Barroso rules out quick decision on online music market
JOCHEN LUYPAERT
09.12.2007 @ 08:11 CET
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, has said that the commission will not make a far-reaching decision on the future of the online music market in the short term, adding that more time is needed to find an appropriate solution.
"We should give ourselves the necessary time to wait up all the information to reach a balanced, fair and sustainable consensus [between all stakeholders]," Mr Barroso said at a conference on creative rights and cultural diversity, organised by the EUobserver, in Brussels on 6 December.
The commission's president said that new technologies present new opportunities and challenges (Photo: Sandrine Muscarella)
The commission is still in the process of reviewing comments made by stakeholders on what to do with the online music market.
Mr Barroso said he wants to ensure that the musical richness of the union is represented on the internet.
"It's clear for me that we should not allow monopolistic licensing structures to emerge in the internet. The repertoire available in the internet must adequately reflect Europe's cultural diversity," he added.
"If the market place alone does not deliver on these objectives, then in fact we need to consider adequate alternative means for achieving them," he said, without elaborating what these alternatives could be.
In 2005, the commission issued a non-binding recommendation on the collective management of online music rights.
This has been supported by large multinational collective rights managers (CRMs), who stand to gain much from open markets and competition.
Concerns of artists
Artists argue that the increased competition resulting from this 'soft law' approach will stifle local and niche music markets and weaken cultural diversity in the union because big CRMs would withdraw the international commercially successful music repertoire from national CRMs.
National CRMs often represent local artists - who sing in their own languages and music styles, but seldom obtain a mass audience - and play an important role in the development of local talent and styles.
But without more successful artists in their repertoire, these rights managers would lose a part of their means to invest in local talent and could be out-competed by the large rights managers and disappear completely.
Greek singer and former MEP Nana Mouskouri summarised the views of artists at the conference by saying: "We must - I believe - think of creators first, and businessmen second, not the other way around."
"Music is not a mere commercial good to be treated in pure terms of competition rules. The recommendation adopts a clear market-oriented approach of music and author's rights which ignores their cultural dimension and will definitely set apart what is considered as the non-commercial music repertoire, practically the local repertoire," she added.
"But exactly this local creativity contributes to Europe's musical diversity which is what makes Europe unique," she explained.
Consequently, artists - supported by a majority of MEPs – are calling on the commission to regulate the online music market and ensure that CRMs provide consumers with a diversified range of music products.
European year of inter-cultural dialogue
The commission president wants to closely cooperate with the European cultural industries and make 2008 - the European year of Intercultural Dialogue - a "milestone" for the future of the culture of every member state.
He believes that such dialogue can be a "driving factor" and "mobilise energies" for the cause of cultural diversity and multiculturalism in the union.
In his speech, the Mr Barroso underlined that the commission was important to strike "a fair balance" between "the interests and obligations of all stakeholders" - between economic competition and cultural diversity.
He also spoke about the opportunities and challenges presented by technological evolutions.
"The technological progress we are witnessing is undoubtedly opening up new opportunities for Europe's cultural and creative sector. It also creates new audiences and revenue streams for European artists, European authors and European composers," he said, adding that these changes also brought electronic piracy.