Spain Organizes Regional Push For Music Exports

The Spanish government is attempting to bring about increased coordination in promoting domestic music and culture overseas.

Spain's Culture Ministry held an Oct. 5 meeting here with delegates from the country's 17 semi-autonomous regions to discuss improving the international promotion of Spanish culture in general and music in particular.

At PopKomm last month in Berlin, Paco Galindo—secretary general of Fundación Autor, the promotional arm of Spanish authors' and publishers' society SGAE—criticized the government's "lack of coordination" in promoting Spanish music. "The promotion by the [Spanish] government of culture, and especially music, should be a matter of state, as it is in France," Galindo said.

The French government set up the French Music Export Office in 1993 to support the domestic music industry. Galindo noted that the French body's efforts meant that France—this year's "partner country" at PopKomm—was able to invite some 50 acts to the trade fair, as well as two government ministers. "French music sales abroad have multiplied since the bureau was set up," Galindo said.

SGAE wants Spain to be PopKomm's partner country in 2005. But without institutional help, "there is no way we can match the French effort this year," Galindo tells Billboard. "That kind of presence is impossible without a coherent cultural policy and strong state support, coordinated by several ministries."

Carlos Alberdi, the Spanish Culture Ministry's director of cultural cooperation and communication, says the Oct. 5 meeting was arranged before Galindo's comments.

Alberdi points out that many Spanish regions, including the Basque Country, Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, have their own foreign music-promotion policies.

"Maybe 40% of all Spanish cultural activity here and abroad is organized by regional governments," he says. "We agreed at the meeting to try to coordinate this in the future as a single unit. We are on the case."

Alberdi says he has spoken to Galindo and promised greater coordination. But he adds that France "is a bad comparison for us because it is very centralized, so there is less need for planned coordination [than in Spain]. Also, it has a bigger cultural budget."

The idea of launching a Spanish Music Export Office "has not been discussed," Alberdi says. "It is not on the agenda."

CULTURE IS BUSINESS

Spain's socialist government took office in April after eight years of right-wing Popular party rule. The socialists are widely seen here as being more sympathetic to cultural issues than their predecessors. Alberdi notes that within days of taking office, Culture Minister Carmen Calvo made clear the government's aim of reducing the 16% value-added tax on sound recordings, in an effort to boost CD sales (Billboard, May 29).

At present, the limited foreign promotion of Spanish music is divided among the Culture and Foreign ministries and the Industry Ministry's foreign trade institute, ICEX, which exists to help Spanish companies sell their products at international trade fairs.

"ICEX does not really see music as an export product, whereas we all know that culture is also business," Galindo says. "ICEX says it is very difficult to organize concerts abroad, but we say if we do not have such concerts at events like PopKomm or MIDEM, how can we promote Spanish music for sale abroad? Yet ICEX's budget for music in 2004 is less than 100,000 euros [$122,000]."

Galindo's stance is backed by Madrid-based indie label/distributor Boa Cor, which set up a private-sector music export office, Boa Exports, three years ago. Boa Exports attends the MIDEM international trade fair each January in Cannes.

"We export culture, and we'll do it alone as long as the institutions do not support us with subsidies and other direct help," Boa Cor communications director Sergio Muñoz says.

"SGAE is very active in spreading Spanish music," Muñoz adds, "but in order to promote it internationally, we need more support and coordination from governmental institutions."

Galindo wants the government "to assume that foreign promotion of Spanish music is a matter of state [and] to accept music as a commercial product for export. The ICEX music budget should be increased and an interministerial commission established to look at this issue."

Galindo says PopKomm is expected to send SGAE a formal invitation for Spain to be the partner country at the 2005 event. "When we receive it, we shall forward a copy to the culture ministry," he adds.

"I expect it will be well-received," Alberdi says. "Coordination is fundamental, and we are working on it. If Spain is the guest country, we will show we can make a good effort—even if we don't have the same means as some other countries."