Live DMA
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Networks of individuals, organisations and bodies in the popular music sector throughout Europe have been gathering over the last 4 years on the basis of common values and action areas.
These networks are ACCES in Spain, La Fédurok in France, d’Orfeu in Portugal, Club Circuit and Club Plasma in Belgium, Dansk Live in Denmark, VNPF in Netherlands, Live Musik Kommission in Germany and many other networks and associates. Gradually, the professionals who run these networks are getting to know one another and building a cooperative framework, open to new networks and individuals, organised around an ethical charter and shared goals.
The purpose of this ethical charter is to provide the foundations for cooperation between these organisations, which have a shared philosophy and commitment to work together on common political, artistic and economic objectives. This cooperation will now take place within the context of the Live DMA network.
This text is a binding framework, allowing us to define a common identity for the creation of a future formal European network of popular and modern music organisations, and to direct our activities, especially as regards meeting new partners and cooperators, and the integration of our projects in the European Commission’s programmes. By signing this document, the organisations are expressing a formal commitment to the philosophy, the goals and work the Live DMA network is seeking to achieve.
English will be the main language used for the texts, meetings and activities implemented by the Live DMA network.
The networks hereby recognise a common philosophy of action based on 3 main working themes:
- On the artistic, cultural and social fronts
The associated networks of Live DMA and their members sustain and participate actively in artistic discovery, emergence and innovation, thus playing a key role in facilitating the mobility of artists. They are major contributors to the dynamic of artistic renewal on a local, regional, national and international scale. They also base their activities on a global approach towards artistic and cultural practices, both amateur and professional. Projects and activities set up by organisations within the network must support the diversity of artistic forms and current and future cultural practices. Indeed, they are part of cultural diversity. This is how our organisations subscribe to the spirit of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions and the Agenda 21 for Culture. The associated Live DMA networks and their members are committed to have a precise vision of the different organisational structures of the popular music sector in each country, to identify the actors, particularly the venues and the artists they support, in order to promote them, but also to allow better understanding and the implementation, on the European scale, of the conditions for circulation of artistic productions, artists, populations who support our projects, professional staff and the relevant political decision makers.
- On the political front
All of their work is governed by considerations of cultural development and general interest. They will work together to gain legitimacy in the European political field, in order to provide a forum for actors in bodies which influence legal and legislative decisions concerning popular music in Europe. The partner networks express their strong commitment to enter a process of joint public policy preparation with the representatives of the countries concerned. The common denominator for each of our countries as far as modern and popular music is concerned is the gradual recognition of this sector in public policy, at very different levels. Nevertheless, this recognition is resulting in a new consideration of the position of modern music both regionally and nationally. Many projects and initiatives, especially coming from concert venues and music centres, are of general interest, insofar as they participate both in the promotion of cultural diversity in each of the European countries, and in the renewal of artistic creation and expression of identities.
- On the economic front
They defend the diversity of initiatives and economical models. Their primary goal is to realise an artistic and cultural project and not to maximise profit. On a European scale, the consideration of modern music is fully integrated politically in a wider logic, as proved by UNESCO’s Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity. This declaration also focuses on one of our shared concerns, i.e. the link between the public sector, the private sector and civil society, because « Market forces alone cannot guarantee the preservation and promotion of cultural diversity, which is the key to sustainable human development. From this perspective, the pre-eminence of public policy, in partnership with the private sector and civil society, must be reaffirmed ». The actors represented by the organisations that are members of the Live DMA network believe in a plural economy and through their numerous and increasingly diverse work, are signing up to an intermediary economic dimension, the so-called ‘third sector’, or to a social and interdependent economy. However, these general interest initiatives are jeopardised by vertical and horizontal concentration. To fight against this, the Live DMA partners are calling once again for a process of cooperation between the public sector, the private sector and civil society.