Organisations, venues and events mapped
A territory with a total of 372 organisations, including businesses, associations, public organisations and institutions dedicated primarily to music, for a total turnover of 160 million euros. 313 music venues, an average of almost 10 thousand musical events each year (27 daily) and a total of over 2.1 million spectators. This is a sample of the numbers contained in the report on Bologna's musical sector presented today by PromoBologna in collaboration with the Municipality of Bologna.
The report was compiled by a taskforce coordinated by Professor Vittorio Capecchi of the University of Bologna and Sergio Maccagnani of PromoBologna.
The start of the mapping project coincided with the designation of Bologna as UNESCO "Creative City of Music" and the recognition of creativity as a factor in the social and economic development of urban centres. The mapping project thus provides an opportunity to speak of music as a multidisciplinary sector in both cultural and economic terms. The objectives of the UNESCO network include incentives for creativity development and public-private partnerships; setting up projects and activities aimed at the achievement of economic, social and cultural objectives by means of creative initiatives; promoting research into the economic impact of the creative industry; incentives for the development of the creative industry for tourism.
“We spent a number of months in the field collecting data for the census as well as the views of dedicated operators regarding the state of the sector in Bologna," explains PromoBologna's Sergio Maccagnani. "The number of organisations and the quality of the events listed in the report are considerable for the size of the territory," says Maccagnani. "The full report will be sent to all operators over the next few days and will be made available on the Bologna, UNESCO Creative City of Music website and the PromoBologna website."
In brief:
ARTISTS
* Bologna city of singers and singer-songwriters (Vasco Rossi, Luca Carboni, Lucio Dalla, Gianni Morandi, Biagio Antonacci, Cesare Cremonini, Andrea Mingardi...);
* Over 100 emerging artists and bands so far;
* Bologna "city of jazz" (Paolo Fresu, Teo Ciavarella, Steve Grossman, Alma Jazz Orchestra);
* Bologna "city of composers and arrangers" (Fio Zanotti, Celso Valli, Mauro Malavasi);
* At least 8 internationally renowned orchestras and ensembles;
* 18 bands and 16 choruses.
ASSOCIATIONS, BUSINESSES AND INSTITUTIONS
* 372 organisations present in the territory focus primarily on music;
* 62.1% are companies, 28.2% are associations, 9.7% institutions;
* 38 associations, 29 companies and 6 institutions have multiple specialisations, and are therefore active in a number of fields;
* Training: 9 schools offer academic courses and advanced training; 18 middle schools specialise in music; numerous courses for children, bands and technicians;
* Museums and libraries: 6 museums and 5 libraries are dedicated to music;
* Music production: 135 organisations of which 83% are businesses; musical labels are the backbone of production; associations focus on managing rehearsal and recording studios;
* Musical publications: 23 historical musical publications, famous singer-songwriters, local producers, Emilia-Romagna traditions, techno, dance and electronic music;
* Music labels: 45 of which 7 connected with associations; all independent;
* Recording and rehearsal studios: 38 organisations of which 63.2% businesses and 36.8% associations.
* There are 40 recording studios and 52 rehearsal studios across the territory;
* Event management and organisation: 115 organisations 60% of which are associations (dedicated primarily to event organisation);
* Venue management: 59 businesses and associations are dedicated to managing music venues;
* Sales: 29 businesses dedicated to selling, 50% of which are retailers selling musical instruments;
* Radio: 20 radio stations are located in the territory of Bologna.
ECONOMIC DATA
The analysis highlights the difficulty of collecting comprehensive data, even for individual professionals; nevertheless, an economic estimate has been made on the basis of data collected from businesses and associations operating in the territory.
* In 2007 the music sector certainly generated a total wealth in excess of 60 million euros;
* It had a market income of 160 million euros;
* The sector has approximately 1,600 workers, including employees, collaborators and partners.
PLACES
* 313 venues with profits based on music programmes;
* 74% of the venues are multifunctional;
* Live music: 4 facilities have more than 5 thousand seats; other venues have no more than 2 thousand seats.
EVENTS AND MUSIC CONSUMPTION IN BOLOGNA IN 2007
* 9.898 musical events held in the territory of Bologna, for a daily average of over 27 events;
* 2,1 million spectators;
* On average 214 spectators per event;
* 30.7% took part in recorded music events, 69.3% in live music events;
* Overall, Bologna ranks sixth in Italy among provinces with the highest numbers of spectators in Italy;
* The territory of Bologna is number one in Italy for the ratio of inhabitants to jazz and live dance music consumption.
MUSICAL EVENTS
* 112 musical events were counted (festivals, seasonal concert cycles, competitions)
* 58% are held in the city, 35.7% in the remaining territory and 6.3% in province and city.
CULTURAL DISTRICT FOR MUSIC. "It is clear that Bologna has a genuine cultural district for music which is economically important in view of the size of the territory," explains Giuseppina Gualtieri, PromoBologna's managing director. "It is a sector with great potential and solid roots which combines creativity and professional expertise, training, sensitivity and amateur production with a high demand for music in numerous areas. All these aspects will be seen by any expert of the creative industry as extremely promising for the promotion and support of new lines of development." Also to be noted is the fact that the fall in state contributions (-7.1% between 2005 and 2006) has corresponded to rising regional contributions (+24.2% over the same period), as well as, albeit to a lesser extent, provincial and municipal contributions. Lastly, technological innovation has led to changes in the manner of music consumption over the past few years. "Organisations operating in the music field are now being forced to rethink methods of musical production and distribution," says Professor Vittorio Capecchi. "Businesses should view this phase in the technological revolution as an opportunity to be taken advantage of rather than as irreparably damaging."
