Keynote - It’s the economy, stupid!

Margeret Thatcher once famously said “There is no alternative!” when the capitalist neoliberal economic ideology was criticized. However, the limits of this ideology seem to be more and more in sight. We live in an era of late stage capitalism, and neoliberalism is seen as the cause for many of society’s problems. From exhausting humans to exhausting the earth, from growing inequality to (geo)political turmoil. The music industry is no exception to this rule. “Money rules everything around me” or “Get rich or die trying” are all too familiar expressions. A lot of the industry’s challenges can be brought back to this “winner-takes-all” economic model. In this keynote speech and interview, purpose-economist (and former general manager of EMI records) Kees Klomp will demonstrate why Margeret Thatcher was wrong (again) and show what alternatives to capitalism there are. Kees will explain what non-mainstream models such as feminist- or ecological economics mean and how they can provide feasible and actionable ideas for a more fair, equitable and sustainable music industry. To quote Mark Fisher: “It’s easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism.” We say: Challenge accepted!