The European Commission published a call in 2020 to deepen the knowledge and to experiment with new approaches to promote European music export.

Implementing steps to develop and promote European Music Export

The EU study “Implementing steps to develop and promote European Music Export”, (or EMX  in short), proposed a set of activities, including

• developing and piloting a European music export capacity building programme
• undertaking digital and physical trade missions
• organising an incoming delegation tour
• piloting a version of a European Music Export Resource Centre.

These were supported by preceding research on the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on European music export activities and Innovation Lab events to develop new approaches to the tasks at hand.

Key takeaways

Here are the most important learnings from the research and activities carried out in the context of this tender:

• the COVID-19 pandemic made worse the already existing disparity between music ecosystem development levels in European countries
• music export begins at crossing the border of one’s home country, not the EU’s
• pan‑European actions work and are highly valued by the participants
• highly integrated activities are needed to achieve optimal results when opening and developing new music markets
• music export development requires a long term vision and coordinated action.
• A European music export strategy is more relevant than ever

Recommendations

The consortium authoring the report put together a set of immediate, mid-term and long-term recommendations for EU institutions and stakeholders. Among these, the authors of the study recommend to include the subject of music export as one of the key discussion threads of the Music Moves Europe structured dialogue 2023‑2026.

Background

The new study builds on the results of the 2020 European Music Export Strategy (EMES), a study, developed for the European Commission, and envisioning that artists and music entrepreneurs all across Europe should have equal opportunities to develop their talent, initiatives and realise their full international potential.

Who developed the study

The EMX project was developed by a consortium of music export organisations led by MICA Music Austria and including

• EMEE (European Music Exporters Exchange)
• KEA European Affairs
• Music Finland
• Music Export Poland
• PRS Foundation
• SoundCzech / Arts and Theatre Institute

About Music Moves Europe

The European Commission supports the sector within an integrated approach called 'Music Moves Europe' (MME). MME aims at promoting a sustainable European music ecosystem and supporting the sector’s main assets: diversity, competitiveness and innovation.