Periodic Reporting for period 1 - MEFCPFS (Music Exports and Foreign Cultural Policy in France and Spain)
Berichtszeitraum: 2022-03-01 bis 2024-02-29
The project addresses the paradox that while digital platforms have enabled global music circulation and reduced language barriers, structural frontiers still shape international flows. In France and Spain, music export is key but marked by tensions between global market forces, cultural policies, and linguistic diversity.
It responds to gaps in knowledge on:
How export strategies navigate pressures from platform capitalism, corporate concentration, and English dominance.
How cultural policies use music export as economic tools and soft power, sometimes instrumentalising “diversity.”
The lack of comparative, empirical studies of language and music export in the digital age.
This matters because music export is not only economic but also political and cultural, shaping diversity, identity, and diplomacy. Examining France and Spain illuminates:
Whether diversity is genuinely supported or symbolic.
How music influences cultural representation abroad.
The impact of policy on careers and democratic access to culture.
The role of music in sustainable livelihoods and soft power strategies.
The project’s objectives are to:
Document export strategies and practices in France and Spain, with attention to language and digitalisation.
Map and assess export programmes within cultural policy frameworks.
Provide a comparative analysis as a pilot for broader European awareness of the social impact of music export policies.
It responds to gaps in knowledge on:
How export strategies navigate pressures from platform capitalism, corporate concentration, and English dominance.
How cultural policies use music export as economic tools and soft power, sometimes instrumentalising “diversity.”
The lack of comparative, empirical studies of language and music export in the digital age.
This matters because music export is not only economic but also political and cultural, shaping diversity, identity, and diplomacy. Examining France and Spain illuminates:
Whether diversity is genuinely supported or symbolic.
How music influences cultural representation abroad.
The impact of policy on careers and democratic access to culture.
The role of music in sustainable livelihoods and soft power strategies.
The project’s objectives are to:
Document export strategies and practices in France and Spain, with attention to language and digitalisation.
Map and assess export programmes within cultural policy frameworks.
Provide a comparative analysis as a pilot for broader European awareness of the social impact of music export policies.
Year 1 (2022) – Setup, Review, Networking
Conducted state-of-the-art review on music export, digitalisation, and cultural policy. Early fieldwork included participant observation at the EMX trade mission to Mexico and first interviews with CNM. Engaged with INCA Trail workshops and launched consultancy training (Code/Full Switch). Networked through conferences and festivals (MaMa, WOMEX, BIME), and gave initial presentations.
Outputs: Empirical network established, exploratory interviews, early dissemination.
Year 2 (2023) – Fieldwork and Applied Research
Expanded data collection with interviews in France, Spain, and at ESNS, Reeperbahn, MaMa, WOMEX. Collaborated with CNMlab on Digital Data in Music Export and with EMEE on Electronic Music in Mexico: An Export Guide. Published a public-facing article in AOC on ecology and the music industry.
Outputs: Two applied reports (CNMlab, EMEE), AOC essay, large-scale interview corpus.
Year 3 (2024) – Analysis, Writing, Dissemination
Focused on analysis and writing. Published De Carla Bruni à Aya Nakamura… (Transposition) and Dans les coulisses de la mondialisation musicale (Nect’art). Co-authored articles with Patryk Galuszka (showcase festivals) and Virgo Sillamaa (export organisations). Presented at the Hybrid Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy, ENCATC Congress, and other academic and professional events.
Outputs: Two peer-reviewed articles (Transposition, Nect’art), commissioned CNMlab study in progress, high-level dissemination.
Year 4 (2025) – Comparative Synthesis and Policy Engagement
Finalised the CNMlab musique et territoire article and co-published European Music Export Organizations as Hybrid Policy Instruments (IJCP). Advanced collaborative article The Tensions of Global Music Circulation (in press, Popular Music). Designed and disseminated a survey on showcase festivals with Zone Franche. Findings shared through blog posts, Music Week Poland, Forum Entreprendre dans la Culture (Paris), and La Percée (Montréal).
Outputs: IJCP article, forthcoming Popular Music article, survey dissemination, policy-impact panels and workshops.
Overall Results and Exploitation
The fellowship produced peer-reviewed publications, applied reports, and new survey tools, widely disseminated across academia, policy, and industry. Findings are being taken up by export agencies, while training (INCA Trail, Code/Full Switch) reinforced skills in consultancy and project management.
Impact: The project bridges research, policy, and practice, providing evidence and tools to foster more inclusive, fair, and sustainable music export strategies.
Conducted state-of-the-art review on music export, digitalisation, and cultural policy. Early fieldwork included participant observation at the EMX trade mission to Mexico and first interviews with CNM. Engaged with INCA Trail workshops and launched consultancy training (Code/Full Switch). Networked through conferences and festivals (MaMa, WOMEX, BIME), and gave initial presentations.
Outputs: Empirical network established, exploratory interviews, early dissemination.
Year 2 (2023) – Fieldwork and Applied Research
Expanded data collection with interviews in France, Spain, and at ESNS, Reeperbahn, MaMa, WOMEX. Collaborated with CNMlab on Digital Data in Music Export and with EMEE on Electronic Music in Mexico: An Export Guide. Published a public-facing article in AOC on ecology and the music industry.
Outputs: Two applied reports (CNMlab, EMEE), AOC essay, large-scale interview corpus.
Year 3 (2024) – Analysis, Writing, Dissemination
Focused on analysis and writing. Published De Carla Bruni à Aya Nakamura… (Transposition) and Dans les coulisses de la mondialisation musicale (Nect’art). Co-authored articles with Patryk Galuszka (showcase festivals) and Virgo Sillamaa (export organisations). Presented at the Hybrid Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy, ENCATC Congress, and other academic and professional events.
Outputs: Two peer-reviewed articles (Transposition, Nect’art), commissioned CNMlab study in progress, high-level dissemination.
Year 4 (2025) – Comparative Synthesis and Policy Engagement
Finalised the CNMlab musique et territoire article and co-published European Music Export Organizations as Hybrid Policy Instruments (IJCP). Advanced collaborative article The Tensions of Global Music Circulation (in press, Popular Music). Designed and disseminated a survey on showcase festivals with Zone Franche. Findings shared through blog posts, Music Week Poland, Forum Entreprendre dans la Culture (Paris), and La Percée (Montréal).
Outputs: IJCP article, forthcoming Popular Music article, survey dissemination, policy-impact panels and workshops.
Overall Results and Exploitation
The fellowship produced peer-reviewed publications, applied reports, and new survey tools, widely disseminated across academia, policy, and industry. Findings are being taken up by export agencies, while training (INCA Trail, Code/Full Switch) reinforced skills in consultancy and project management.
Impact: The project bridges research, policy, and practice, providing evidence and tools to foster more inclusive, fair, and sustainable music export strategies.
The project advances music export studies beyond business- and policy-focused accounts by offering a comparative, interdisciplinary, and empirically grounded analysis of international music circulation in the digital era. Its contributions are fivefold:
Rethinking Music Export Organizations (MEOs)
Mapping 30 European MEOs revealed three archetypes—public agency, industry-led hub, and grassroots facilitator—showing they operate as hybrid tools balancing cultural, economic, and soft power goals. This reframing guides policymakers toward more inclusive, sustainable strategies and strengthens underrepresented artists’ international access.
Showcase Festivals and Export Ecosystem Paradox
Analysis of festival-MEO networks highlighted support alongside structural inequalities privileging Anglo-American aesthetics. This informs fairer programming and funding, raising awareness of hidden gatekeeping and promoting cultural democracy.
Gender, Representation, and Cultural Diversity
French music export analysis showed increased visibility of women but persistent structural inequalities and gendered/racial stereotypes in exported “Frenchness.” Findings help agencies integrate gender equality and diversity objectives, contributing to debates on representation in culture.
Export Ecosystem under Globalisation
Digital abundance masks economic concentration in established markets. Despite global streaming reach, certain actors and aesthetics dominate. This challenges “global reach” narratives and encourages rethinking support schemes beyond play counts, fostering more equitable cultural circulation.
Applied Research for Industry and Policy
Case studies in Mexico and France (EMEE, CNMlab) provided market mapping and data-driven strategies now used by export offices and artists. They support fairer North–South collaborations, responsible engagement with local cultures, and ethical digital practices.
Overall Contribution
The project bridges academic research and practice through typologies, policy-relevant evidence on sustainability, diversity, and governance, and applied tools shaping export strategies. Socio-economically, it strengthens cultural organizations’ capacity to design inclusive policies and helps artists navigate complex markets. Societally, it enhances Europe’s cultural diversity projection while interrogating global circulation inequalities.
Rethinking Music Export Organizations (MEOs)
Mapping 30 European MEOs revealed three archetypes—public agency, industry-led hub, and grassroots facilitator—showing they operate as hybrid tools balancing cultural, economic, and soft power goals. This reframing guides policymakers toward more inclusive, sustainable strategies and strengthens underrepresented artists’ international access.
Showcase Festivals and Export Ecosystem Paradox
Analysis of festival-MEO networks highlighted support alongside structural inequalities privileging Anglo-American aesthetics. This informs fairer programming and funding, raising awareness of hidden gatekeeping and promoting cultural democracy.
Gender, Representation, and Cultural Diversity
French music export analysis showed increased visibility of women but persistent structural inequalities and gendered/racial stereotypes in exported “Frenchness.” Findings help agencies integrate gender equality and diversity objectives, contributing to debates on representation in culture.
Export Ecosystem under Globalisation
Digital abundance masks economic concentration in established markets. Despite global streaming reach, certain actors and aesthetics dominate. This challenges “global reach” narratives and encourages rethinking support schemes beyond play counts, fostering more equitable cultural circulation.
Applied Research for Industry and Policy
Case studies in Mexico and France (EMEE, CNMlab) provided market mapping and data-driven strategies now used by export offices and artists. They support fairer North–South collaborations, responsible engagement with local cultures, and ethical digital practices.
Overall Contribution
The project bridges academic research and practice through typologies, policy-relevant evidence on sustainability, diversity, and governance, and applied tools shaping export strategies. Socio-economically, it strengthens cultural organizations’ capacity to design inclusive policies and helps artists navigate complex markets. Societally, it enhances Europe’s cultural diversity projection while interrogating global circulation inequalities.