The International Music Council (IMC) was created in 1949 as

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

's advisory body on matters of

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...

. It is based at UNESCO's headquarters in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, France, where it functions as an independent international

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in ...

. Its primary aim is to facilitate the development and promotion of international music-making. The IMC currently consists of some 120 members, divided into four categories (National Music Councils, International Music Organisations, Regional Music Organisations, National and specialized organisations in the field of arts and culture). It is represented by regional councils in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, and the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America, North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. ...

. Their task is to develop and support programmes specifically tailored to the needs of the IMC members and partners in their region.

Initiatives and actions

Five Music Rights

The International Music Council advocates for access to music to all, through a set of values which are at the basis of the action of both the International Music Council and its regional councils. Those core beliefs have been gathered under the name of Five Music Rights. The Five Music Rights were first proclaimed in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...

during the International Music Council's General Assembly of 2001, and have since been promoted by the International Music Council and related bodies, through

advocacy Advocacy is an activity by an individual or group that aims to influence decisions within political, economic, and social institutions. Advocacy includes activities and publications to influence public policy, laws and budgets by using fac ...

activities, programmes and other initiatives (such as the Music Rights Awards and the appointment of the " Music Rights Champions"). The principles contained in the Five Music Rights (originally written in English) have been translated into

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

, and

Mandarin Chinese Mandarin (; ) is a group of Chinese (Sinitic) dialects that are natively spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. The group includes the Beijing dialect, the basis of the phonology of Standard Chinese, the official language ...

. IMC undertakes many initiatives within the music ecosystem – such as developing projects, organizing conferences, awarding prizes, etc. Projects are international, regional and sometimes local and are often supported by international, intergovernmental and supranational organizations.

International Rostrum of Composers

One of the IMC's regular activities is the annual International Rostrum of Composers, a forum offering representatives of national broadcasting organisations the opportunity to exchange and publicize works of

contemporary classical music Contemporary classical music is classical music composed close to the present day. At the beginning of the 21st century, it commonly referred to the post-1945 Modernism (music), modern forms of Post-tonal music theory, post-tonal music after th ...

The IMC UNESCO Music Prize

The IMC UNESCO Music Prize was awarded from 1975 until 2005 by the International Music Council, as of 1978 in cooperation with UNESCO. The Prize was addressed to both musicians and musical institutions, in alignment with the purposes of the United Nations Charter and UNESCO's Constitution. The Prize was assessed by four categories: composition, musicology, pedagogy, and performance. The last laureate of the IMC UNESCO Music Prize was

Mikis Theodorakis Michail "Mikis" Theodorakis ( el, Μιχαήλ "Μίκης" Θεοδωράκης ; 29 July 1925 – 2 September 2021) was a Greek composer and lyricist credited with over 1,000 works. He scored for the films ''Zorba the Greek'' (1964), '' Z'' ...

African Music Development Programme

The African Music Development Programme, launched in 2014 by the International Music Council, took place in nine African countries. The 3-years-long project was implemented with the financial support of the European Union and the technical assistance of the

Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States The Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) is a group of countries in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific that was created by the Georgetown Agreement in 1975. Formerly known as African, Caribbean and Pacific Group o ...

(ACP), and aimed at supporting the

music industry The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, train, ...

through a series of targeted actions.

Advocacy

The main arena for IMC advocacy is

, specifically the 1980 Recommendation concerning the Status of the Artist, the 2003

Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage The Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage is a UNESCO treaty adopted by the UNESCO General Conference on 17 October 2003. The convention entered into force in 2006, after thirty instruments of ratification by UNE ...

and the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. Some advocacy actions are carried out in alliance with other international organisations such as the #Culture2030Goal campaign for the inclusion of culture among the

Sustainable Development Goals The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked objectives designed to serve as a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future".United Nations (2017) R ...

International Music Day

The International Music Day was initiated in 1975 by

Yehudi Menuhin Yehudi or Jehudi (Hebrew: יהודי, endonym for Jew) is a common Hebrew name: * Yehudi Menuhin (1916–1999), violinist and conductor ** Yehudi Menuhin School, a music school in Surrey, England ** Who's Yehoodi?, a catchphrase referring to t ...

, former president of the IMC. It is celebrated worldwide on October 1.

IMC presidents

* Alfons Karabauda (2019–present), Sweden * Emily Achieng’ Akuno (2017–2019), Kenya * Paul Dujardin (2013–2017), Belgium * Frans de Ruiter (1998–2001) (2009–2013), Netherlands * Richard Letts (2005–2009), Australia * Kifah Fakhouri (2001–2005), Jordan * Jordi Roch (1994–1997), Spain * Eskil Hemberg (1992–1993), Sweden * Lupwishi Mbuyamba (1988–1991), Zaire * Marlos Nobre (1986–1987), Brazil * Gottfried Scholz (1984–1985), Austria * Barry S. Brook (1982–1983), United States *

Frank Callaway Sir Frank Callaway (16 May 191922 February 2003) was an influential music educator and administrator. He was born in New Zealand but spent the major part of his life and career in Perth, Western Australia, where he built the UWA School of Musi ...

(1980–1981), Australia * John Peter Lee Roberts (1978–1979), Canada *

(1969–1975), United States * Narayana Menon (1967–1968) (1976–1977), India * Vladimir Fédorov (1965–1966), France * Mario Labroca (1959–1964), Italy * Domingo Santa Cruz (1957–1958), Chile * Steuart Wilson (1954–1956), United Kingdom * Roland Manuel (1950–1953), France

References

External links

The IMC's website
{{Authority control International music organizations UNESCO Musical groups established in 1949