news
It is our great pleasure to announce that Croatian composer Ivo Josipovic (also head of the Zagreb Music Biennale and Board member of the Croatian Composers’ Society) has been elected President of Croatia on 10 January 2010. Josipovic is the first composer as a head of state in history and he will lead Croatia towards the full membership in the European Union in 2012. Read more…
The purpose of the Conference is to discuss: How to provide widespread, affordable access to content for the public and to encourage a dynamic creative culture, while returning value back to creators.The international panels are now being assembled and will consist of representatives from the whole music industry as well as inventors, consumers and legislators.We can already proudly announce Peter Jenner, music manager and record producer, and Bennett Lincoff, intellectual property law attorney, consultant and writer, as members of our panels. More guests will soon be announced on the web site. Mark Fishlock will be leading the seminar as our moderator.Join us at the Creators Conference, in Stockholm on the 10th of March 2010!Wednesday 10 March, 2010, 9.00 am - 17.00 pmHotel Rival, Mariatorget 3, Stockholm/Sweden.To participate in the Creators Conference you need to register here no later than 16 February 2010: http://creatorsconference.se/registration
Read the ECSA statement to the Reflection Document of DG INFSO and DG MARKT on the topic of “Creative Content in a European Digital Single Market: Challenges for the Future” here
23 January 2010 - The ECSA Delegates Assembly will take place on Saturday 23 January from 14:30 to 17:00 on the “Scandinavian Terrasse”, Blvd. La Croisette, Cannes.
As a major political result of ARTMUSFAIR 2009 in Glasgow, which was held under the motto “Shaping the Future for Contemporary Music” by the European Composers Forum in cooperation with BASCA British Academy of Composers, Songwriters & Authors from 29th October - 01st November as an international European gathering of composers and experts in contemporary classical/art music, the “Declaration on the Future for the Creation of Contemporary Art Music in Europe” was approved by the delegates on01 November 2009. This Declaration addresses political and cultural decision makers throughout Europe, outlines main issues of concern and suggests urgently necessary actions to improve the situation for new creation in classical music in Europe. Read more about the “Glasgow Declaration here >>
From 29 October - 01 November 2009 ECSA attends ARTMUSFAIR which is held by the European Composers Forum in partnership with the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers & Authors and the Scottish Music Centre. During ARTMUSFAIR, ECSA will also hold its regular Delegates Assembly.
ARTMUSFAIR, under the 2009 title “Shaping the Future of Contemporary Music” is open to representatives from throughout the contemporary classical music scene, and attracts hundreds of composers, music publishers, record labels, musicians, promoters, managers and agents from across the whole of Europe.
Dear colleagues and partners of ECSA, dear friends,It is with great sadness that we have to report that David Ferguson died on Sunday 5th July after a long and courageous fight against pancreatic cancer. As chairman of BASCA in the UK David was founder and director of APCOE and co-founder and co-chairman of ECSA. It is no exaggeration to say that without his passion and enthusiasm these organisations would not exist today.David’s knowledge of the music industry, the role of creators and the problems that were faced was comprehensive and was matched by the breadth of his determination to make the writers case, whether to publishers, collecting societies, governments or EU institutions. As ECSA spokesman his speeches and presentations became famous for their wit and flamboyance as much as for their incisive content.So easily did David take to his campaigning role and as his political profile grew, and with it the profile of European music writers, it was often forgotten that he was one of the UK’s leading composers for film and TV and had been a founder member of the cult band Random Hold.David’s death is a great loss to all music writers. For those of us who had the privilege of working with him, who were inspired by his humanity, determination and grit, and were his friends he is irreplaceable.In the name of the entire community adjoined in the European Composer & Songwriter Alliance,Klaus Ager (Co-Chairman, ECF)Alfons Karabuda (Acting Chairman, APCOE)Bernard Grimaldi (Co-Chairman, FFACE)Patrick Rackow (Spokesperson for ECSA)
The European Composer & Songwriter Alliance (ECSA) welcomes the decision of the Swedish Court in the trial of the founders of Pirate Bay. ECSA believes that the verdict sends out a strong message the facilitation of file sharing on such a scale is a criminal act that threatens the livelihoods of the music writers that ECSA represents.Whilst ECSA accepts that suing individual consumers is not a desirable or viable solution to the problem of illegal file sharing any solution must be based upon a firm foundation of rights that can be enforced against such industrial infringers.ECSA further believes that the decision opens the way for the myriad of legal online music offerings as it reduces the level to which they have to attempt to compete with that which is illegal. In order to facilitate this ECSA trusts that the EU Commission will listen to the European Collecting Societies and will do all it can to help to create a system of licensing in Europe that will benefit both users and rights owners. Without such a system it is hard to see how legal offerings will be able to establish themselves.ECSA looks to other European states to maintain the integrity of the copyright system which underlies the creativity of music writers and awaits with interest the outcome of further debate in France on the proposed Creation and Internet law.
The European Composer & Songwriter Alliance (ECSA) and the International Council of Creators of Music (CIAM) note with concern the recent action taken by Google/YouTube in their negotiations for new licences with music collecting societies PRS for Music (UK) and GEMA (Germany).ECSA and CIAM regard Google’s actions as nothing more than a cynical and coercive public relations ploy by which they are apparently trying to set users against creators. ECSA and CIAM are increasingly concerned that Google’s precipitous and unjustified move presages further use of such tactics in their negotiations with other collecting societies throughout Europe and may establish a pattern for how such negotiations will be conducted in the future. Google has made plain that it places little value on the music which has been a major driver of YouTube’s popularity. Further by spreading misinformation as to the negotiating positions of those who seek to ensure that composers and songwriters receive fair remuneration for the use of their works, Google once again shows its contempt for all creators of artistic works.Google is evidently not prepared to countenance paying a fair price for the music which it uses (and to provide full and transparent data as to that use) yet it is hard to imagine how their business model will work without music.
ECSA welcomes the decision of the EU Legal Affairs Committee to approve legislation extending the term of copyright for sound recordings. ECSA believes that this decision demonstrates the committee’s recognition of the value of the work of all creators of music and trusts they will continue to support the system of copyright which provides protection and allows creators to benefit from their creative efforts.
older news »our mission
Having regard to the purpose of ensuring effective protection of music authors at the highest level before the European Institutions (Commission, Council, Parliament and Economic and Social Committee) and before international institutions such as WIPO, Council of Europe, WTO and UNESCO;
Having regard to the importance of a good cooperation with the European and international institutions in charge of the drafting and implementation of European and international legislation concerning music authors rights.
ECSA is the lobbyist organisation speaking with ONE VOICE in the name of all European composers and songwriters and is formed by the three main genre specific networks of the composers in Europe:
APCOE - Alliance of Popular Music Composers of Europe
ECF - European Composers' Forum
(The Association of Art & Classical Music Composers in Europe)
FFACE - Federation of Film & Audiovisual Composers of Europe