Building a network of composers embracing the whole of Europe – a History

Creating music today is an extreme challenge faced by us composers in Europe

The situation and the conditions on the European cultural (and music) market are drastically changing. Crucial matters breaking into the originate interests of the authors - especially in the field of copyright law - are strongly discussed today and are laid out to be remodelled. But in most cases, we as composers (as authors) are not being asked yet or cannot take part in these discussions so far.

We see the establishment of a close network linking together composers’ associations across all Europe as a great historic chance to promote, improve and secure a general, trans-European musical basis, from where we can preserve a diversity of national and regional musical styles on the one hand, and grant fair and respective working conditions for composers and music writers on the other.

All composers in Europe should be heard together and speak with one voice!

For composers from different nations to join together and join forces means a pooling of resources, competence and know-how. In consequence, that is a significant improvement in the efficancy with which composers from all European countries can make their voices heard by political and economic authorities. And most important of all: see to it that their positions, demands and interests are recognised and responded to.

The basement was laid already in February 2006 on the European Composers Congress in Vienna: On Saturday, 4th February, more than 100 composers of all genres of music and from more than 30 European countries, delegates from their national composers’ societies, signed the “Letter of Intent” on the European Composers Congress in Vienna.

And on behalf of that is the vision, the ECF has been founded, representing all European composers coming from the art/classical music background.

The key issues of this federation, aiming to speak with one united voice of composers, are to defend and represent the composers` interests towards European cultural policy. The “Vienna Declaration” which has been formulated on the Congress as well, and which is clearly addressed into the EU direction, shows quite impressively. The music composers throughout Europe demand to:

1. Defend the principles of collective administration of authors’ rights by supporting and monitoring the activities of our collecting societies in the context of intellectual property laws at the European level

3. Consolidate and improve the status of composers and increase the awareness of, and respect for composers and their creations, both in the industries they serve and in society as a whole, and the value that their works add economically, intellectually and spiritually.