Sound Diplomacy

Last updated
Sound Diplomacy
Company typePrivate
IndustryConsulting
Founded2013
Headquarters,
ServicesMusic and Cultural Strategy
Website www.sounddiplomacy.com

Sound Diplomacy is an international consultancy focused on music, culture, and the creative economy. The organisation conducts research and analysis to evaluate the economic and social contributions of the creative industries and provides strategic planning for cities, regions, and communities. Its work includes cultural infrastructure development, policy research, and economic impact assessments.

Contents

The consultancy operates across both public and private sectors, advising governments, municipalities, international organisations, and industry stakeholders in real estate, investment, and cultural policy. Since its establishment, Sound Diplomacy has worked with clients in more than 30 countries.

Founded in London in May 2013 by Shain Shapiro Ph.D. and the former UK head of Catalan! Arts Jordi Puy, [1] the company has since expanded to have offices and operations in Barcelona, Berlin, Halifax, Delaware, London

History

Sound Diplomacy launched with clients including CIMA, HootSuite, ICEC and Osheaga MEG Pro. In October 2013, Sound Diplomacy partnered with Martin Elbourne and Spanish promoter Xavi Manresa to launch a new boutique showcase in Catalonia, 'Lleida Sessions Pro'. [2]

Also in October 2013, Sound Diplomacy reached an agreement to represent the Spanish music conference 'Bizkaia International Music Experience (BIME)' in countries such as UK, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Colombia and Uruguay. [3] [4] In November 2013, Sound Diplomacy established a partnership with Nouvelle Prague, a showcase festival that takes place in Prague, Czech Republic. [5] [6] [7]

In 2015, Sound Diplomacy organised the first Music Cities Convention and subsequently founded Music Cities Events. This led to the development of the concept of ‘Music Cities’ and the purposeful linking of music to cities and planning policy, which has since formed the basis of much of Sound Diplomacy's research and work.

From 2016 through to 2018, Sound Diplomacy worked with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation to produce a development strategy for the Cuban Music Industry, the first of its kind for the United Nations. [8] Following this work, Havana was named a UNESCO City of Music in 2019. [9]

In 2018, Sound Diplomacy delivered the first ever music focused panel at the United Nations World Urban Forum, outlining how music is an effective tool in delivering the UN's Strategic Development Goals. [10] In November of the same year, a white paper co-written by Sound Diplomacy and Pro Colombia (commissioned by the United Nations World Travel Organisation) was launched at the World Travel Market in London. The white paper outlines how destinations around the world can use music tourism strategies to drive profile, visitors and associated revenues.

Also in 2018 Sound Diplomacy launched its first music audit and strategy in Huntsville, Alabama. [11] The work inspired the recruitment of a full-time Music Officer position with the City of Huntsville [12] and the establishment of a nine-member music Board. [13] It also confirmed the development of the ‘Huntsville Amphitheatre’ which is due to open in May 2022. [14]

In March 2019, Sound Diplomacy announced its expansion into the United States of America with the opening of an office in New Orleans. [15] As part of this, Sound Diplomacy was tasked with conducting an economic music impact assessment for the newly launched New Orleans Music Economy initiative.

In September 2021, Sound Diplomacy announced its expansion into Latin America  with the opening of an office in San José, Costa Rica, in partnership with real estate development and research firms PRIME and PRIME IQ. [16] The first project in the Latin American region has been commissioned by Two Way Stadiums and UMusic Hotels. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Latin America</span> Region of the Americas

Latin America refers to a cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily in the form of Spanish and Portuguese, and to a lesser extent, Italian dialects, French and its creoles. There is no precise or official inclusion list. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geography, and as such it includes countries in both North and South America. Most countries south of the United States tend to be included: Mexico and the countries of Central America, South America and the Caribbean. Despite being in the same geographical region, English- and Dutch-speaking countries are sometimes excluded. In a narrower sense, it often refers to Spanish America plus Brazil. Related terms are the narrower Hispanic America, which exclusively refers to Spanish-speaking nations, and the broader Ibero-America, which includes all Iberic countries in the Americas and occasionally European countries like Spain and Portugal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Industrial Development Organization</span> Specialized agency of the United Nations

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that assists countries in economic and industrial development. It is headquartered at the UN Office in Vienna, Austria, with a permanent presence in over 60 countries. As of October 4,2024, UNIDO comprises 173 member states, which together set the organization's policies, programs, and principles through the biannual General Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caribbean Community</span> Regional intergovernmental organisation

The Caribbean Community is an intergovernmental organisation that is a political and economic union of 15 member states and five associated members throughout the Americas, The Caribbean and Atlantic Ocean. It has the primary objective to promote economic integration and cooperation among its members, ensure that the benefits of integration are equitably shared, and coordinate foreign policy. The organisation was established in 1973, by its four founding members signing the Treaty of Chaguaramas. Its primary activities involve:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Good Neighbor policy</span> Franklin Roosevelt policy towards Latin America

The Good Neighbor policy was the foreign policy of the administration of United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt towards Latin America. Although the policy was implemented by the Roosevelt administration, President Woodrow Wilson had previously used the term, but subsequently went on to justify U.S. involvement in the Mexican Revolution and occupation of Haiti. Senator Henry Clay had coined the term Good Neighbor in the previous century. President Herbert Hoover turned against interventionism and developed policies that Roosevelt perfected.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rómulo Betancourt</span> President of Venezuela, 1945–48 and 1959–64

Rómulo Ernesto Betancourt Bello, known as "The Father of Venezuelan Democracy", was a Venezuelan politician who served as the president of Venezuela, from 1945 to 1948 and again from 1959 to 1964, as well as leader of the Democratic Action, Venezuela's dominant political party in the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cultural diplomacy</span> Exchange of culture between nations

Cultural diplomacy is a type of soft power that includes the "exchange of ideas, information, art, language and other aspects of culture among nations and their peoples in order to foster mutual understanding". The purpose of cultural diplomacy is for the people of a foreign nation to develop an understanding of the nation's ideals and institutions in an effort to build broad support for economic and political objectives. In essence "cultural diplomacy reveals the soul of a nation", which in turn creates influence. Public diplomacy has played an important role in advancing national security objectives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlos Magariños</span>

Carlos Alfredo Magariños is an Argentine politician, diplomat, academician and entrepreneur. He was twice elected Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization by the international community, made up of 178 Member States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Latin American Economic System</span> Latin American and Caribbean intergovernmental organization

The Latin American and the Caribbean Economic System, officially known as Sistema Económico Latinoamericano y del Caribe (SELA), is an organization founded in 1975 to promote economic cooperation and social development between Latin American and the Caribbean countries. In the early 1990s, its representatives consisted of members from 28 countries and took part in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) negotiations, which led to a new global agreement on restrictions on trade and established the World Trade Organization (WTO).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music of Adelaide</span>

Music of Adelaide includes music relating to the city of Adelaide, South Australia. It includes all genres of both live and recorded music by artists born or living in the city, live music events happening in the city, and other aspects of the music industry relating to Adelaide.

The culture of Latin America is the formal or informal expression of the people of Latin America and includes both high culture and popular culture, as well as religion and other customary practices. These are generally of Western origin, but have various degrees of Native American, African and Asian influence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fuse Festival</span> Music festival in Adelaide, 1996–2013

Fuse or Fuse Festival, formerly Music Business Adelaide and Eat the Street, was an Australian contemporary music event held annually in the South Australian capital of Adelaide, from 1996 until 2012 or 2013. It showcased Australian musicians covering a wide range of genres in venues in the West End of Adelaide to industry professionals and fans, growing to three days in November 2003.

Tropical music is a term in the Latin music industry that refers to music genres deriving from or influenced by the Spanish-speaking areas of the Caribbean. It includes the islands of Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and the Caribbean coastal regions of Colombia, Mexico, Central America and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hernando Calvo Ospina</span>

Hernando Calvo Ospina is a Colombian journalist, author and director of various documentaries. He resides in France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eduardo Cabra</span> Puerto Rican musician

Eduardo José Cabra Martínez, better known by his stage name "Visitante Calle 13", "Visitante", or more recently, "Cabra", is a Puerto Rican producer, musician, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. He rose to fame due to the Puerto Rican band Calle 13, which he co-founded with his step brother René Pérez Joglar ("Residente").

José Tillán is a media executive and professional musician, composer and producer whose career has primarily been focused on the Latin music industry. Tillán launched MATT Entertainment in 1993, where he managed Cuban-American singer-songwriter Nil Lara, Peruvian pop-roots singer-songwriter Pepe Alva and punk-rock outfit Joe Popp. After approximately 4 years as an artist manager, he closed MATT Entertainment and joined MTV Networks as the director of music and talent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spotlight Singapore</span> Cultural diplomacy platform

Spotlight Singapore is a cultural diplomacy platform that serves as a gateway to emerging and growth-leading markets Singapore. The first five editions of Spotlight Singapore were managed by the former The Old Parliament House Limited (TOPH). The Spotlight Singapore brand was transferred to The RICE Company Limited (TRCL), an arts and creative not-for-profit organisation in 2014 and is currently managed by TRCL’s subsidiary, Global Cultural Alliance from 2015. Spotlight Singapore combines artistic, economic and educational activities, with the objective of creating understanding, dialogue and sustainable collaborations between the arts and business communities of Singapore and her counterparts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Elbourne</span> English performing arts promoter

Martin Elbourne is an English performing arts promoter. Elbourne was brought up near the village of Knebworth, Hertfordshire. His first job, at age fifteen, was working for the local stately home Knebworth House which in the mid-seventies became the biggest venue in the United Kingdom for outdoor shows and hosted bands such as Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd.

Music SA, formerly AusMusicSA and also known as South Australian Contemporary Music Company Ltd, is a non-profit organisation whose aims are to promote, support and develop contemporary music in South Australia, which it does by providing training at many levels, professional development advice and live performance opportunities.

Gina Paola Romero Rodríguez is a Colombian activist who co-founded the Latin American and Caribbean Network for Democracy. In 2024 she became the United Nations special rapporteur on the freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

References

  1. “New music export consultancy Sound Diplomacy launches” , Complete Music Update
  2. "The Great Escape's Elbourne launches new Spanish showcase” , Music Week
  3. "BIME And Sound Diplomacy Reach An Ambitious Agreement” Archived 2014-02-03 at the Wayback Machine , Bizkaia International Music Experience
  4. "Bime Alcanza Un Ambicioso Acuerdo Con Sound Diplomacy..." (in Spanish), LTInews
  5. "The Whole Wide World's Got Talent" , Expats.cz
  6. "Showcase Festival Nouvelle Prague" (in Czech), The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), Czech Republic
  7. "Contacts" , Nouvelle Prague
  8. "Cuba "The Music Island:" UNIDO and partners launch first ever Cuban music industry strategy | UNIDO". www.unido.org. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
  9. "Havana and Trinidad become UNESCO Creative Cities". Cuba 50. 2019-11-10. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
  10. "How music can be used as a pillar for development". Cities Today. 2018-03-14. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
  11. "Sound Diplomacy begins nation's largest music-ecosystem survey in Tennessee Valley". City of Huntsville. 2018-06-01. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
  12. "First of its kind: City of Huntsville seeks full-time Music Officer". City of Huntsville. 2021-07-16. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
  13. "Board Members". Music Board. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
  14. "You are being redirected..." huntsvillebusinessjournal.com. 27 September 2021. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
  15. "How Do You Develop a Local Music Economy If You're Not An Industry Hub? Sound Diplomacy Expands Into U.S. to Seek Answers: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
  16. "SOUND DIPLOMACY LAUNCHES IN LATIN AMERICA". Sound Diplomacy. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
  17. Stadiums, Two Way (2020-11-13). "ARENA DEL RIO Arrives in Colombia and Latin America". GlobeNewswire News Room (Press release). Retrieved 2021-10-22.