EVENT PRODUCTIONS

Behind The Music - Sardinia
by Allan McGowan

New opportunities and present problems for music in the Mediterranean territories are to be highlighted by the founding of the Mediterranean Entertainment Conference, to take place on the island of Sardinia, in Olbia at the Melià resort & Conference center on 5/6 December 2003.

The stated aim of the Conference as outlined by Giovanni Broccu is: The Promotion of grassroots creativity through the establishment of a circuit of promoters, managers and independent record labels with the contribution of public authorities at local level (Municipalities, Provinces and Regions) and at European level (European Commission cultural programs).

The Programme will include contributions from Giuliano Urbani (Italian Culture Ministry) Italo Masala (President of Regione Autonoma Sardegna) Pietro Fois (Councilor for General Affairs of staff, Reformation Regione Sardegna) Settimo Nizzi (Mayor of Olbia) Gavino Docche Owner of Geovillage Resort, and Promoter of Tennis Master City Of Olbia, with other officials to be announced.
TBA (Province of Sassari

A whole session will be devoted to ‘Live Music and the Music Professions’, and will consider the importance of training in the music sector; Learning how to play an instrument as a way for children’s personal development; Teaching music, between Conservatory and innovation; Training professionals for the different live music sectors (sound engineers, light engineers, stage management, events production, security management, etc); Training promoters and managers; Independent record production and live music and issues related to the distribution of records of independent music acts.

Taking part will be: Franco Mussida (Director of Centro Professione Musica – Milano, a popular music school tutored by established pop/rock/jazz musicians);
Antonio Monzino jr. (President of DISMA musica, association of music instrument producers); Norina Vieri (Fedesercenti- President of the Association of Italian record shop owners); Peter Jenner ( Vice-President IMMF - International Music Managers Forum); Thomas Bielski. (SELLES Records Warsaw. President of the Polish record labels association), and our old friend, Claudio Trotta (Barley Arts, Italian Promotion Agency - Milan)

A second session will assess: ‘The Promoter’s Role: Between Commercial Business
and Cultural Promotion’: considering the role of festival organizers and promoters for the emerging of fresh acts in modern music (Pop, Rock, Jazz, and new styles such as Garage, House, Hip Hop, Folk); Threats and opportunities for music promotion activities; The threats of vertical integration, mergers and concentrations. The opportunities offered by new technologies and modern communication techniques in order to create European circuits for the circulation of new music trends and grassroots talent.

Taking part will be:Giordano Sangiorgi (MEI - Association of Independent Labels); Roberto Meglioli ( Presidente Assomusica); Stefano Fancelli (Sinistra Giovanile-The Estragon Experience); Shaun Arnold ( Hail – GoNorth, Scottish music industry organisation – Organiser of the Belfast Peace Concert with U2; Louis Perez (AEDA-Association of record labels from Andalusia); Further participants are to be announced.

Session 3, consisting of two panels, will consider: ‘Financial Aspects of Music Promotion: Bank Credit, Public Grants, Corporate Sponsorship’. Panel 1 will address:

Cultural events and political organizations; When political parties become cultural events organizers; When local authorities become promoters; The Italian case and other European cases.

Taking part will be:Vincenzo Vita (Councilor for Culture of the Province of Roma);
Lino Paganelli (Director of Festa Nazionale dell’Unità); Renzo Lusetti (MP, Cultural sector of “La Margherita” political party); Luca Volonté (MP, Cultural sector of the UDC party); Didier Paillard (Councilor for Culture of the Municipality of Saint-Denis); Enrique Moratalla (Councilor for Culture of the Region of Andalusia)
Ian Hamilton (Scottish Creative industries board); TBA (Councilor for Culture of Dzielnica Srodmiescie - District of Warsaw); TBA (Ministry of Culture – Malta)

The second panel will take on: ‘The role of the financial institutions, of permanent venues management and corporate sponsors in promoting fresh music talent’.

The panel will include: Giuseppe Branca (Bnca Nazionale del Lavoro);
TBA (Art Director of an Italian permanent venue)
TBA (Art Director of a foreign permanent venue)
Sergio Benoni (Tiscali – Musix)
Dr. Leonardo Marras (Telecom Italia Sardinia Pr Director )

The fourth and final session will be: ‘The European Initiative in the Cultural Sector’
The first panel will examine: How the first European cultural programs (such as Media for the film industry) were first established

The panel will include: Carlo Ripa Di Meana (Regional Councilor for the Umbria Region – Former European Commissioner for Culture at the time of the introduction of a Community cultural policy); Enrica Varese (European Cultural Programs expert - Formerly in charge of the development and the management of Culture 2000 Program in the European Commission)

Panel 2 will consider: ‘New room for a network of live music promoters and managers within the European cultural programs’.
With : Jean Bernard (Festival des Guitares – Bastia –Corsica); Michael Gattenof (Gattenof Management Little Big One Festival-Vaduz); Gert Hof (Gert Hof Productions Berlin; Phil Ellis (Raw Fish Records-University of Manchester)
Mourad Mathari (Scoop Organisation Tunisi); Patrick de Groote (Sphinx Festival – Antwerp Belgium / European Forum of Worldwide Music Festival ); Corrado Rizzotto (Indipendente Eventi e Produzioni – Pordenone Italy)

MEDEC intends to conclude with a résumé and the setting of ‘Operative Proposals’ for: The Mediterranean space and its role in the European recorded and live music industry; Creative exchanges and meetings among musicians; Supporting live music events (Tours, Festivals, Clubs, and sports events); Establishment of a network of large events venues; Creation of a network among events organisers of local events for the promotion of fresh music talents; Co-operation among the main Mediterranean Promoters and Festival Organisers.

Paricipants: Maria Paola Cherchi (European Law expert Law firm Cherchi & Partners, Brussels); Angelo Consoli (ECA Consulting – Brussels); Franco Mussida (Centro Professione Musica Milan); Gert Hof (Gert Hof productions); Roberto Meglioli (Assomusica)

I for one would be very interested to hear these conclusions, and proposals, this is quite an agenda, and the topics covered are relevant to the whle of Europe, not only the Mediterranean sector. Many others have been invited to participate in this ambitious programme, and we shall report on further developments.

Further Information: Giovanni Broccu [info.medec@virgilio.it]