Music From Brazil Presented To The World
A Brazilian government project together with professional associations is taking Brazilian music to various regions of the world. One of the main actions is the participation of Brazilian musicians in foreign fairs. This year, Brazil will be the theme of an event in Berlin, Germany.
Débora Rubin:
São Paulo – Brazil wants to show its beat. If this is the country of music, why not export it? It was with this idea in mind that project Music from Brazil, which brings together associations of professionals in the music business and government organizations like the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex), was established. The idea is to join forces to export Brazilian music in all its aspects: from the licensing of music to shows. After one year in operation, the project is already proving itself fruitful.
According to Michel Nicolau, coordinator of the Music From Brazil, the actions executed in the 1st year have already generated US$ 2.6 million. The project is based on 5 fronts of action. The most important is participation in foreign music fairs. In this 1st year of life, 3 fairs have already been visited: 1 in France, another in England and the 3rd in Germany. In total, 30 record labels participated in the actions.
This year, there will be at least 3 fairs, among them Popkomm, in Berlin, which is strategic for the project. ‘We will be the theme of the fair this year. We will have a space of 240 square metres, 23 shows and three conferences about Brazilian music,’ explained Nicolau. To give an idea of the dimension of the importance of the event, the coordinator of the project stated that 80% of the musicians who play at Popkomm leave with signed contracts. ‘The forecast is that after the fair, project revenues may rise as high as US$ 3 million,’ he said. Popkomm is scheduled for September.
Other project initiatives include international tours. In June last year, 9 artists went on a European tour, among them Yamandú Costa, Robertinho Silva and Armandinho. The 3rd front of operations is the project site, where there are foreign market studies and even a manual for exporters. Soon, the project is going to have an English version. Finally, Music from Brazil also guides record labels and musicians by giving technical export training courses.
Where Brazilian music does not have strong penetration, like in the Arab countries, the Music from Brazil Project makes use of Brazilian government missions to promote shows. ‘To export music, simply sending CDs and DVDs is not enough. It is necessary to show the artist’s face,’ explained the coordinator of the project.
To organizations like the ABMI, the Brazilian Association of Independent Music, which brings together 107 small record labels, the Music from Brazil Project simplifies the whole of the legal processes for the sale of music abroad. And, of course, it helps show who is behind the Brazilian swing.
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