mica

mica - music austria is the professional partner for musicians in Austria.

mica - music austria was founded in 1994 as an independent, non-profit association, on the initiative of the Republic of Austria.

The goals of the association are:

• the provision of information on musical life in Austria as well as research in the field of contemporary music
• the support of contemporary musicians living in Austria with advice and information
• the distribution of local music through promotion in Austria and abroad
• the improvement of general conditions for musicians in Austria

mica - music austria has national and international networks and is a member of EMO (European Music Office), IAMIC (International Association of Music Information Centres), IAML (International Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres) and IMC (International Music Council).

All services of mica - music austria are free of charge for local musicians.

What does that mean in practice?

All questions on music in Austria are answered by phone, email or in person at the mica – music austria service centre in the Stiftgasse 29 in Vienna’s 7th District. No matter if it is an enquiry about Mozart's residence, about a children's choir for someone’s grandchild, or about an insider info where a sold-out record from a popular Austrian New Wave band can still be found - any question on music will be answered in the Austrian Music Information Centre, either immediately, or it is forwarded to those competent and responsible for that specific issue.

mica - music austria dedicates itself with a special commitment to the "helping of helping themselves" of musicians. Nobody knows better than the mica-employees that talent alone is not enough, and on the path to success there are a few hurdles in the way, and many a pitfall, such as an adhesion contract with a management that can massively prevent a career.

Experts with years of experience advise the musicians on all issues that may come up during a musician's life. This starts with the search for a suitable record company, continues with questions that are raised relating to the social security or promotional opportunities, and become very important for legal issues such as contract negotiations. A popular free service is the legal advice with a specialized attorney.

The website www.musicaustria.at includes easy accessible information on counselling topics such as founding a label, live performances, record production, self-promotion, and also many external information links about music. Extensive practical knowledge is mediated in a concentrated and compact version at the music information days in the form of workshops.

In Austria, there are many outstanding talents and there is excellent music from various genres. Whether pop, rock, jazz, electronic, hip hop, world music, new music or other - the Austrian composers have not died out with Mozart, currently there are over 15,000 composers from all genres. Yet the Austrian market is too small to turn a hobby into a profession.

Therefore, another important function of mica - music austria is the support of the music export. This is enhanced by the international networking of mica - music austria and the excellent contacts of the mica team.

Fans and professionals alike appreciate the extensive coverage in the mica music news about the local music scene. www.musicaustria.at is nevertheless the most widely read music information site in Austria. Here emerging talents are repeatedly first presented, such as Soap & Skin, or the Jazz Workshop Vienna.

The music database is worth a journey of discovery, especially for musicians who are looking for exciting new works.

You can not only read about music, but also listen to exciting tracks on www.manymusics.org, the download platform of mica - music austria. Through a worldwide distribution, Austrian music is available in major download stores such as iTunes - and all of this with Europe's best conditions for musicians.
Soon manymusics.at will also offer an internet store with scores for music enthusiasts who like to play themselves.

mica - music austria contributes with the lecture and discussion series “mica focus” to the discussion culture, and also ensures that problems in the field of music will not be ignored and swept under the carpet.