This article contains promotional content. (July 2023) |
The European Composer and Songwriter Alliance (ECSA) is an international, non-profit organization based in Brussels and composed by more than 55 associations of composers and songwriters in more than 25 different European countries. It represents around 30,000 music creators and was founded in 2007. ECSA is co-financed by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.
| Abbreviation | ECSA |
|---|---|
| Formation | 7 March 2007 |
| Headquarters | Brussels, Belgium |
Key people | Helienne Lindvall (President) Alfons Karabuda (Honorary President) Marc du Moulin (Secretary General) |
| Website | composeralliance |
ECSA is a European network whose main objective is to defend and promote the rights of music authors on a national, European, and international level. The Alliance advocates for equitable commercial conditions for composers and songwriters and strives to improve the social and economic development of music creation in Europe.
The three main genres of music composition are represented within ECSA in three different committees (APCOE, ECF and FFACE which represent respectively: popular music, art & contemporary music, and film & audio-visual music). ECSA President is Helienne Lindvall, who was elected to this position in February 2022
History
editThe foundation for ECSA was laid on 4 February 2006 when a group of 100 composers from over 30 European Countries met at the European Composers' Congress at Musikverein in Vienna to sign a letter of intent in order to create a "Federation of European Composers Association".[1] On 7 March 2007, three associations, the Alliance of Popular Composer Organizations in Europe (APCOE), European Composers' Forum (ECF), and the Federation of Film and Audio-visual Composers of Europe (FFACE), came together in Madrid to form the European Composer and Songwriting Alliance (ECSA).[2]
Structure
editECSA is organized into three committees based on music genre: the Alliance of Popular Music Composers of Europe (APCOE), the European Composers Forum (ECF), and the Federation of Film and Audiovisual Composers of Europe (FFACE). The ECSA board is made up of 9 members, three from each of the committees. The current president, chosen from these 9 members, is Helienne Lindvall from the APCOE committee. The ECSA office (ECSA Secretariat), located in Brussels, Belgium, is an administrative office that handles day-to-day business.
Advocacy
editECSA actively defends the value of authors’ rights and the interests of music creators towards various public institutions and different stakeholders. The Alliance aims at creating a fair and sustainable framework for creators as well as ensuring an appropriate and proportionate remuneration for all music authors. ECSA is also active at international level and is a member of the European Music Council (EMC) and the International Music Council (IMC). ECSA is also a permanent observer to the International Council of Music Creators (CIAM). Furthermore, the Alliance monitored the work and discussions held at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), though its observer status removed in 2021 due to lack of further interests.[3]
Copyright Directive
editECSA has worked extensively to defend and promote the 2019 Copyright Directive and improve its provisions to the benefit of composers and songwriters. Ever since the 2019 Copyright Directive was passed in Europe, ECSA has been promoting a fair and ambitious implementation of the Directive in all EU Member States, in close coordination with its member organizations. The Alliance's priorities are primarily the implementation of Articles 17 to 23 of the Directive.
Buyout contracts
editBuyout contracts have become an increasingly worrisome issue for European authors. Such practices deprive music authors from royalties and from a proportionate remuneration for the exploitation of their works. ECSA is actively fighting against buy out contracts and has published in May 2022 a report[4] to assess this phenomenon and promote alternatives to such contracts.
The Creators Conference
editThe Creator's Conference is an initiative which aims at creating a forum for industry stakeholders, politicians, and other interested parties to meet and discuss key issues for authors and creators. The first conference was held in 2012 and that year, ECSA and the Creators Conference were presented the Visit Brussels Award at International Congress 2012. The most recent Creators Conference took place at Théâtre du Vaudeville in Brussels on 3 February 2020. It focused mainly on current and upcoming EU policies affecting music creators like the EU Copyright Directive and the future of the Creative Europe Programme.
Music streaming
editMaking music streaming sustainable for composers and songwriters is a key priority for ECSA. The Alliance and its member organizations have denounced the extremely low level of remuneration coming from music streaming platforms. ECSA calls on policymakers and stakeholders to remedy the fundamental flaws and market failures of the music streaming market for music creators, cultural diversity and European citizens alike. Read[5] ECSA's position paper on music streaming.
In continuity with its advocacy activities on music streaming, ECSA organized a roundtable[6] with MEPs and experts on 1 December 2020. In January 2021, ECSA also held a panel discussion on music streaming at the Eurosonic Noorderslag 2021 where various stakeholders discussed the repartition of the streaming pie, as well as the dangers of streaming revenue getting lost, notably due to metadata issues.
Cultural Activities
editECCO
editECCO is a European Composer and Songwriter Alliance (ECSA) project dedicated to reperforming and promoting contemporary art music and reaching new audiences. It operates as a network of active ensembles, orchestras and young professionals, supporting the creative dialogue between composers and performers and offering young professionals the opportunity to develop their skills with ensembles experienced in performing contemporary music on an international level.
Camille Awards
editThe Camille Awards or the European Film Composer Awards are a set of awards given to composers of exceptional pieces of film and audio-visual music. The first Camille Awards ceremony was held in 2014 and was an initiative by the ECSA honorary Vice-president - Bernard Grimaldi.
The 2021 edition was organized as a digital event on YouTube.[7] The event was organized in partnership with FAME's Studio Orchestra Music Recording Company and OTICONS.
The European Film Music Day (EFMD)
editThe European Film Music Day (EFMD) is an event bringing together audio-visual composers, film directors, producers and professionals alike. In 2021, the EFMD was organized digitally and brought together experts for two panel discussions[8] on “Composing for Video Games – The Creative Process” and “Buy-outs in the audio-visual sector: How is the problem affecting music creators?” The EFMD was previously held in the framework of the Cannes Film Festival on a yearly basis, and it was organized in partnership with La Quinzaine des Realizations.
Members
edit| Country | Member Organization |
|---|---|
| Austria | Austrian Composers Association (ÖKB) |
| Belgium | Forum des Compositeurs; Genootschap Artiesten Lichte Muziek (GALM); Belgian Screen Composers Guild (BSCG) |
| Croatia | Hrvatsko drustvo skladatelja (HDS) |
| Denmark | Danske Jazz-, Beat- og Folkemusik Autorer (DJBFA); Danske Populærautorer (DPA); Danks Komponistforening; Brancheklubben for film – og mediekomponister (BFM) |
| Estonia | Estonian Composers' Union (ECU) |
| Finland | Suomen Musiikintekijät ry (FMC); Suomen Säveltäjät ry (SFC) |
| France | Syndicat National des Auteurs et des Compositeurs (SNAC); Union des Compositeurs de Musique de Film (UCMF); Union Nationale des Auteurs et des Compositeurs (UNAC) |
| Germany | Composers Club (CC); Deutscher Textdichter Verband (DTV); Vereinigung Songwriter im Deutschen Komponistenverband (VERSO); Deutsche Fimkomponisten im Deutschen Komponistenverband (DEFKOM); FachGruppe E-Musik im Deutschen Komponistenverband (FEM) |
| Hungary | Hungarian Composer Union (HCU); Association of Hungarian Composers and Text Writers (AHC) |
| Iceland | Félag Tónskálda og Textahöfunda (FTT);Tónskáldafélag Íslands (SIC) |
| Ireland | Association of Irish Composers (AIC); Screen Composers Guild in Ireland (SCGI) |
| Italy | Associazione Italiana Musica Per Film (ACMF) |
| Luxembourg | Fédération Luxembourgeoise des Auteurs et Compositeurs (FLAC) |
| Macedonia | Composer's Association of Macedonia (SOKOM) |
| The Netherlands | Genootschap van Nederlandse componisten (Nieuw Geneco); Beroepsvereniging Componisten MultiMedia (BCMM);Verening Componisten en Tekstdichers Ntb (VCTN); BAM! Beroepsvereniging voor Auteur-Muzikanten |
| Norway | Forening for norske komponister og tekstforfattere (NOPA); Norwegian Society of Composers (NSC) |
| Poland | Zwiazek Polskich Autorow i Kompozytorow (ZAKR); Polish Composers' Union (ZKP) |
| Portugal | Associação Portuguesa de Compositores (APC) |
| Romania | The Union of Composers and Musicologists of Romania (UCMR) |
| Serbia | Udruzenje kompozitora Srbije (CAS) |
| Slovenia | Drustvo Slovenskih Skladateljev (DSS) |
| Spain | Musimagen; Autores de Musica Asociados (AMA); Asociacion de Compositores y autores de Musica (ACAM); Federacion de Asociaciones Ibericas de Compositores (FAIC); Federación de Músicos Asociados (FEMA) |
| Sweden | Svenska Kompositörer Av Populärmusik (SKAP); Föreningen Svenska Tonsättares (FST) |
| Switzerland | Sonart |
| The United Kingdom | The Ivors Academy of Music Creators |
| Associated Members | |
| Austria | Österreichische Gesellschaft für zeitgenössische Musik (ÖGZM) |
| Belgium | Componisten Archipel Vlaanderen (ComaV) |
| France | Syndicat français des compositrices et compositeurs de musique contemporaine (SMC) |
| Israel | Israel Composers' League (ICL) |
| Italy | Fondazione Archivio Lorenzo Ferrero (FALF); Unione Nazionale Compositori Librettisti Autori (UNCLA) |
| Switzerland | Swiss Media Composers Association (SMECA) |
| The United Kingdom | The Society for Producers and Composers of Applied Music (PCAM) |
Collaboration with other organizations
editECSA collaborates both within Europe and overseas with the Human Rights Council of the United Nations, the Society of Composers and Lyricists (SLC), the Songwriters Association of Canada, and the International Music Council.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Basement laid to found a "Federation of European Composers'Associations"". Österreichischer Komponistenbund (ÖKB). Archived from the original on 2017-02-22. Retrieved 2015-03-26.
- ^ Stahmer, Frank. "Musikmagazin – Neues vom österreichischen Musikgeschehen". Music Austria. Archived from the original on 2015-05-20. Retrieved 2015-03-26.
- ^ "Update of the List of the Non-Governmental Organizations Admitted as Observers at WIPO" (PDF). WIPO. 2021-09-20. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
- ^ "ECSA's vision on how Europe can prevent buyout contracts" (PDF). 2021.
- ^ "Music streaming and its impact on composers and songwriters. Why we should fix streaming now". 2021.
- ^ "News from ECSA - May edition". 2021.
- ^ "Camille Awards 2021 - Live Ceremony". YouTube. 2021.
- ^ "European Film Music Day(s)". Composer Alliance. 2021.