The European Music Office, having successfully lobbied for support from the European Union, has helped with new developments in the ways that the European music industry now operates and interacts, supporting and nurturing such initiatives as the ETEP Programme. Now the EMO intends to help develop similar cultural and economic opportunities for trans-Atlantic trade.

As observed and commented upon in these columns and at every major conference and gathering of the European live music industry, such as the ‘Crossing Borders’ panel at ILMC 16 this year, great changes and developments have taken place in the operation of the concert and touring business across Europe in the past few years. The work of the National Export Offices, the development of local talents, and the increasing number of promoters festival organisers and agents no longer reliant on the UK exclusively for the provision of acts and expertise, has created a different and thriving market nourished by new and ever improving ‘pipeline’ systems between the growing number of viable European territories.

More small to mid level businesses are now broadening their horizons, actively searching for new opportunities, and are quite naturally, looking to form relationships in order to work directly with the huge American market. In response to this development The European Music Office, in conjunction with many European music promotion organizations, has initiated a project designed to ‘pre-figure’ a future European Music office based in New York City, with the support of the European Union.

The stated objectives include the widening of the knowledge of the European cultural operators in the US market and the creation of an information contact point to facilitate the development of European music in the US. This will be accomplished through an on-going study of the market and an aggregated database of key US contacts in various fields of the music and related media businesses. The office will perform services for the immediate priorities of the participating promotion organizations. This office will eventually propose its services to all the national music promotion organizations based in Europe, with constituents including record labels, publishers, organizations, managers and most other music related businesses.

Vip News recently called into the New York office of the man charged with the direction of this project. Robert Singerman has some 25 years experience of developing US and international artists and companies, in association with the European Music Office and the many other organizations. Singerman said, “Using the services of Miriam Lockshin and other internationally known experts in the US music business, we will identify and establish a pool of consultants to be available to undertake general, and specific work for European Music professionals, in response to the requests of the European national music promotion organizations.”