had not been agreed at time of press, but is essentially concerned with the difficulties in sustaining a living as a composer, and the need to keep the continuity of compositional heritage alive. 

The declaration, which is primarily aimed at policy makers within the EU institutions as well as individual governments, will call for greater promotion of contemporary music in general, more attention to music in European cultural policy and more effective legislation for composers’ rights. Policy makers will be encouraged to listen to composers as well as consumer groups.

Particular attention will be given to the future of rights management societies. This will focus on protecting the smaller societies and developing a new revenue collection system appropriate to new technology and ways to counter illegal distribution.

The need for greater subsidies to composers will be addressed in the declaration, with the emphasis that investment for music should come from both public and private sources.

The version that The Journal of Music has received explains that, unless the structures are there to support new music as well as to encourage its appreciation, much of that written may be lost. The document will be published in December.

www.composersforum.eu

Published on 1 December 2009

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