Five Music Rights The International Music Council advocates for access to music to all, through a set of values which are at the basis of the action of both the International Music Council and its regional councils. Those core beliefs have been gathered under the name of Five Music Rights. The Five Music Rights were first proclaimed in
Tokyo during the International Music Council's General Assembly of 2001, and have since been promoted by the International Music Council and related bodies, through
advocacy activities, programmes and other initiatives (such as the Music Rights Awards and the appointment of the " Music Rights Champions"). The principles contained in the Five Music Rights (originally written in English) have been translated into
French,
Spanish,
Arabic, and
Mandarin Chinese. IMC undertakes many initiatives within the music ecosystem – such as developing projects, organizing conferences, awarding prizes, etc. Projects are international, regional and sometimes local and are often supported by
international,
intergovernmental and
supranational organizations.
International Rostrum of Composers One of the IMC's regular activities is the annual
International Rostrum of Composers, a forum offering representatives of national broadcasting organisations the opportunity to exchange and publicize works of
contemporary classical music.
IMC UNESCO Music Prize The IMC UNESCO Music Prize was awarded from 1975 until 2005 by the International Music Council, as of 1978 in cooperation with UNESCO. The Prize was addressed to both musicians and musical institutions, in alignment with the purposes of the United Nations Charter and UNESCO's Constitution. The Prize was assessed by four categories: composition, musicology, pedagogy, and performance. The last laureate of the IMC UNESCO Music Prize was
Mikis Theodorakis.
African Music Development Programme The African Music Development Programme, launched in 2014 by the International Music Council, took place in nine African countries. The 3-years-long project was implemented with the financial support of the European Union and the technical assistance of the
Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (ACP), and aimed at supporting the
music industry through a series of targeted actions.
Advocacy The main arena for IMC advocacy is
UNESCO, specifically the 1980 Recommendation concerning the Status of the Artist, the 2003
Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and the 2005
Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. Some advocacy actions are carried out in alliance with other international organisations such as the #Culture2030Goal campaign for the inclusion of culture among the
Sustainable Development Goals.
International Music Day The
International Music Day was initiated in 1975 by
Yehudi Menuhin, former president of the IMC. It is celebrated worldwide on October 1. == IMC presidents ==