Summary 👇 

• Editorial
• Shortly about  Mapamundi Música’s latest news
• Talk with Florenci Mas, founder of PTW Music
• Brief news from the media, charts and sister projects
• Open calls: European Folk Day, Polyglot, Babel Music XP, Afro Pepites
• Meet me at ✈️ 

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➡️ This is the button for subscription

 

You can listen to Vigüela’s We, here.
Enjoy the raw and warm music from the center of Spain while you read! 

This journey started somewhat with the album “Kiğı” by Ali Doğan Gönültaş, for which I handled the physical release. “We” by Vigüela is the third release from Mapamundi Música as a record label and it won’t be the last. I have started a path that I want to continue.

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Remember: if you have any news of interest for our community, let me know. Thank you very much for your attention, << Test First Name >>.

Araceli Tzigane | Mapamundi Música | +34 676 30 28 82 

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SHORTLY ABOUT MAPAMUNDI MÚSICA’S MOST RELEVALENT NEWS

· THE THIRD ALBUM OF MY LABEL HAS BEEN LAUNCHED: VIGÜELA’S WE

My first collaboration with Vigüela was in 2012, for the Portuguese festival Bons Sons. But it wasn’t until early 2014 that we began a much deeper relationship, articulated through countless conversations with Juan Antonio Torres, the group’s founder and musical director, who continues to be a teacher and an inspiration to me. It is an honor to have handled everything necessary to launch the album, except, of course, singing, playing, and recording. You can find the album on Spotify, Youtube and almost all of the digital platforms.

Until next Friday we are making a context on Instagram to give a CD. You can find the information and instructions to participate, here.

Taking advantage of what I have learned in this process, I have what it takes to offer some services related to launching music to other artists.

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· ALI DOĞAN GÖNÜLTAŞ WILL PERFORM AT WOMEX

 

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AND NOW THE FLOOR IS FOR:

FLORENCI MAS, founder of PTW Music

Florenci Mas is the founder of PTW Music. He was the producer and manager of Nass Marrakech when they were active. I remember taking a picture of him on stage before their concert at Etnohelmántica, in 2001 or 2002, I’m not sure. I remember that man there, with his curly grey hair. The boss. Before the concert began, he would leave the stage. Many people wouldn’t notice him, but I had the intuition that he was kind of the heart of it all. I love the magic of art, the magic of music. And I equally love the magic that happens behind the scenes. That day, I thought about that man, about his role, with such appreciation.

A few weeks ago, he contacted me, telling me about his latest initiative: a Training Course of Management and Production for the Music Industry.

He has a huge experience and he is preparing something useful for all who wants to get into this path, the one he took and the one I took later too.

Taking advantage of his contact and generosity, I asked him a bunch of questions that I believe will be of great interest to both those with experience and those who are newer, for artists as well as for other roles involved in music-related activities.

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This is the program of his course, that will begin in October. For the first edition it will be in Spanish. For more information, check this website.

 

BLOCK 01: The Music Market The market and the music industry BLOCK 02: Artist Management Lesson 1 – Creating an artist Lesson 2 – Recording Lesson 3 – Live performance Lesson 4 – Promotion BLOCK 03: Record Labels Lesson 5 – Record label and self-production BLOCK 04: The Distribution of Our Artist Lesson 6 – Basic marketing concepts Lesson 7 – How and to whom to sell Lesson 8 – Pricing Lesson 9 – Legislation

BLOCK 05: Concert, Series, and Festival Production Lesson 10 – Producing a concert Lesson 11 – Festival production Lesson 12 – Roles in a festival Lesson 13 – Working at festivals BLOCK 06: Starting to Work Lesson 14 – Company structure Lesson 15 – Types and operation of our company Lesson 16 – Relationship between product on sale and seller’s image Lesson 17 – Financing Lesson 18 – Seeking employment in other companies

 

While you read, you can listen to this piece by Nass Marrakech, the band with which I met Florenci Mas many years ago. The piece is in an album from 2000, released by Alula Records, which, by the way, was founded by Ángel Romero, from WorldMusicCentral and from Transglobal World Music Chart.

 

ABOUT YOUR TRAINING COURSE AND ADVICE FOR ARTISTS AND PROFESSIONALS

Mapamundi Música: One of the sections of your training course is about ways to monetize the arts. I want to ask specifically about music. As an artist manager, I am very interested and I think many of the readers will be too. If you had to mention just one monetization way that we are almost all underutilizing or should strengthen, which would it be?

Florenci Mas: The intention behind that entry was for us to make a deep reflection over the different ways in which the different arts are exploited. And, departing from the analysis of different forms of monetization according to each artistic discipline, generate ideas for possible new formulas, that allow music artists to have (or increase) incomes.

A form of monetization that we are currently underutilizing? Perhaps we are not sufficiently exploiting the “complicity” that social networks and the Internet in general allow us, and the possibilities we can create based on exclusive content for fans. I mean: are we generating enough “exclusive or interesting information” for those interested in that particular musical style? Almost everything I see being done in this field seems to be done either with a certain reluctance or with a desire to impress with their successes. And both ways, tend to fatigue the receiver of the message. So, where is the “interesting information” that doesn’t seem that wants to sell something? (used extensively today in marketing techniques).

Curating is also something else that the current boom of AI and algorithms is devaluing. To give an example: For an AI, is not understandable that someone of my age and background listens to Lou Reed and do not want to listen to Queen? For the AI, they’re both “classic rock”. Or Leo Ferre and not Gilbert Bécaud? Why not?, if they are both “French singer-songwriters of the 60s”. It’s fun because for me and for many other people, this choices are so easily understandable, that need no explanation. But it seems that the algorithm of Spotify cannot understand the sentence: “…Pour la prise de la Bastille, Même si ça ne sert à rien, Thank you Satan…”

The algorithm, works on “labels and data”, as any spreadsheet, so he -probably- thinks: “what the f… is happening with this guy? How can he be so “picky”?. With the time, I’m sure the algorithms will be able to generate new models for people like me, and others. But I doubt that poetry could be included on the database… “if the taking of the Bastille was useless, why say thanks for it?”

The opposite of this algorythm-thinking is curatorship. And the question is: do we do enough to recover the prestige of the specialists? Specialists are a guide, someone that have much more knowledge than you and that you trust. I don’t want to be misunderstood: freedom of expression and opinions should exist to the maximum degree, but internet today has open the door for everybody to speak, which is good regarding opinions, but not so good, when you see people with a very little knowledge, pontificating with their big crocodile’s mouth.

If something hurts me, I go to a doctor. Someone who (theoretically) knows how to cure a disease. In the same way, if you want to know things about a musical trend, you should go to a specialist. And yes, you have the right to decide which specialist are you interested in, because of their previous opinions. But there’s nothing wrong with seeking advice from people whose job it is to stay up to date and get to know a certain style of music or artist. That’s something that -in my opinion- we must work on, We must increase the trust in persons, instead of relaying in a CRM on steroids.

 

MM: And regarding the artistic proposal itself, which is also a topic you address in depth in your training, tell me: in the world of folk or world music, what do you think are the most common weaknesses of artists and bands?

FM: Much depends on each artist or group. But probably weaknesses are common in different music styles. One artist think that because he plays perfectly on time and on tune (something that depending of the instrument, can be very difficult) it’s all the job done. And it’s not, it’s just the starting point for an artist. Others believe that, as they sound “modern” fusing electronica with wood instruments or traditional voices, it’s new, and everybody will love-it. Others… The list can be very long.

Perhaps the most common weakness is the lack of self-criticism and the lack of discourse. If you -as an artist- are not able to see your music with an external vision, hire someone to do-it. Ask your manager, or find a producer. Not an arranger, a real producer.

Artists need also a discourse that explains who they are. They must create a public persona that communicates what they do and why they do it. And that persona has to be interesting, it has to have something that engages. I think that’s very important nowadays, especially in non-commercial music. We have an intelligent and informed public, an “active audience” and we need artists who “tell something” to this audience, not just perfection in performance.
In my course I give a lot of importance to these concepts, when “creating an artist”. We don’t go anywhere with so-so sounding music and studio photos. The only thing that can captivate non-commercial music audiences is “militancy”, having an exciting discourse, and promoting it from the knowledge that we are small, but very different. Specially, if you’re not a big star in your country of origin.

We must say that correcting weaknesses, it’s a producer’s job. Producers are not highly valuated in world music, they are usually the guys that arranged the record deal and sit nooding, in a corner of the studio. But they can be crucial providing an external vision, that it’s impossible for an artist to have, because artists are inside the music. As producers are outside, they can see the whole thing.

BONUS: here are 3 things that immediately come to my mind when we talk about weaknesses, on a live show:
1) Start a concert with the musicians going on stage, tuning instruments, testing if a drum still sounds, with a “being at home in pajama” attitude for 5 or 10 minutes… NO PRO!. (unless the stage is in Sevilla near the river, in summer, at 99 % humidity and 40 degrees. Then you’ll have to tune many times during the show…)
2) Lack of dinamics: Some artists forget about dynamics. A good moment of dynamic (gradually reducing the intensity but keeping the tempo) followed by a “crescendo”, creates a feeling of “High” in the audience. And this looks very pro. Please: no more than two times during a show, always remember Paracelsus: “The only difference between a remedy and a poison is the dose”.
3) Ending live songs with fade out: Oh No!: leave fade-outs for the studio!

Savina Yannatou is one of the artists with which Florenci has collaborated. He will mention her later in the interview.

 

MM: What advice would you give to an artist or band that is looking for a booking agent or a manager, to make it easier to achieve this?

FM: First of all: understand the different roles. Are you looking for a manager? (someone who helps you to develop your artistic career) or for an agent? (someone that find you gigs). This are 2 different jobs, don’t expect to find someone doing both perfectly today. Although at the beginning of an artist’s (or manager’s) career it’s possible… it’s not the best thing to do.

Once you decided if you want (or not) to share decisions about your career with another person (the manager), go for an agency. If possible: someone that you know it’s serious and it’s currently working with artists, on your musical style, but not in direct competition. They will find you gigs. And having gigs will help you to keep the band alive and rehersing, which will increase your quality, which will increase your recognition…

Think of this business, as a marathon, not a sprint race…

MM: For me, when I receive an email from an artist or band that offers themselves, there is something that is the most important thing that I need to have in the email. What would that be for you? When you tell me, I’ll tell you what mine is, to see if it matches.

FM: For me: all. It’s easy: all aspects of communication must reflect your current position and goals. Communication is verbal and non-verbal. So being a band that just started, and trying to “look very much stablished” in your emails, can be even “creepy”. Information it’s everywhere today. Anyone will know very fast, that you a have a “solid base of 27 followers” in this or that platform. No, please: if you just started a project say “I just started a project”. Ask the manager’s or agent’s opinion about. And also, tell us about where you want to go, artistically speaking. That’s something interesting for us, really, very interesting.

You know, world music agents or managers, usually are people who still love music. We started that world music stuff only 40 years ago, mainly because we believed that the earth will be a better place if everybody where able to know how the “others” sing. And, by the time, we were as amateurish as you are today. So, no problem, just keep us posted about you inner thoughts. The real stuff, who are you?, why are you singing or playing? (We’re not interested if you filled up a theater of 400 seats in your village, with all band members grandmothers and cousins). Maybe we will not be able to work with you today, but who knows in the future… Again: think in a marathon…

 

MM: Related to the above, does it make sense for a band or artist to actively seek a booking agent or a manager? In my experience, the artists with whom I have developed more than just a one-time collaboration, either I sought them out, or it came about through a contact over time, in which we had specific interactions or collaborations and the relationship progressively strengthened very organically. Hence my question.

FM: I think an artist, must actively show his work to anyone that can be interested in. General public and industry professionals. How to do-it? It’s usually complicated and an artist (as an agent), will always think they don’t do enough. The same feeling that you have with your music if you’re a real artist.

Artists must understand that sometimes an agency or programmer, simply are “not interested”, other times we “need” your specific kind of artist, and sometimes we just “find someone we like a lot” (it happened to me with Ayub Ogada, or Savina Yannatou) and start working with… But there is no way – being outside this particular agency- to know-it, so you must contact everyone available. And wait answers. As in any other sales activity… We’re selling emotions and experiences but the money for the rent, comes from selling gigs or records. Do a marketing course, or do my course: learn how to make a good proposal, how to look interesting…

 

Ayub Ogada is one of those artists that Florenci likes a lot. The Kenian artist was deceased in 2019. Let’s tribute his memory listening to this piece, Kothbiro.

 

MM: What do you think are the most common mistakes artists make when they go looking for these types of professionals to collaborate with?

FM: Sometimes the problem is that some people are too urgent contacting the industry. Motivation or lack of money, can lead artists to be even “rude”, when contacting an agent or a programmer. (I can tell you about festival directors that have been almost threatened for not accepting an artist for a particular edition of their festival). So, before a phone call, always ask your grandmother about how to speak to clients… she knows…

 

MM: In relation to the above, how do you think artists perceive people like you or me, I mean, people who have done with artists what you did with Nass Marrakech, which ranges from shaping almost the band’s own image, getting them an album, selling concerts, doing all the tour production…? 

FM: Don’t know… really. It was another time, 30 years ago, things have been changing a lot from that time. At the time, it was the only way that I could see to do-it. Take care of everything because if you don’t, nobody else will. And despite the fatigue it was really fun, and creative. Obviously today it’s not the same, it’s like I said before: today there are clearly, different jobs and you must specialise in one area.

Perception from the artists of our job, is…  depends on each artist. Let me say that I believe that the managers/artist relationships must be necessarily schizophrenic. Each part must look at his side of the music, or things will stop running. So, there must be conflicts between the parts. I think this conflicts, are even healthy. It’s like the joke of the two blind persons, asked to describe an elephant, so they start touching the elephant.  The one who’s touching the leg, describes elephants as columns, while the other that’s touching the trunk, describes elephants as similar to a snake…

Artists and managers look at different parts of the same fact: the emotion that listening to recorded music gives you, or the magic that happens on a stage, where artist becomes – by delegation of the audience – a “shaman or mahlem”, that conducts the emotions of the audience. An experience that -as in the gnawa trance rituals- makes the audience feel better. Both actors (artists and industry) are necessary for this to happen.

 

MM: Could you give a general advice, in relation to working in the music industry? And for the world music scene?

FM: 40 years ago, nobody knew anything about music business. Nor about business. (well, only the “majors”). So, my experience started just organising concerts for bands that I liked. A young guy, finding a place for the show, making posters, gluing-it on the street, and most of the times: loosing money. As usual… Later I was the programmer of a jazz club. Later, I started working on one of Barcelona’s big music agencies, then later I create my own agency. Later I create a cultural production company that it’s currently involved in cultural projects on rural areas. Later (when the pandemics) an online cultural magazine… now the course… and I’m still there. So: starting on management or production, looks easy… isn’t it?

But I know today, that I did a lot of mistakes during this 40 years. A big bunch of crap, that obviously costed-me a lot of money and bad feelings (not all is based on money). So my advice must be: Learn, be an avid learner. Learn all that you can, about music, about society, about business, marketing, about everything. That’s the main reason I started doing this course: enabling students to start a career from a much higher level of knowledge than I had when I started.

And specifically speaking about the world music circuit, I would like to say that I don’t see World Music as a very different music scene. All music genders have their own specifics, but if you go to the MIDEM (the main commercial music fair, where all the sharks are) or to the WOMEX (the main world music fair, with no sharks, but piranhas) you will notice a certain difference in outfits, but all this people is doing the same thing: promoting their artists and trying to get them a better deal. Let’s think in Youssou N’Dour, Khaled, or Cheb Mami: they where world music acts (outside their original country), but they where marketed exactly as pop stars. Obviously if you’re marketing a sufi music concert, you will work differently than if you’re working on Carlinhos Brown shows. Each will find concerts in very different places, from small concert halls to big street parades, so, you’ll have to access different types of clients. But essentially, the process of bringing these artists to perform is the same.

 

MM: I often have bands and artists come to me asking me to ‘help’ them or to find them gigs. I feel that few understand what they are asking me, which is to start working without guarantees of compensation, with a virtually unknown project with little commercial interest, by people who I don’t know, investing my time and money. It is still shocking for me to think they could have any hope on this. Do you have or have you had that feeling? Have you noticed any improvement, is it beginning to be better understood what this part of the work entails? In my case, sometimes I think they are not even willing to make that investment they are asking me to make. I try to be educational in my response, nevertheless.

FM: It’s all about understanding that we (agents, managers, even labels) are in it, “not only for the money” (thanks uncle Frank, wherever you are). So, for one side we would like to help everybody doing music that we like. But for this, we should have opened a Foundation, better than a company. Anyway, we still feel “guilty” in some ways, for no being able to help them. On the other side, we need to pay rents, food, etc. as any musician. So we must choose where to put our efforts, it’s normal. And musicians must understand this. But there are always this schizophrenia -that I mentioned before- that makes things a little more difficult… Anyway, if I survived to this, you’ll do-it too. I’m sure.

 

ABOUT THE SITUATION OF WORLD MUSIC 

MM: You have experienced world music since it began to generate activity, (at least in Catalonia, perhaps it was earlier in other places in Europe) which was at a very different moment than now, of economic boom and openness to the world. In 1992 the Olympics were held in Barcelona, you yourself explain the situation very well in this post of your blog. I believe that North African immigration was just beginning, as well. There was a boom from then until, I believe, the mid-first decade of the 2000s, and then it began to decline. I have a rather critical view of the sector itself, of how artistically mediocre proposals occupied attention, sometimes because of a search for exoticism or sometimes because the programmers or agents were giving more value to extra artistic aspects, so I attribute part of the blame for that loss of space to those involved themselves. But I believe there are many other aspects that caused it. How do you see it, what factors do you think contributed to the fact that world music continues today in an inferior position compared to other styles or that it has not managed to break out of the niche, except for occasional exceptions, and enter into the concept and circuits of music, let’s say, general?

FM: As a short abstract: in Spain all started late 80’s. Probably 5/7 years after it started in Uk, France or Germany, countries that had a much more established immigration from outside Europe. It started in Spain with the pre-olimpics cultural events, that opened the door for artists of all genres. At this time, we where only 4 or 5 agencies in Spain working in WM. And we – toghether with festivals directors, journalists and programmers- managed to create a scene in 4/5 years.

I think because of the prestige generated by the presence of “diverse” artists in the Barcelona’s Olimpic Games, the Madrid’s European Cultural Capital and the Expo92 in Sevilla, (I can’t remember how many times I did this route by van in 92…), many other programmers felt compelled to program world music too. You know, “…if this big cities are doing-it, we must do-it too…”. At this time, also appeared the concept “Festival” as we know-it today. In a Festival you’re no only selling artists, but an “ambiance”, a collective experience. Adding to the concerts, street activities as markets, circus or children games, movies, lectures and debates, made WM festivals reach 6 digit audience figures.

I’m really not sure if we can talk about a “loss of space” for WM in Spain today. When I started, in 92, the most common answer to my artistic proposals to programmers where: “what are you talking about?”. Now, you can find concerts of -so called-world music in lots of medium cities cultural centers. Obviously there are many more artists today, so the existing spaces must be shared, but in general, the level of acceptance of diversity is much better than in 92, even than in early 2000’s.

About the “mediocrity” you mention: I don’t think it’s something exclusive of WM. Other styles are suffering the same problem. Maybe it’s just a “temporal sickness”, caused by the emergency of an artists generation that are very well prepared in terms of technical skills, but need time to find their own language and discourse. So -in the meantime- they are just playing well (or not so). Back again to what I said before: an artist must have a “why”. Technical excellence is good, obviously, but only technical excellence, without a meaning behind-it, can be boring. And we, agents, managers, labels, were -before being part of an industry- music lovers, as the audiences are. So we all need music that touches our hearth, even if it’s not perfectly played. Let’s remember Beethoven: “Playing a wrong note is insignificant. Playing without passion is unforgivable”.

Anyway, we cannot expect from a country where the youth mainly listen to only one kind of music, that it will be filled with “exotic music concerts” whether it’s jazz, flamenco, world music or classical contemporary music. It’s one of the problems of non-commercial music in Spain.
As an example: four years ago, I was in a summer garden party in Cabo de Gata, with lots of French people of my age with their sons. Young teenagers. At one point in the evening, the “teens” occupied the sound system, while we (the “olds”) where talking and drinking. The fun thing was that they start mixing the latest reguetón hits with Salif Keita, James Brown, even Sonic Youth. In such a natural way that it made me feel very envious. That would be very rare to see in Spanish teens. I asked one, about if they were combining different music to please their fathers. The answer was: “we don’t care about the olds, that’s our usual playlists…”

So, I think there are other problems for non commercial music in Spain, but -probably- this is not the place to mention them. You better organise an online debate, with different actors from the music business: artists (africans, orientals, spanish folk or flamenco), journalists, agents and programmers. 5/6 hours probably will be enough. Later we can edit-it, and publish: “PASSION AND HATE: The World Music Soap Opera”.  In 12 episodes of 30 mins each.  Could be a success 🙂 (©Florenci Mas for the idea…).

 

ABOUT YOU IN GENERAL

MM: Besides launching this training in October, what else are you doing now?

FM: Basically the regular work of an agent. Trying to find late concerts to complete a tour, planning logistics, etc. Also we’re starting to plan a big concert in Madrid for September, with a couple of Spanish folk bands, and some luxury guests. And a marketing campaign to propose sponsorships and soft skills courses, taught by artists, to businesses… campaign that I never have in off time to start…You know, just regular agencies work…

MM: Do you want to tell us anything else?

FM: This edition of the course is made in Spanish, and the target is Spanish speaking people. Why? Because I have more control over the Spanish language, so I can express better, the concepts. So I think it can be interesting for Spanish speakers who want to increase their knowledge with a 360-degree view on music as a profession. Doing-it in English for an international audience ( as you suggested)? It could be, but I will need time to translate, adapt and prepare it. I don’t think it will be before one or two years…

Thank you, Florenci, for the interesting conversation and for the initiative of this training course! Success!🥂

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BRIEF NEWS FROM THE MEDIA, CHARTS AND SISTER PROJECTS 

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• Mundofonías: the three favourites of the month are New Orleans Klezmer All Stars’s Tipish, Ali Doğan Gönültaş’s Keyeyî and Bassekou Kouyate & Amy Sacko’s Djudjon, l’oiseau de Garana

 

Do you have a call of interest for our community that you want to share? Let me know asap.

 

 

OPEN CALLS 

This section is open for news. It is free of charge. You can let me know if you have any open call of relevance to the community

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• Polyglot. Open until July 31. Not new but there is an update.

These two phrases will give you an idea of this project:

• “If you’re a songwriter who has a hit at hand, a potential chart-topper ready to conquer new audiences, apply!”
• “Songs in their original language are translated and promoted in other European languages by our seven partners”.

In the official website, on Open Call, it says: “We are looking for songs written in the official or minority languages of the seven participating countries (Catalonia, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal and Ukraine)”. Following what I mentioned in the previous edition, Balázs Beyer told me that “any official minority language coming from artists residing in the partner countries (that is Portugal, Spain, Poland, Italy, Latvia, Ukraine, Hungary) is eligible. ”

 

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MEET ME AT

If you happen to attend these events, drop me a line. They are international events to which some of the readers may attend. If you are not, they can be interesting for you too in any case.

• 3-5 July: Førdefestivalen. Norway. Concert by Ali Doğan Gönültaş.
• 2 August: Jerash Festival. Jordan. Concert by Ali Doğan Gönültaş.
• 24-25 September: Kaustinen. Finland. Annual meeting of the European Folk Network.
• For later in the year, I will attend WOMEX in Manchester (UK) and Mundial Montreal (Canada)

 

WHO WE ARE AND SISTER PROJECTS 

Mapamundi Música is an agency of management and booking. Learn more here. Check our proposals at our website.

We also offer you our Mundofonías radio show, probably the leader about world music in Spanish language (on 50 stations in 18 countries). We produce the Transglobal World Music Chart with our partner Ángel Romero from WorldMusicCentral.com.

Feel free to request info if you wish. For further information about us, get in touch by email, telephone (+34 676 30 28 82), our website or at our Facebook.