What is MIC Norway?
Music Information Centre Norway summed up in 362 words:
MIC Norway has been a staunch supporter of the Norwegian music scene for more than 30 years. During those three decades MIC has provided tour support for bands and performers, promoted and distributed scores world-wide, launched a selection of highly popular web-sites, been a key player on Norway’s cultural-political stage and held a position as a much-appreciated partner for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ missions around the globe.
MIC’s primary goal is to promote Norwegian music of all genres and styles, domestically as well as internationally. Through a number of promotional initiatives and information projects the institution strives to raise awareness levels on Norwegian music among music industry execs, cultural organisation representatives, media reps and the general public at home and abroad.
MIC is primarily funded directly by the Norwegian Ministry of Culture, and receives annually app. NOK 8m. Additional funding for the centre’s travel support programme is allocated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. MIC’s staff counts 13 full-time positions, all of which work tirelessly across the genre-spectrum around the clock to ensure Norwegian music is in demand on the global stage.
Over the last decade, MIC’s core activities have centred on its web-sites which are intrinsically linked to a number of additional services to the public such as sheet music catalogues, music industry directories, event calendars and front-desk/helpline support. MIC’s Ballade.no site is the nation’s most popular music news and debate site while the English-language listento.no site is an important hub for news and articles on Norwegian bands, performers, composers as well as the nation’s music industry.
Worldwide distribution of scores has been a core activity for MIC since day one, and over the years the institution has built up a highly professional department that digitizes sheet music, prepares parts, prints scores and distributes the end product to a wide range of orchestral institutions at home and abroad.
MIC’s MFA-funded travel support programme is a much needed financial backing for Norwegian bands and performers hitting the road abroad. The travel support programme’s user interface is web-based and all applications are managed electronically through www.stikk.no – resulting in a hassle-free and un-bureaucratic user experience with reduced management costs as an additional bonus.
Our sites:
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Headlines:
Himmelkvad
Celebrated vocal ensemble Nordic Voices is currently out on its promo tour for their new outing ‘Himmelkvad’, a critically acclaimed album presenting Norwegian composer Lasse Thoresen’s unique vocal universe. MIC Norway takes a closer look at the cutting-edge vocal ensemble and ground-breaking composer.
I was the devil in my younger years
Late Feb sees Enslaved heading out on a month-long European tour. MIC Norway hooked up with Enslaved’s Ivar Peersen to talk about musical cross pollination, inspirational sources, humour and his fascination for singer-songwriter Stein Torleif Bjella.
