Second World Forum on Music starting Thursday
The International Music Council’s Second World Forum on Music starts in Beijing, China, on Thursday 10th October. Following the first World Forum on Music, held in Los Angeles in October 2005, the 2007 Forum aims at exploring some of the most important developments in music.
The main themes of the Forum are: Music in Development with a focus on the importance of strengthening the musical sector in developing countries; intellectual Property Rights and the implications of alternative regimes for ensuring artists’ rights; enhancing musical diversity; music in the Future - how social, cultural, political and technological trends influence music in the years to come.
Peter Rantasa, Executive Board Member of IMC, director of mica - music austria and initiator of fair music initiave will chair an important session on the complex topic of intellectual property rights (IPRs) in music on Friday. The speakers represent perspectives of authors, musicians, collecting societies, research, online-business and music industry and the UN organisation WIPO.
The aim of the World Forum on Music is to set a unique stage where artists, scholars, decision-makers and other influential actors in all areas of music, from all corners of the world, and with their roots in a wide variety of musical cultures can meet, share experience, and discuss challenges related to the future of music and music in the future.
At this point in history, IMC is focussing on music and development – that is on music as an important element in the development of open, sustainable and democratic societies, and what a viable music life is dependent upon. The International Music Council‘s (IMC) mission is rooted in the spirit of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which underlines the right of free expression. IMC believes that music is one of people’s most powerful means of expression and communication and that work must be done to achieve unlimited freedom with regard to musical expression.
The forum is organized in conjunction with the 32nd General Assembly of the IMC (14–16 October) by the International Music Council and the Chinese Musicians Association.
