Online Lounge on Surveys & COVID-19

28 May 2020

On 28 May 2020 in a new lounge, members of the EMC shared their preliminary analysis and results of surveys they conducted whithin their membership to analyse the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on the music sector.
The speakers presented their work such as:


► Stéphane Grosclaude, Plate-Forme Interrégionale

presented his preparation for their membership survey

"The idea is to have a grid that will be the same for each organisations and we will update this grid every two or three months and in the same time, I will have an interview with the representative of each of our members."

Plate-Forme Interrégionale has decided to not conduct a survey right away as there were many initiatives of surveys from the cultural ministry to small cultural organisations. It is also not easy to have a relevant survey as the situation related to the restrictions due to COVID-19 evolve constantly. Members of PFI have been facing contrasting situations with a big digital shift, new frameworks with different concepts. PFI has been working on project planning in a collaborative way. They developed a chart with a grid to assess each member organisations’ situation. Updates & interviews will be conducted on a regular basis during one to two years to see the evolution of PFI members.

→ Find Stéphane Grosclaude's presentation on the video here at 01:34.
Check the grid here.

► Katharina Jeschke & Sofía Faget-Auersperg, IMZ International Music + Media Centre

gave us an overview of their direct survey with members and how COVID-19 has affected them

"We asked them first how the situation has affected their business and which measures they have taken and what they need from the IMZ as an organisation."

IMZ has been in close contact with its members through calls and emails and made sure that the IMZ was there for their needs: communication, information & staying connected. COVID-19 has affected IMZ’ membership very differently but in general all turned to more digitalisation in their work. Film producers have had many projects on hold or cancelled until 2021 and are now working on post-production projects. There is much uncertainty for the future and they are reaching out to get projects online. They fear that only the biggest players will survive and smaller will have to stop completely. On the other hand, broadcasters have had more slots for culture and have used a lot of their archive. However, the revenues from advertising have gone low and public broadcasters fear that their funding will get reduced in the future. Orchestras and concert halls have relied on online streaming to connect with their audience while waiting to play again. For the streaming platforms though, these are very exciting times as they have received new subscriptions and consumption has increased.

→ Find Katharina Jeschke & Sofía Faget-Auersperg's presentation on the video here at 16:03.
Check their website here.

► Maria Nolla Colomer and Katharina Weinert, European Music Council

presented the outcomes of the IMC/EMC survey in Europe

 "The survey should be conducted on the different type of works and it would be better for the global understanding to have "a report in every country."
"It is so important to have something in writing that we can give out to policy makers and that they have something they can refer to when discussing help."
 

The EMC in cooperation with the IMC conducted a survey open to all the stakeholders in the music sector in the whole world. The survey was put online in reaction to the restrictions in Europe due to COVID-19 in March 2020. A lot of respondents filled the survey at the beginning of the restrictions. As some questions were open, it was a complex task to analyse the survey. Most of the reactions were related to restrictions of work and financial difficulties in the future. The political measures with financial aid were suitable in some countries to mitigate the effects but overall not to ensure a viable future. It would be necessary to do a follow-up survey to see the evolution and how the needs have and will evolve in the future.
It is important to provide good information to policy makers on how exactly the music sector has been affected by the crisis. Policy makers need to see a more overall picture with all the specificities of the sector. It is however challenging to collect this information because the sector is so diverse and fragmented. A lot of uncertainties remain with the renewal of performances but also in music education some difficulties and inequalities rose as they shifted to online lessons. Songwriters and composers expect a decrease of income especially next year as their royalties will decrease due to cancelled performances and events this year. Music publishers have also been selling less music sheets. International cooperations have also been impacted.

→ Find Maria Nolla Colomer & Katharina Weinert's presentation on the video here at 33:22.
Check the powerpoint here.

 

► You can also find the results of the German Music Council survey here

► Anna Penseart, IAML International Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres

presented the preliminary results of their membership survey

  "We need to identify the right people and the right channels to make our voice heard."

IAML has conducted a survey on their membership, which received a broad feedback. It is considered as a snapshot to capture its’ membership current state due to COVID-19. Most of IAML’s members have been working from home, shifting tasks. For most of them, the physical collections were not accessible but they gave out free temporary trials for their online collections. Differences between libraries could be observed. The situation has affected them variously: home deliveries, copyright restrictions, funding opportunities, travel restrictions, logistical difficulties. It is important to underline how music has been important for all. IAML reached out to its members to understand how they could support them on the long term. The main points were: support, share and create recommendations. The preliminary conclusions included that the lack of access to the physical collections was a significant problem but on the other side online collections and music has a rich potential for future development. There is a need for recommendations on ways to go and advocacy work for the library world. Finally, there were very clear differences between regions and countries around the world, as for example between Eastern & Western Europe.

→ Find Anna Penseart's presentation on the video here at 1:05:20
Check the presentation here.