EFM 2024 session descriptions

Keynote on Equity in Music by Golnar Shahyar

Date: Thursday, 6 June
Time: 10:00 - 10:30

Golnar Shahyar is an Iranian/Canadian vocalist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist, widely known as one of the most accomplished vocal artists in European contemporary and improvised music. She is also recognised as a composer, producer of her own music, and collaborator in dance, theatre projects, and opera productions. In 2008, she settled in Vienna and began studying voice and guitar at the University of Music and Performing Arts. Her debut album, “Tear Drop”, released in November 2022, was nominated for the German Jazzpreis for the best debut album of the year (international).

In 2020 she co-founded WE:Shape, a platform aiming to advocate and promote EDI (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion) and fair pay in the music industry and education focusing on German-speaking countries. Since then, Golnar Shahyar has been active as curator, commentator, concept & strategy developer in various festivals and podium discussions to advocate and integrate EDI and fair pay in the music scene. 

There is no meaningful division between her music and the social themes it addresses, she came of age in a culture where women, for decades, have fought for a public voice. Add to that the status of an outsider in Western Europe, representing a culture often viewed with mistrust and misunderstanding, and music-making itself becomes a political act.

Join us for this insightful keynote, as we discuss the important connection between music, equity, and social change.

 

Panel discussion "Equity in music - geographical perspectives"

Date: Thursday, 6 June
Time: 11.45 - 13.00

The European music landscape boasts a plethora of diverse musics from more than 40 European countries. But is this diversity equally represented in music venues and concert halls across the continent? What is needed to reach equity for all repertoires from diverse European regions? What are the reasons why an equitable musical landscape seems to be difficult to reach? And are there good models to overcome geographical imbalances in the music sector?

The panellists will look into issues such as logistics, financial support, international music media, stereotypical thinking and much more. Speakers at the session will be Mariana Bondarenko (Ukrainian Institute), Mila Georgieva (Bulgarian Music Association), Carlos Martin (Sons da Lusofonia), Tomas Van Respaille (Bozar, Brussels) and Nayden Todorov (Minister of Culture of Republic of Bulgaria). The panel will be moderated by Michalis Karakatsanis (European Music Council).

 

Parallel exchange sessions on policies for music

At the beginning of June 2024, the citizens of Europe elect a new European Parliament. The European Parliament is an important forum for political debate and decision-making at EU level. It adopts the EU budget and elects the President of the European Commission and the College of Commissioners.

It deals with topics such as digital transformation, migration, freedom of expression and sustainability - many of them through the adoption of directives that are transposed into national laws - thus affecting the music and cultural sector. For more, please see the latest EMC newsletter:

At this exchange session we would like to exchange with you on the current EU initiative for music “Music Moves Europe” and the future needs for the music sector. With a new European Parliament and a new European Commission coming in, new persons and also new strategies are likely to be discussed. How can we, as advocates for music, make our voices heard – what are good entry points? What needs to be addressed? What is coming up next, e.g. new European Parliament committees, next Multiannual-financial Framework (MFF)?

To discuss this, we offer two exchange groups, one addressing how the national level influences EU cultural policy and potential next steps after the EU elections. The other group will look into the role and responsibilities of European music networks with for advancing the EU policies for music.

 

World Café with key inputs on Equity in Music

During the world café, you will be able to move from one table to another, discussing different themes as you like. At the beginning, this session will offer short key input statements by experts from different fields:

After theses key inputs, EFM participants are invited to grab a coffee or tea and to join the world café. Different tables will be available and labelled with different themes:

  • Additional needs
  • Freedom of expression
  • Emerging professionals
  • Gender
  • Geographical imbalances
  • Age
  • Ethnicity

All EFM participants will be able to choose a table with a specific theme. If there are many people at “your” table, you may open another table with this theme or come back to the same table later. The theme at one table should remain the same, and participants may move as many times from one table to another as they wish. At the beginning, the input providers will be invited to join the table with “their” theme, but they may also move around as they wish. After approx. 20 minutes, an EMC team member will kindly invite all participants to move on, but you may also stay at your table and continue the debate.

At each table, EMC team and board members will take notes, EMC Fellows will move around and prepare short testimonials from each table for the EFM documentation.

 

Panel discussion "Fair pay - fair working conditions"

The wider notion of the status of the artist has been on the UNESCO agenda for decades and the 1980 Recommendation concerning the Status of the Artists remains a major international reference text and policy instrument. After the disastrous impact of the COVID pandemic on the culture sector, the topic of the status and working conditions of artists and cultural and creative professionals has moved into the centre of the cultural policy debate in Europe, at national as well as at EU level where both the Commission and the Parliament addressed the issue. The panel will share insights into the report of the OMC (Open Method of Coordination) Working Group dedicated to this topic. One of the key priorities identified by the report relates to fairness including fair pay and fair practices. Several national and sectoral initiatives on this topic are underway in Europe; the panel will highlight the Austrian Fairness Process as an example. However, to what extent can the notion of fair pay be adapted at EU-wide level? Which perspectives do various stakeholders including trade unions have on the European Parliament resolution of November 2023 and the response by the European Commission? One topic, a diversity of perspectives, one shared value: the right for all musical artists to receive just recognition of their status and fair remuneration of their work.

The speakers in this session are Eva-Maria Bauer from the Austrian Music Council and Benoît Machuel from the International Federation of Musicians. It will also include a video presentation from Heidi Meissnitzer, Co-Chair of the OMC group on "The status and working conditions of artists and cultural and creative professionals". The moderator is Silja Fischer (International Music Council).

 

Panel disussion on "Equity in live music - what can we learn from European venues and what challenges lie ahead"

Date: Friday, 7 June
Time: 10.30 - 11.30

The live music sector offers valuable insights into equity, particularly through the lens of live music venues. One key lesson is the importance of inclusive programming and representation. Venues that showcase diverse artists and genres not only contribute to a vibrant cultural landscape but also promote equity by providing platforms for underrepresented voices. Overall, live music venues can serve as catalysts for positive change within the industry and broader society, promoting inclusivity and diversity in all aspects of musical expression. The undeniable cultural, artistic, social, and economic contributions of live music scenes have been extensively documented, as highlighted in Live DMA’s Survey.

This panel will delve into relevant insights drawn from the live music sector, with a specific focus on music venues. The speakers will share their experiences and projects on topics such as community involvement and co-creation, development of inclusive experiences, mental health or gender equality initiatives. The panel will also address challenges ahead, particularly concerning the fragility of existing support systems for venues in many cases across Europe, which directly affects the possibilities for promoting equity. Overall, the panel aims to illuminate key lessons from European venues while navigating the ongoing challenges to promote equity and inclusivity in live music experiences.

Speakers at the panel will be Robbe Van Bogaert (Eventsure / City of Antwerp), Stéphane Amiel, (Les femmes s'en mêlent), Lorenzo De Angelis (All Areas Access) and Katharin Ahrend (Clubcommission Berlin). The panel will be moderated by Erica Romero Pender (Live DMA).

 

Panel discussion "Equity in music education - a roadmap towards a thriving musical landscape in Europe"

Date: Friday, 7 June
Time: 12:00 - 13:15

Has modern society lost its understanding of music's universal values and made it a product of the experience economy? We listen to music like never before, but traditions and values are increasingly challenged by the streaming platforms and active music making is no longer available to everyone. Do we need the power of music performance and creation to bring people together, to expand our space for reflection, to strengthen our human values with a focus on equity, inclusion and diversity? Based on the European Agenda for Music, the presenters, together with the audience, provide a snapshot of the position of music pedagogy, its challenges and options, and lay out a range of initiatives for discussion.

The speakers on this panel are Niels Græsholm (EMC board member), Finn Schumacker (AEC),  Martha Lomelí (JMI) and Mimi Harmer, EMC Fellow. The session will be moderated by Ruth Jakobi (European Music Council).

 

Workshop I: Equity in the (geographically) diverse membership of a network

Date: Friday, 7 June
Time: 14:45 - 16:00

led by Sonja Greiner & Joži Vovk (European Choral Association)

The purpose of this session is to exchange with representatives of other European or regional / national networks on how to grow your membership, how to deal with the results of a grown and therefore more diverse membership, which challenges you may encounter, and which strategies could help to deal with them.

Sonja Greiner and Joži Vovk of the European Choral Association will start with a short input on the importance of networking, on how the European Choral Association decided to increase its membership and diversify it geographically with the help of a regional development strategy. On the example of this development, and the resulting geographical and cultural diversity within our network as well as the diversity in types and sizes of members, we want to point out a few challenges we have come across.

But most of all we would like to discuss with you in an interactive session which challenges you have encountered, and which solutions you may be able to suggest to everybody.

 

Panel discussion "Equity in music streaming"

Date: Friday, 7 June
Time: 16.30 - 17.30

The IMC Music Right No. 5: "The right for all musical artists to obtain just recognition and fair remuneration for their work."

Alternative models of music streaming that offer fair recognition and remuneration for all works, as proclaimed in IMC Music Right No. 5, will be a key focus of this panel at this year's EFM24. With Spotify’s announcement to only remunerate tracks that have been streamed at least 1000 times, the dream of the democratic and all-accessible streaming platforms seems being shattered at the latest. And what about those works that go beyond the 1000 streams – how are they curated? How do they get on playlists? Is there equal exposure across countries and genres? What about the discoverability of music from smaller countries or produced by smaller companies compared to the big players from UK, France and Germany?

The panel will gather a wide range of experts providing an insight into current streaming practices, presenting innovative ideas for streaming as well as claiming what is important for creators, music businesses and music from smaller countries/markets. Speakers at the session will be Sandra Tinner (Swiss Music Council), Helienne Lindvall (European Composer and Songwriter Alliance (ECSA), Ruth Koleva (Association of Independent Music Publishers and Producers in Bulgaria) and Burak Özgen (GESAC). The panel will be moderated by Davide Grosso (International Music Council (IMC).