About Us

The BELEM project, Boosting European Lyrics and their Entrepreneurial Monetization, fosters the licensing, aggregation, distribution, exhibition and translation for meaning. It dramatically increases the monetisation of European lyrics and lyric translations. This significantly boosts the sustainability and exportability of European language songs for music publishers and songwriters, (labels and artists) and benefits the audience, leading to increased language diversity and understanding globally, with translated lyrics crossing (and breaking) borders, both in digital and virtual, as well as live, in-concert, formats.

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A fundamental step to achieve this goal is to overcome the language barrier for music written in languages other than the globally dominant English and, increasingly, Spanish. From a EU perspective, languages such as German, French and Italian can still be considered “major” languages, while all other European languages and “dialects” become more or less “minority” languages in the context of music production. Belem’s focus is particularly directed towards creating opportunities for these "other" languages. 

The lyrics and lyric translations for meaning will be distributed globally. Virtual and in-person live shows, alongside lyric videos and lyric translation videos, by European artists, will be produced with subtitles, singing in their native languages, or in a mixture of languages. Songs will be able to be understood by audiences in many languages in any country.

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More than 20 seminars delivered at sectorial conferences and the continuous presence of Belem members at over 50 international music events during the first two years of the project have contributed further to its visibility. We estimate to have reached more than 400 industry stakeholders in direct conversations and, through our multiple activities, raised awareness in over 25 countries.

Our communication efforts have contributed to an increased attention to lyrics by publishers and writers, many of which have contacted Belem consortium partners for support with the monetization of their works. We are noting that this area of the business which had remained uncharted for many until the appearance of lyrics on Spotify is now rapidly gaining attention simultaneously to the spreading of solid knowledge about how it is supposed to work. 

Belem aims to become a think tank and hub of knowledge about the lyrics business for the European music sector. We strive to clarify the inherent complexities of this essential element of music rights in songwriting, provide best-practice guidance, and facilitate the development of useful tools and services for the music community.