A Diversified Career Unified by Passion
Meet Fabio Scopino, the CEO, Co-Founder and Director of Italian World Beat
As the 2023 World Music Festival @ Taiwan is coming, lineups, administrative details, and contents are being released. This year, the global connection will be a highlight. With the chance of inviting international delegates, we have the pleasure of interviewing Fabio Scopino, the CEO, Co-Founder, and Director of Italian World Beat, a multi-skilled person who has covered numerous aspects of the music industry for over 25 years.
Starting Point
Being the son of a musician, Fabio entered the world of music at an early age. He started Stepping into the music career by opening several jazz and live music clubs in Naples, Italy. These clubs remain open and have become famous nowadays. Fabio had gained precious experience in art management and directing through running the venue. The experience eventually led him to establish a booking and management agency and landed in the field of international music industry. He then founded the Italian World Beat and is among the founding members of the global project MusiConnect. Since 2021 Italian World Beat has been the organizer of a Showcase and Conference Festival “MusiConnect Italy.”
Shared Value Between Jobs
Transferring between multiple roles in the music industry, Fabio specifically points out 3 fundamental elements shared in various fields:
Passion for music
Spirit of initiative
Ability in public relations
“... This activity opens up the possibility for you to take on all the other roles that you have already fulfilled in some way as a live music club manager…,”
said Fabio.
Comprehensive skills and knowledge are required to organize the performance opportunity. Fabio’s tips have reminded us of the term “entrepreneurship.” The term nowadays has been widely considered an official criterion in large global music showcases, competitions, etc., from which musicians and business insiders can often see the importance of possessing entrepreneurship in terms of entering the game.
World Music in Italy
When asked about the world music scene in Italy, Fabio let us know that traditional music is not only a popular music genre but also an important part of culture and people’s daily life in Italy. Traditions and the history of generations are being told through music. The immersion of new sounds into traditional music is continuously contributed by the younger generations of musicians. A vibrant scene of music events supported such a flourishing music phenomenon. Theaters, clubs, festivals, and dedicated shows are opportunities for whoever aims to perform in Italy. Festivals and activities ranging from 300 to 3000 people are concentrated during the summertime from June to September.
Few Tips for Artists
Difficult to summarize though, Fabio provided 5 advice for artists who wish to develop their global reputation:
Artistic quality
High professional promotional materials (video, website, social media, press kit )
Rely on good worldwide management
Build a Booking Network.
Create collaborations and exchanges with artists from other countries.
Under the vision of building a global network of world music, Fabio mentioned the potentiality of exchange between Asian and European music by pointing out the charm and curiosity that attracts the European audience to the Asian cultural world. Artists, especially those who are at the initial stage of their career, require a lot for international travel. If artists could have more opportunities to demonstrate and showcase themselves, the bar to enter a new music market would be lower, and thus such exchange can be facilitated, which requires support, grants, and sponsorship from relevant institutions.
A Chance To Connect
We are honored to have Fabio sharing his thoughts with a diversified background. With his suggestions and knowledge of the Italian and European music market, we hope the interview can give musicians who want to build connections a slight clue for entering the market. If you want to learn more about Fabio or what he’s been doing, do not hesitate to come to the 2023 World Music Festival @ Taiwan. He’ll be there on-site interacting with artists from all over the world. See you there!
