The Andean Community’s Independents Forum (FICA) will visit Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia in November

· FICA continues WIN’s work in fostering interregional cooperation, dialogue and knowledge sharing among Latin American professionals.

· This traveling meeting will be attended by a delegation of independent music trade associations from Argentina, Chile, and Paraguay.

· Activities will be programmed as part of Circulart (Medellin, Colombia) and VMF Pro (Lima, Peru), as well as in other venues in Ecuador and Bolivia.

The Andean Community’s Independents Forum (FICA) (Foro de Independientes de la Comunidad Andina in Spanish) is a traveling meeting of music industry professionals promoted by WIN and the LatAm Network that will take place between the 8^th and the 22^nd of November in four countries: Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia.

Following the success of the Southern Cone Independents Forum (FICS) in 2022, which worked as a starting point for the creation of the new association AMI Paraguay, FICA will visit four new countries for workshops, panels, presentations, and networking meetings. The project will also include a face-to-face meeting of the LatAm Network, the working group that WIN coordinates for the independent music sector in Latin America.

Some of the main objectives include fostering association building and the creation of interregional networks, and promoting cooperation, dialogue, and the exchange of knowledge among professionals in the music sector, with a special focus on small companies. It also seeks to contribute to the economic development of the region’s music industry and its integration into global value chains.

Circulart will host the activities in Medellin (Colombia), organized in partnership with RedLat. In Peru, they will take place during VMF Pro (Lima) thanks to an agreement with Veltrac Music. In Ecuador and Bolivia, panels and networking meetings will also be organized in collaboration with DRMARTEWORK and local partners. This edition of the Andean Community’s Independents Forum (FICA) is also possible thanks to Ibermúsicas.

A structured independent sector is key for Latin American professionals and companies to claim a better level playing field and integrate into international value chains. The firsthand experience of people who have successfully managed to bring forward trade associations in other countries of the region will be key to promoting association and capacity building for professionals in the markets of the Andean sub-region.

Noemí Planas, CEO of WIN

FICS (Forum of Independents of the Southern Cone) held in November 2022 was in our case the most effective way to initiate a work process and create six months later AMI PY (Asociación de la Música Independiente del Paraguay). We hope that the same thing will happen in the Andean Community, whose professionals will soon have the opportunity to participate in similar activities thanks to FICA.

Lucas Toriño, President of AMI Paraguay

For more information check www.winformusic.com/fics