Όπερες
- Post author:Dinnos Georgountzos
- Post published:08/07/2018
- Post category:Uncategorized
- Post comments:0 Comments
Musician and cultural manager, FIM Vice-President, Vice-President of the Swiss Performers’ Cooperative Society (SIG), SWISSPERFORM board member, former President of the International Federation of Coalitions for Cultural Diversity (IFCCD).
Has studied the piano, the guitar, archaeology, cultural anthropology, orchestral conducting and arts management.
Lives in Zurich, Switzerland.
Xavier Blanc, French legal advisor, has spent over 30 years defending performers’ rights. From 2019 to 2025, he worked as a consultant analyzing laws, proposing reforms, and strengthening artist protections nationally and internationally. From 1989 to 2019, he served as Director of Legal and International Affairs at SPEDIDAM (France), handling all legal and operational aspects of performers’ collective rights management and promoting international cooperation, especially in developing countries.
Blanc was also a full member of the French Superior Council of Literary and Artistic Property (CSPLA) from 2000 to 2019. Internationally, he co-founded AEPO-ARTIS and served as its General Secretary (1994–2019), promoting advocacy and coordination among European performers’ organisations. He also helped create SCAPR and was a board member (1996–2019), overseeing global collective rights management, chairing its Legal Working Group and later its Cooperation and Development Working Group.
His career began as a lawyer at the Lyon Bar (1984–1989), combining legal skills with a background in music—holding diplomas in harpsichord and chamber music from a Conservatory.”
Vasilis Ginos studied law and music, and has been professionally involved in the music industry for the past 40 years as a musician, orchestrator, programmer, musical director and producer, participating in numerous recordings and live performances with artists and creators from many genres, both in Greece and abroad. He has been involved in radio production, owns a recording studio, and has extensive experience in music technology, with publications in print and online media about synthesizers and electronic music. He releases his own music independently, while also working for theater, cinema, television, and advertising. He has authored books on the Music Profession and Intellectual Property, topics he addresses as a professor at the Art Conservatory, through his “EMENA ROTA” YouTube channel, and as a member of “Musicians in Action” collective. He served as Vice President of the Panhellenic Musicians’ Union and is Press and Publications manager and substitute board member of the Collective Management Organization “Apollon.”
Christophe Van Vaerenbergh has been the managing director of PlayRight since 2010. PlayRight is the sole CMO (collective management organisation) for performing artists in Belgium, representing more than 22.000 directly affiliated musicians and actors. Prior to joining PlayRight, Christophe was the managing director of the Belgian Standards Bureau between 2006 and 2010. From 2000 until 2006 he was an advisor to several Belgian ministers on topics related to ICT, privacy, and intellectual property issues. He is a lawyer by training, specialized in IT law and copyright law, and currently lives in Ghent.
Paul Torremans (Lic., LLM, PhD) is professor of intellectual property law, School of Law, University of Nottingham (UK). He graduated from the universities of Leuven and Leicester and he taught at the universities of Leicester and Leeds before joining Nottingham. His main research interests are intellectual property and private international law. His recent publications include Intellectual Property and Private International Law, OUP (3rd ed, 2024), European Patent Law: The Unified Patent Court and The European Patent Convention, De Gruyter (2023), with D. Matthews and EU Copyright Law: a commentary, Edward Elgar (2nd ed, 2020), with I. Stamatoudi.
ECSA Secretary General Marc du Moulin has an in-depth understanding of the functioning of the creative industries and an extensive experience in European Affairs. He previously worked for the European Film Agency Directors, the Motion Picture Association, the European Commission (DG CNECT) and for Eurocinema. Marc holds a Masters in UK-EU-US Copyright Law from King’s College London and a Masters in European Studies from the Catholic Institute of Paris.
Starting as a tape-op at CBS studios in 1975, Steve progressed to in-house engineer and worked with many acts including The Clash, The Jags, The Vibrators, XTC & Sailor.
Beach Boy Bruce Johnson was to play an important part in Steve’s early career, culminating with Steve producing the 1985 Beach Boys album several years later.
Steve produced all of Culture Club’s classic hits and the bands’ three multi-platinum albums.
Collaborations include Honeyz, China Crisis, Gary Moore, Ziggy Marley, Louise, The Angelic Upstarts, Lemmy & Motorhead, David Grant, Westworld & 911.
A recipient of a number of prestigious awards including a Brit Award, Musicweek Award and a Grammy for his work with Deniece Williams.
His radio production company, produces high quality original radio content for the BBC and independent radio. The company has won multiple awards at the New York Radio Festival and a Sony award as Radio Presenter.
Steve composed the soundtrack to HYPERBRAWL. The game is on all major gaming consoles and platforms and the soundtrack music is released via SONY MUSIC.
Steve has been a LIPA Companion (Liverpool Institute Performing Arts) for over 20 years. Regularly working with the students who wish to become future Record Producers and Sound Engineers.
Baltic Jazz Recordings Ltd is a label set up by Steve, specializing in Jazz & Soul featuring collaborations from artists worldwide.
John F Smith has a distinguished career in music. After studying at the Royal Academy of Music in London from 1968 -1971, he joined the English National Opera orchestra in 1974 and remained there, as Principal Tuba, for almost 20 years.
In 1994, he became a full-time official of the British Musicians’ Union (BMU) and was promoted to Assistant General Secretary (Media) in 1997. In December 2002, John was elected General Secretary of the BMU, a position he held until he retired in July 2017.
John has been President of the International Federation of Musicians (FIM) since 2004. This role includes representing musicians’ interests in discussions with organisations such as UNESCO, the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), the ILO and the European Parliament and Commission.
John was a past President of the General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU) and was a member of the UK Trades Union Congress (TUC) General Council and Executive Committee. He is also a former Chairman of the Trustees of the Royal Society of Musicians. He was appointed Chair of the UK Collective Management Organisation PPL Chair in 2016.
In January 2018, he was the recipient of the Association of British Orchestras’ Special Award for his contribution to British Orchestras. In 2020, HRH Queen Elizabeth II appointed him an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to music.
Engineer and philosopher by training, Jean-Gabriel Ganascia is currently Professor Emeritus of Computer Science at the Sorbonne University, a EurAI Fellow, an honorary member of the Institut Universitaire de France and a member of LIP6 (Laboratory of Computer Science of the Sorbonne University). His current research activities focus on artificial intelligence, machine learning, computational ethics, computer ethics and digital humanities. He has published more than 500 papers in conference proceedings, scientific journals and books. He is also the author of a dozen books for the general public, the latest of which, entitled “AI Explained to Humans”, has been published by Éditions du Seuil in September 2024. In addition to his academic publications and his my many other writings, Jean-Gabriel Ganascia regularly publishes two chronicles on the ethics of science, one every month in the magazine “Sciences et avenir” (https://www.sciencesetavenir.fr/), and one every trimester in the magazine “La Recherche” (https://www.larecherche.fr/). Currently, Jean-Gabriel Ganascia chairs the Ethics Committee of France Travail that is the French National Employment Agency and the Steering Committee of the CHEC (Cycle des Hautes Études de la Culture). He was also President of the CNRS Ethics Committee (COMETS) between 2016 and 2021.
Irini Stamatoudi is an attorney-at-law at the Greek Supreme Court, a professor of law at the University of Nicosia in Cyprus, and the Head of the Department of Law. She served as the General Director of the Greek National Copyright Office within the Ministry of Culture and Sports from 2007 to 2018. She holds degrees from the University of Athens in Greece (LL.B.) and the University of Leicester in the UK (LL.M. and Ph.D.). She has worked as a copyright expert on various programs in Georgia, Abu Dhabi, Turkey, Egypt, Azerbaijan, and other locations. She has taught extensively across numerous academic courses in the UK, Greece, Cyprus, Italy, France, and more. She authored the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Academy DL specialization course on copyright and has been teaching WIPO distance learning courses since their inception in 2001. She has published fourteen books, including four monographs, as well as numerous articles. Some of her works are internationally regarded as reference texts.
Ioan Kaes is a hands-on lawyer specialised in Copyright and Media law. He has been active in the music industry for over 25 years, which he has come to know from different angles: as a recording and touring musician, as a lawyer, as a teacher and for the past decade as a policy advisor.
As General Secretary of AEPO-ARTIS, the federation of European performers’ organisations, he represents a network of 41 collective management organisations active in 30 countries. In Europe AEPO-ARTIS takes the lead in defending the interests of musicians and other performers with the clear on improving their remuneration for digital exploitations. Ioan is a strong supporter of a more far-reaching reorganisation of the European legal framework regarding streaming and other online exploitation of performers’ neighboring rights and sees a great responsibility for collective management in this.
Horace Trubridge is a professional saxophonist who has written and recorded chart hits and continues to perform live with the band that he has been in for 49 years. He is a member of the Royal Society of Musicians and has a diploma in music teaching. He worked for many years at the British Musicians Union in a variety of roles including chief negotiator and General Secretary. He has written articles for the World intellectual Property Organisation, WIPO, and lectures on the importance of performer’s rights. For many years he was an active member of FIM including as Vice-President and is currently a director of the UK collecting society, PPL. He lives with his wife in the Sussex countryside and loves to fish and ride his classic motorcycle.
David Martin joined the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) in November 2019. The FAC is the UK trade body representing the rights and interests of a diverse, global membership of music artists at all stages of their careers. He also sits as a Director at umbrella trade bodies UK Music and LIVE, and at the International Artists Organisation, as well as the UK’s Council of Music Makers and Independent Venue Week.
David has more than twenty years of experience in the music industry with a background in many parts of the sector and in particular in talent booking, relationship development and event brand development. Most recently he was the lead booker and Director at Dimensions Festival, where he developed the globally recognised music programme from conception, developed the label, Dimensions Recordings and led the festival’s accompanying International Series. David has a particular passion for identifying and supporting talent and has always championed the role of artists within the industry.
David’s music industry experience comes alongside more than fourteen years working in UK central government, developing policy, and supporting and influencing some of the most senior figures of the UK’s Health Service and Members of Parliament.
Chris Castle is a lawyer based in Austin where he represents music clients in transactional matters, music-tech starts ups and public policy clients. He writes the MusicTechPolicy and MusicTech.Solutions blogs. He is a frequent commenter on artificial intelligence and copyright including a comment for the US AI Action Plan and the UK IPO Office AI consultation. His recent published writings include a study on “streaming remuneration” for musicians commissioned by the World Intellectual Property Organization co-written with Professor Claudio Feijoo. He was selected as one of the Billboard “Top Music Lawyers” for 2024.
Prior to founding the firm he was SVP and General Counsel to SNOCAP in San Francisco, of counsel to Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in Palo Alto and Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp in Los Angeles, SVP Business Affairs at Sony Music in New York, and VP Business Affairs at A&M Records in Hollywood.
Chris holds MBA, JD and BA degrees from UCLA and is a frequent lecturer at law schools and business schools. He is admitted to the bar in California and Texas. He may be reached at christiancastle.com. Before law school he was a working musician and a member of Local 47 AFM.
Dinnos Georgountzos studied philosophy, music, and computer science. He is the Secretary General of “APOLLON” – Greek Musicians’ Royalties Collecting Society, and President of a three-year cycle with one-year tenure of the GEA Organisation – Organisation of Greek Record Producers, Singers, and Musicians. He has been working in the music industry since 1986. He has participated in recordings with the majority of Greek composers, singers, and musicians, and has collaborated with world-renowned symphony orchestras as a composer, orchestrator, and producer. Since 2002, he has held administrative and executive positions in the field of Intellectual Property and Related Rights, with continuous participation in committees, conferences, and forums with state bodies and executive officials from organisations in Greece and abroad, representing his country in the commercial and administrative processes of Collective Management Organisations. As a member of the “Musicians in Action” collective and during his two-year tenure on the board of the Panhellenic Musicians’ Union, he actively addresses professional artists’ issues, transferring his experience to the field of action for Greek musicians.
Benoît Machuel (France) has been General Secretary of the International Federation of Musicians (FIM) since September 2002.
Before that, he developed a career as a professional musician for twenty years, both as a cellist and a gambist in various French symphony, opera, and baroque orchestras and ensembles. He participated in numerous recordings and tours in France and abroad.
He also served as Artistic Director for French CD labels specialising in classical and contemporary music.
Between 1995 and 2002, he served as a national representative of SNAM, the French musicians’ union.
He holds two Master’s degrees, in Computer Science and Business Administration.
Artisjus and two-time Fonogram award-winning bassist, producer, teacher. He is a member of the Performing Artists’ Rights Bureau’s delegates’ assembly and royalty committee. Vice President of the Hungarian Musicians and Dancers Union (MZTSZ). Board member of the Music Hungary Association. Teacher at the Kőbánya Music Studio. Member of the Péter Máté Prize Committee.
In 2012 he received the Artisjus Award and the Special Award of the Hungarian Jazz Association. In 2013 he received the Smoothjazz Songwriting Award. In 2003 he won the Bass Guitarist of the Year Award at the Golden Arrow Awards Gala. In 2017, he was the Jazzy Song Contest’s Grand Prize Winner. In 2021, he was awarded the Fonogram Award for the first time and in 2025 for the second time in the category “Contemporary Hungarian Popular Music Album of the Year”. In 2021, he was included in the Encyclopaedia of Successful People in Hungary (Britishpedia V. 2021.)
In the past 30 years he has worked on 127 major albums and has been the music director of 75 television programmes over the past 15 years. His bass playing can be heard on over 1,400 commercially released recordings. He has released 6 solo albums to date.