On Thursday 22 February, the European Commission organised a conference on music in the EU, focusing on ‘Challenges, needs and opportunities’.
The event was part of the ongoing dialogue with the music sector, which began in 2023, as part of the Music Moves Europe (MME) initiative. After the Covid-19 crisis, the European Commission decided to step up dialogue with the music sector to help it coordinate and speak with one voice on EU policy issues.
Iliana Ivanova, the European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, opened the discussions with a reminder of the importance of the sector, which employs over 2 million people and makes a significant contribution to the EU economy.
She highlighted areas for improvement such as fair remuneration, environmental sustainability and inclusivity in the music industry, particularly in a world dominated by streaming platforms and the emergence of music generated by artificial intelligence.
The conference was an opportunity to recall the EU’s support for the music sector, with the Creative Europe programme having allocated €150 million between 2014 and 2022.
Susanne Hollmann and Olivier Fontaine, experts from the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, presented the achievements of the MME initiative for a diversified, competitive and sustainable ‘ecosystem’, through four main axes: political action, cooperation with the Member States, the EU’s legal and regulatory environment, and dialogue with the sector.
The initiative has also focused on fair pay for artists, improving working conditions and promoting diversity and inclusion in the music sector. Key projects include the European music export strategy and the establishment of a European music observatory to address the lack of reliable data on the sector.
The online conference: https://aeur.eu/f/aze (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)