Music knows no borders
1 March 2007
Working closely with performers, publishers, authors and composers, the European Border Breakers competition celebrates the power of music to unite people of all cultures.
We may have trouble understanding the words, but when we let ourselves go with the rhythm and melody - whatever our language, music can speak to us. The EU has been celebrating the importance of music through the European Border Breakers Award (EBBA) since 2004.
Employing over 600 000 people throughout Europe and enjoyed daily by 60% of us, music is a key part of our lives. The EU supports the industry and its artists by helping to finance pan-European tours and projects to promote European music worldwide.
EBBA brings European music right to the heart of the industry's key annual event, MIDEM. This is the world's music market, where people from the recording, publishing, digital and other sectors of the industry meet in Cannes to network and spot talent.
Alongside the glamour, culture ministers and music professionals rubbed shoulders to discuss the future of the music industry in Europe. Debate focused on the economic aspects of culture and on the many ways the music industry contributes to cultural diversity.
Ten winners, including Corinne Bailey Rae from the UK, Gabriel Rios from Belgium and José González from Sweden, were chosen for sales of their debut album in the EU, outside their country.
With her debut album approaching triple platinum sales, Bailey Rae describes her music as a little bit of everything, chilled out, kooky and acoustic. "I definitely think music has no borders and transcends language," she explained.
González agrees: "Music is powerful in bridging national and cultural gaps." He has been likened to Nick Drake and Will Oldham but with a twist of Latin.
To Gabriel Rios, live music is a collective ritual, necessary to culture everywhere. His own music, which has been described as irresistible urban rumba, benefited from the EU's European tour support scheme. "We couldn't have done half the things we've done so far without that kind of support."
One example of music's unifying force is the European Anthem. Listen to it as you have never heard it before: hip hop style 
.