Impact Study: UNESCO-Aschberg Programme for Artists and Cultural Professionals

TheCARIFORUM-EPAand its Protocol enabled theCopyright Societyof Composers, Authors and Publishers (COSCAP) to achieve one of its aims of supporting the internationalisation of some of its members, in this case in the German market, through the development of a collaborative partnershipwith the European entity, WorldMusic Expo (WOMEX). The performers benefited artistically as well as from a number of workshops on the business of music, the Europeanmusicmarket and understanding the profile of the German market for calypso. They co-produced a concert with German artists and they were then invited to participate in a festival in Berlin the following year. One of the participants was able to sign a management agreement with a German firm and released an album targeting that market. Further training initiatives with WOMEX continued in Barbados in 2016 and 2019. One very important factor resulting from the EPA and Protocol, which facilitated market entry in Europe, was the removal of the short-stay visa requirements for Germany. Without the Protocol and the support provided, it would have been very difficult, if not impossible, for these small organisations to achieve the above. Furthermore, COSCAP and the Eastern Caribbean Collective Organization for Music Rights (ECCO) Inc., had also benefitted from a grant in 2009, which allowed for the training of agents and for the provision of the requisite technology to facilitate the expansion of collective management in the Eastern Caribbean States. Therefore, for these organisations, the EPA directly affected their technical and operational capacity and market development and achieved one of its aims of deepening regional integration. Erica K. Smith CEO, Copyright Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Inc., (COSCAP) Barbados

The Programme supported the participation of artists and culture professionals in various European events including the World Music Expo (WOMEX) in Denmark in 2011, the London Engage initiative in 2012 which included activities such as the Caribbean Soul Fusion to promote emerging Caribbean musicians or the Clermont-Ferrand FilmFestival (France) in 2014. The Agency also facilitated the participation of 22 cultural industry firms in European Study Tours in 2012 (France, Germany, United Kingdom), in order to promote the visibility of Caribbean industries in European markets. Participation in major cultural events and the promotion of the Caribbean’s cultural industries in Europe strengthens the mobility of artists and culture professionals.

65 Culture in the CARIFORUM-EU EPA