Creating
a Link
The association Musiques du Monde’s mission is to support and to facilitate the activities of all persons involved in the field of traditional music : musicians, researchers in ethnomusicology, collectors of music from around the world, recording companies, organizers of concerts and festivals and the music-loving public alike. “Allowing” is the keyword for the association : allowing peoples and communities to inventory a part of their musical tradition and to make a cultural statement ; allowing professional collectors of this music to do their work under normal conditions and to be legally recognized ; allowing recording companies throughout the world to have a reserve of unreleased recordings ; allowing cultural engineers to have access to necessary information for the organization of performances of traditional musicians ; and lastly, allowing the public, whenever it wishes, to request the release of a large number of recordings of original music which is endangered, is little known or is merely at a given level in its development.
The Need for Collections
Much
of the music in the world today is at risk of being forgotten,
due to the disappearance of traditional performers, since
new generations do not always wish to perpetuate previous
forms. Yet other music that benefits from local recording
methods in its own country has difficulty making it past
its borders, because it does not coincide with Western forms
or because it is considered insignificant or hard to commercialize.
In either case, these traditions remain inaccessible to
the world’s music-loving audience. In the first case,
without a systematic program of collection, only the recordings
made by the most commercially popular performers in the
country will remain, while all former versions will disappear.
In the second case, without field work to record the music
in its original context, the music will never make it to
us, or will only appear in arranged forms considered more
enticing by the record industry.
It is well known that all traditional music evolves along
with its environment ; within this essential and unpredictable
process, older forms pass into oblivion or are adapted to
correspond to modern repertories. Although we must accept
the fact that certain music from past centuries has indeed
disappeared, we no longer have an excuse today, with the
diverse means at our disposal to put the planet’s
musical heritage on a lasting support at an affordable price.
For certain musical traditions, older recordings exist,
but their sound quality renders them fairly inaccessible
to today’s audience. In almost every case, it is vital
to return on site to renew this sound quality, update and
re-evaluate it, discover new performers, and take an imprint
of the latest developments, in the spirit of pioneers such
as Moses Asch, Alan Lomax and Harry Smith in the United
States, and Vicente T. Mendoza and Raùl Hellmer in
Mexico. Without the considerable work of these precursors,
what would exist of the musical memory of North America ?
Making collections of contemporary musical heritage must
be considered a duty towards our future generations.
Musiques du Monde’s objective is thus to intervene quickly
on site ; it aims towards the preservation of cultural diversity
while encouraging the publication, distribution and promotion
of musical recordings, most of which are as yet unreleased.
Serving World Cultures
For the communities involved, the arrival of a foreigner who wishes to record their musical heritage may be perceived in various ways. The primary work of a collector is to explain his or her methods, then come to an agreement on achieving his or her goals. In many cases, the musicians or the community as a whole see the benefits of distribution beyond regional or national borders as a form of recognition, to which is traditionally added a payment of fees and a working agreement in case the music is to be published. Moreover, the work of collecting, in and of itself, may lead certain populations to reconsider their cultural heritage with more appreciation. Lastly, works such as the “Articles of the Project Concerning a Declaration of Cultural Rights” , published by UNESCO, points out that the recognition of a cultural community by the rest of the world depends on its making “declaratory acts” ; in this context, the affirmation of a musical heritage (via the publication of a phonogram), which is a determining factor in the cultural identity of a community or a people, must be incorporated into one of these acts.
FAIR COLLECTIONS
Clearly, in numerous regions the money received is an unhoped-for
resource (entire families sometimes depend on a recording
artist), but the needs at the community level may be quite
different. Thus, Musiques du Monde wishes to promote a concept
adapted to local realities, a concept we call “fair
collections”, since it includes certain aspects of
fair trade. In putting together collections, the collector
pays musicians at the time and the place of the recording
sessions, and then arranges for them to receive an appropriate
amount once the recording has been sold to a record label ;
this exchange happens within the narrow economical context
in which few funds are in circulation. Fair collections
can take into account the exact needs of groups or communities
and can finance certain projects for local development (especially
those related with the collection and the transmission of
cultural heritage), with the participation of partners from
the world of culture or trade. These contributions do not
exclude payments made to musicians. We will strive at each
time to maximize the proportion paid to performers, once
all collection costs have been deducted.
The names or logos of contributing partners who have helped
finance the collections will be printed on the CD or CDs
(depending on the recording company’s own policies).
Communities could, if they wish, be remunerated via a special
release, in agreement with the recording company.
Serving Collectors
Setting off to record the elements of musical heritage without
the support of an institution is an unforgettable but risky
adventure. They may go into debt to complete their project,
for which the final product may never find a distributor
or may only find one much later. It is thus a question of
freeing the collector from the obligation of immediate sales
and of releasing him or her from the constraints of profitability.
In the system implemented by Musiques du Monde, a collection
project submitted by an active member and selected by MM
may be financed in various ways, depending whether the member
is already a salaried employee or is freelance and makes
a living from this activity.
The expenses for a salaried member at the time a project
is submitted, will be paid until he or she returns from
the collection process.
A freelance member will have his or expenses reimbursed
and will receive a salary until her or she has returned
from collecting.
No matter what his or her status may be, if a collector
must be accompanied by an assistant to complete the project,
this assistant will, like the collector, have his or her
expenses paid and/or receive a salary until returning from
the collection project.
Serving Recording Labels of Traditional Music
For recording companies, everyone agrees that selling this
type of music is not an easy endeavor. In Europe, the remarkable
work of certain recording labels, which benefit from State
subsidies, has permitted some of the most impressive collections
to be put together. However, smaller, private labels continue
to release, with more or less commercial success, recordings
that are equally accomplished, along with international
variety and World Music products for which the demand is
greater and which allow traditional music to figure in the
catalogs. Over all, the demand for traditional music is
too weak to motivate so many collection initiatives, in
as much as the collector is not assured that he or she will
be able to sell the recorded product. In fact, even if this
product finds a buyer, the sales may not cover the total
cost of the collection and the payment to musicians.
Clearly, the preservation of endangered, little-known or
marginal music should not depend on the good will of recording
labels for whom the need for economic survival comes first
and foremost. Freeing collectors from the obligation of
immediate sales is a means of putting together a reserve
of quality recordings from which the recording labels may
draw as they like. We will contact these companies before
each collection to test their possible interest and to obtain,
if possible, a commitment to purchase. Even if they do not
have the financial means for this type of undertaking, most
of these recording companies are a priori interested in
acquiring the product.
Under the right conditions, the release of one or two compact
disks will follow the field work and cover a part of the
costs incurred. We will thus do everything possible to increase
the number of commercial releases by contacting record companies
of any nationality that may be interested.
Serving the Public
As we have already pointed out, making a collection of contemporary
musical heritage should be considered a duty towards future
generations ; each of our projects will thus be implemented
keeping in mind that the project also constitutes a small
step towards achieving this goal. Globally, we will do our
utmost to facilitate the meeting between the public and
these endangered or little-known musical traditions. Since
music maintains links with all aspects of culture as well
as with the other arts, it will be essential to take into
account all media that render the context in which it is
produced more sensitive. Thus, each mission could lead to
the establishment of a veritable gateway between, on the
one side, a people, a group, or individual musicians, and
on the other, an audience that is increasingly attentive
and open to surprise.
Who today knows what tomorrow’s music lover will ask
for ? Who knows if the market for traditional music is not
going to expand suddenly, forcing recording labels to meet
increasingly exacting and informed demand ? No one does.
A Structure in Agreement with All
Its Contributors
These numerous observations and various field-work experiences
have permitted to identify this void that we propose to
fill. In response to these considerations, the association
Musiques de Monde is an essential element : an entity entirely
devoted to traditional music and performers, which encourages
the activities of all contributors in this domain, and for
which the main focus is the collection, the promotion and
the distribution of this music. Through its activities,
it will help to :
- contribute to the preservation of cultural diversity,
- bring cultural recognition and support to certain isolated
communities,
- inspire renewed interest in musical heritage throughout
the world,
- encourage development in a sector currently dependent
on good will,
- develop professions and inspire vocations,
- allow the constitution of a bank of original music, accessible
to researchers and to specialized recording companies who
wish to publish it, and
- offer a database to organizers of festivals and to cultural
engineers.
Missions
Musiques du Monde thus proposes to back experienced fieldworkers,
able to accomplish the collection of traditional music in
the context in which it is produced.
All will be experienced sound engineers, capable of working
within their accorded budgets.
These undertakings are less expensive when they are managed
by professionals. The overall costs vary according to the
constraints of geographical location, the equipment necessary,
the presence of one or two people on site, the length of
stay and the estimated quantity of musical heritage to be
recorded. As a mere example, certain missions may be completed
with as little as € 5000.
What do we need to do ? We need to buy airplane tickets,
to pay for additional equipment when necessary, to finance
missions of one or two people or to reimburse their expenses,
to insure equipment, to pay musicians appropriately and
to ensure that they receive their fair share if the recordings
are published, and lastly, to support local development
projects, should they exist, when working with communities.
Postproduction of the sound recordings will initially be
done in France by professional sound volunteers who are
members of the association.
Financing
As a non-profit organization with the status of association
loi 1901 under French law, Musiques du Monde is eligible
to receive subsidies from territorial collectivities, from
the European Union and from other institutions, as well
as funds from private organizations, companies and sponsors,
as long as these contributions do not conflict with the
general goals, ethics and statutes of the association. The
association will also receive contributions from its members
and benefactors, as well as profits stemming from commercial
releases, and may have recourse to subscriptions.
Promotion
As part of the process of making and publishing recordings,
we also propose to combine our efforts with those of renowned
cultural institutions such as La Maison des Cultures du
Monde, La Cité de la Musique or Radio-France, with
whom we wish to implement various forms of partnerships
in order to allow musicians to come to the country, and
to set up performances, radio broadcasts, exhibitions, the
projection of documentaries, publications, ....
Discography
The founding members have put together eight compact disks,
based on collections made in Mexico, in Honduras and in Cuba :
- Mexico, The Festival of San Miguel Tzinacapan. Ocora Radio France
- 1996.
- Honduras, Garifuna Music, The Tradition of the Black Caribs. Inédit/Maison des Cultures du Monde - 2001.
- Honduras, Wabaruagun Ensemble, Songs of the Black Caribs. Ocora Radio France - 2002. This CD led to a production of Les Chemins de la Musique entitled “The Garifunas of Honduras”, broadcast from June 10 to 14, 2002, on the radio station France-Culture.
- Mexico, The Huasteca, Dances and Huapangos. Ocora Radio France - 2003. This CD led to a production of Les Chemins de la Musique entitled “The Huasteca, Heart of the Mexican son” (La Huasteca, au coeur du son mexicain) broadcast from September 15 to 19, 2003, on the radio station France-Culture.
- Mexico, sones huastecos, Los Caimanes de Tampico. AIMP/Ethnographic museum of Geneva - 2004.
- Mexico, The Son in the Huastec Region. Arion Music - 2005.
- Cuba, Punto and Trova of Sancti Spiritus, Ocora Radio France - 2008.