Legislative: NMC Statement on Indigenous Music

The Members of the National Music Council of the United States (NMC) express their support for the goal of ensuring the survival of diverse musical expressions, cultures and genres throughout the world.  NMC believes, however, that the best ways to ensure the survival of musical diversity are to encourage local public and private economic support for local musical creativity and traditions.  NMC does not believe that the discrimination against or the favoring of one genre, source, or tradition of music over another –for example through broadcast mandates or similar practices—serves the best interests of a free and open marketplace of ideas throughout the world.  Moreover, while NMC strongly supports the idea of preservation of traditional and indigenous musical expression, it does not support the concept of extending legal protections to traditional works that fall clearly into the public domain.  Voluntary public and private economic support for the preservation of such works and genres remains the best approach to ensuring their continuity and survival.