The Bogotá Chamber of Commerce of Bogotá (CCB) is without question the most important commercial business entity for the city, and a major patron of cultural and industry-related events, such as the country’s leading art fair ARTBO and Bogotá Audiovisual market, BAM. Generating opportunities for local musicians, producers and sound engineers, the Bogotá Music Market, BOmm, has already established itself as the forum in which to make contacts and conduct business-related interviews. But the CCB want to go even further in strengthening the creative industries, and launched February, their new competitive venture, Music Cluster Bogotá.
The idea of Music Cluster Bogotá is to transform this city into a center for new music, with programmes which promote regional and international investment. The event was attended by Javier Asensio, the Regional Director for Latin America of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), and Davina Aryeh, Vice President of Business Development “Latin Grammys.” These experts gave presentations on the importance for the city of the CCB initiative, as well as global trends in music, copyrights and digital marketing.
Declared in 2012 by UNESCO a ‘Creative City of Music’ Bogotá, has no shortage of potential recording artists, bands, concert venues, and above all, talent. So, for the Chamber, the Music Cluster is a natural progression of all that has already been established. Mónica de Greiff, President of the Chamber of Commerce of Bogotá, believes that “for 11 years we have been committed to the development and promotion of creative industries and content, and therefore we give our continuing support to the different scenarios of networking and promotion such as Bogotá Audiovisual Market, ARTBO, and Artecámara Salas.”
The new Music Cluster Bogotá will allow performers, managers, authors, record labels to define the challenges of the industry ; and along with the government and major universities work to potentialize opportunities.
According to the city’s investment agency, Invest in Bogotá, the capital has played a fundamental role in the growth and evolution of the creative and cultural industries in Colombia. It is estimated that in the world, these industries contribute to 8% of the gross domestic product (GDP), and in Colombia, these represent 3.8% of the total GDP.
One of the objectives of the Music Cluster Bogotá is to provide training for musicians who are developing new, innovative sound. The Cluster will also facilitate contacts and business strategies which could help bands break out of the basement and into a recording studio. More than 80 industry leaders are already committed to make Bogotá the main business hub for music in Latin America.
 wants bands to break out of the basement with a new initiative for the city, Music Cluster Bogotá.){kind=link}