The symposium stressed the need to recognize the role of sound engineer in modern music

The III International Symposium of the Academic Music Recording Industry was held in Moscow, bringing together experts from sound engineering, acoustics, architecture and law. The event, organized by the Russian Music Union with the support of the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives, revealed a critical need for legal recognition of the role of sound engineers as creators.

The main themes of the symposium were the relationship between music and architecture – the impact of acoustics on the perception of music and the creation of optimized spaces for musical performance. The issues of designing urban locations, taking into account the peculiarities of sound and the needs of modern auditory culture, were discussed. Participants stressed that sound engineering is not just a technical recording process, but a complex creative process that requires artistic taste and a deep understanding of music.

The key conclusion was the realization of the need for changes in the legislation to recognize sound production as intellectual property. Despite the fact that lawyers and representatives of the creative professions often do not communicate, and the legislation does not keep up with the development of technology in the arts, there are encouraging examples of legal protection: in 2017, the rights of directors-directors were protected, in 2022 – animators, and now sound engineers are in line for recognition. It is proposed to create a balance of interests through licensing agreements that allow sound engineers to retain some of the rights and control the use of their work. Recognition of sound engineering works as creative objects opens the possibility for personal non-property rights, including the right to a name and inviolability of the work.