NEARLY 4,000 MUSIC LOVERS ENJOY THE CONCERTS FROM THE GALICIAN DELEGATION
Galician music successfully rounds off its first appearance at the Buenos Aires International Music Festival (BAFIM)
[23/11/09] Galicia’s participation in the Buenos Aires International Music Festival (BAFIM) concluded yesterday with very positive initial results, both in terms of the enthusiastic reception of the programmed concerts, and the new contacts made by Galician companies for forthcoming commercial actions in Latin America. Carlos Núñez, Xoel López and Vetusta Morla, Uxía and Alô Irmao (Fran Pérez "Narf" and Manecas Costa) attracted an audience of nearly 4,000 people at the four concerts held last week in different theatres and music venues in Buenos Aires, as part of a special programme that was publicised throughout the whole city under the trademark of Galician Tunes.
Apart from being a resounding success with local music fans, the concerts held at the Teatro Coliseo and La Trastienda and Niceto venues also brought together journalists from the music press and agents accredited at the BAFIM. Together with the promotion of the different groups represented by the Galician companies taking part in the fair, this parallel programme helped to further highlight the region’s presence at this international event.
The Galician delegation, which travelled to Buenos Aires with the backing of the Regional Ministry of Culture and Tourism through the Galician Cultural Industries Agency (AGADIC), included representatives from the companies EsmerArte Servicios Artísticos (La Fábrica de Chocolate), Keltia Producións, Nordesía, Ouvirmos and Lonxa Cultural, and the two main associations in the sector: Agaphono (the Galician Record Producers’ Association) and AGEM (the Galician Association of Music Companies), the latter being responsible for organising Galicia’s participation in the event.
Distribution of Galician Music
The closing ceremony was held yesterday at the Costa Salguero Exhibition Centre in Buenos Aires after four intense days full of activities. During their stay at the BAFIM the companies have established strategic contacts for the entry of the Galician music industry in different Latin American markets. In particular, agreements have been signed with agents from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia, amongst others, for the distribution of recordings by solo performers and groups in their respective countries.
Unlike other fairs in this sector, the BAFIM also opened its doors to the general public, who had a first-hand opportunity to discover the music made in Galicia thanks to the
stand installed in the exhibition centre, and the concert given by Xoel López as part of the official programme of
showcases.
Promotional Material
All of the professionals and general public who visited the Costa Salguero centre were offered an audio CD, published as a result of Galicia’s recent participation in Womex 2009, with a selection of tracks performed by Galician artists including bOnOvO, Fía na Roca, Milladoiro, Berrogüetto, Nova Galega de Danza, Rosa Cedrón, Mercedes Peón, Uxía, Alô Irmao, Hermanos Moreira, Orquestra Vigo 430, ISGA Collective, Donatore di Groove, Xosé Manuel Budiño, Cristina Pato & Mutenrohi and Anxo Lorenzo. A large number of business cards were also given out, presenting the Galician Tunes trademark and its website, which offers a wide variety of music resources and gives users the chance to listen to tracks from Galician groups, read news and information on the international promotion of Galician music, or to access a guide which offers details on performers, companies, festivals, professional associations, official bodies and music circuits.
A total of 750 professionals from the world of music from 12 countries - with a particularly strong representation from Brazil and Spain, apart from Argentina - took part at this fourth edition of the BAFIM, which has now become firmly consolidated as one of the main professional events for the Latin American music industry. Over the four days of the fair, the exhibition centre hosted 75
stands from companies and professional bodies, and a similar number of
showcases from solo performers and groups of very different styles. Xoel López was the Galician representative in this official selection, which also offered concerts by Revolver, Pereza, Nena Daconte and Annie B. Sweet, amongst other famous names from the Spanish and Latin American music scene.
