Belgian politicians suggest government should support struggling music sector

Belgian politician Philippe de Coene (SP.A-party) steered the attention of the Flemish Parliament towards the interests of the struggling music sector in Belgium. According to Mr. De Coene, "Musicians, composers and other people in the sector can barely live from their work. Failing CD sales and massive illegal downloading cause many musicians’ income to decline." He has proposed a plan to the Flemish regional government that includes a scheme of government actions to encourage the music sector in Flanders. Fellow MFP’s Johan Verstreken (CD & V) and Lieven Dehandschutter (N-VA) are co-authors of the plan.

According to De Coene, the government must take measures to support the music industry. For example, the government can help promote Flemish artists and music abroad. The government is also asked to digitalise musical heritage.

The biggest problem for the music industry at this moment is piracy, according to the Belgian politicians. To tackle the problem of illegal downloading the government would have to start awareness campaigns to address "the importance of copyright and related rights for authors" and make this point towards the general public. In addition, the legal distribution of digital music should also be encouraged and the government should support starting artists and small labels, according to the plan.

It is not yet known how the Flemish government responded to this sympathetic initiative. We will keep you posted.

Source: De Morgen