Organization

Dear all,

On my behalf and representing the new Board of Directors, elected in the AIE Elections of December 2023, I would like to thank the members for honoring us with their trust and choosing us to lead this important Society of Performing and Executants Artists, AIE, for the next four years. We are entering a period of change and transformation in our systems, administration, and rights protection. This period should be one of consolidation of artists’ values, ensuring the remuneration we deserve for the commercial use of our work, and reinforcing collective management as the best system for representing and managing intellectual property rights.

With illusion, enthusiasm and desire to work, we will defend the rights and try to improve the remunerations that correspond, by justice and merit, to musical artists, and to continue developing and improving the collection, distribution and systems and circuits of aid, support and maintenance of education, assistance, culture and the work of the women and men who dedicate themselves to the noble profession of artists, whether they are performers or executants.

AIE, the Society of Performing and Executant Artists, was founded in 1989 by a core group of artists—bold and generous individuals—whose aim was to represent, defend, and advance the moral and economic rights of musical artists.

AIE’s key objectives include efficiency, transparency, honesty, and commitment. From the outset of this journey, we have been dedicated to help emerging artists and groups while also promoting the recognition of established talents, creating the necessary conditions and networks to showcase the vibrant and diverse artistic talent we enjoy in Spain.

Art is a reflection of the society in which it develops. Spain, with its rich history and cultural diversity, is a melting pot for artistic expression in all its forms. After three decades of activity and commitment, AIE plays a fundamental role in protecting artists’ rights and in the promotion and development of musical art.

Culture is a fundamental good for human development. It fosters equality among individuals, guarantees our freedom, and is vital for the cohesion and peaceful coexistence of a society based on respect, tolerance, and freedom. Music is an essential element of culture. The artistic activity of performers and executants brings musical works to life, transforming them into sounds that reach listeners. Ensuring, promoting, and developing culture, and particularly music, is an essential duty of every state and nation, of governments, and of all of us.

Those of us who have taken on the responsibility of representing artists in terms of their moral and intellectual rights are here to raise awareness among public authorities and remind them that culture, creation, and performance must not be treated as secondary or occasional goods but as essential ones. We have been advocating for this for a long time, and it is time for it to be officially recognized and reflected in public declarations.

Music is an essential good. We have proposed this concept as an “axiom” to encourage its consideration by governments and international organizations responsible for defining and classifying concepts in international treaties and agreements that bind countries.

Market rules must help gauge the importance of music as an essential good within culture, as well as an economic asset that integrates communities. The social value of culture is undeniable, and cultural diversity is a key element in defining our identity. These fundamental reasons are the basis of AIE’s commitment.

The extension of the protection term for artists’ rights in the EU is a matter of fairness for the many talented artists who contribute to Europe’s vibrant and diverse musical culture. Every year, more and more performers and executants lose their rights when their performances or recorded works fall into the public domain. This happens later in life, at a time when those revenues are most needed.

The Directive approved by the European Parliament in 2019 provides support measures to ensure that performers benefit from income from their recordings for 70 years from their release, without placing any burden on consumers. However, by 2024, we are nearing the point where we risk losing the rights to iconic recordings from the 1970s—a remarkable decade during which many of the great songs that mark the history of pop and rock, among other musical styles, were recorded.

These recordings, which contain songs performed by artists, will endure indefinitely, as the digital system allows them to be transferred from one format to another without loss of quality or relevance. These songs continue to be broadcast and generate profits for those who use them as part of their business: radio stations, platforms, media outlets, and local venues, among others.

Warm regards,

Luis Cobos

Director and Composer

President of AIE

Orchestra conductor and composer. He has composed orchestral music, film soundtracks, music for theater, television, and more.

Luis Cobos has earned over 100 Gold, Platinum, and Diamond records. His sales exceed 15 MILLION COPIES.

Luis Cobos has conducted: The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Moscow Symphony, Los Angeles Symphony (U.S.A.), Beijing Symphony (China), European Symphony, London Symphony, Kansai Philharmonic (Japan)…

Luis Cobos ha dirigido en España, Inglaterra, Francia, Estados Unidos (EEUU), China, Japón, Alemania, Italia, Holanda, Austria, México, Argentina, Colombia…

Luis Cobos has worked with: Plácido Domingo, Julio Iglesias, Pedro Vargas, José Carreras, Mecano, Antonio Banderas, Isabel Pantoja, Paco de Lucía, Ana Belén, Nino Bravo, Joaquín Sabina, Antonio Flores…

OTHER ACTIVITIES

President of the Spanish Society of Artists AIE, president of the Iberoamerican Federation of Artists, FILAIE, former president of the European Group of Artists GIART, director of the “Tierra de Gigantes” International Music Festival, honorary director of the Primitiva Band of Llíria, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the “Latin GRAMMY® Cultural Foundation”, former president of the Latin Recording Academy’s Board of Trustees, vice president of the Spanish Academy of Arts and Sciences of Music, founding president of the University of the Arts Council, and founding president of the Ibero-American Forum of the Arts.