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NEWS
Habaneras and Town Parties Summer
Picap is not going on holiday, we prefer to think about new music proposals and continue with our policy of reedition of this back-catalog, which makes us feel so proud, of EDIGSA and PDI.  As a brand new notice we can say that in a few days we’ll launch the last Orquestra Maravella cd, called “ Ballem?” A disc with international tracks interpreted in catalan. Don’t miss the music at every party town this summer! If you want to view the schedule of the Orchestra Maravella you can visit this link: http://www.maravella.com/frames.htm Although it has recently come on the market, we would like to remind the project so interesting with the Cobla Montgrins and Port Bo. On the album " Acoblats" will find an incredible fusion of Habanera with the sound of Cobla. If you want to see Port Bo concert schedule for this summer you can visit this link: http://www.portbo.com/calendari.htm If you want to see the Cobla Montgrins schedule of concerts for this summer you can visit this link: http://www.orquestramontgrins.com/?doc=560&sec=3 We hope not to have stressed you with so many concerts, our intention is just to shake your ass!
 This week Picap has progressed in terms of digital purposes. We have joined the Merlin association.
Merlin is a non-profit organization with the sole purpose of making more competitive the independent music industry.
It is the first entity that works for the interests of independent music worldwide. Its mission is to represent its members in digital agreements that are not readily available locally or individually and/or are not adequately covered by existing agreements. Seeks to occupy the niche between the collection entities and what the record labels can get for themselves.
 The objectives of Merlin are:
-Protects the copyrights of our members in light of infringement or abuse.
-Establishes effective access to revenue streams previously unavailable to independents.
-Creates a body that acts as an efficient, broad reaching and direct entry point to our sector.
This will open to Picap new ways of return for our extensive catalog apart from the reedition work that we are doing for the catalogs of EDIGSA and PDI, adapting them to modern technology with the possibility of buying all music in digital format.
Gerard Sesé –fresh catalan pop, innovative, different & quality-
Picap is about to launch the album "Sota la Dutxa" (Under the Shower) of the new artist in our label, Gerard Sesé.
This guy from Bellaterra (Barcelona), journalist by profession and finishing political science, since he was young he was involved in the art world, both for the piano classes who received or his interpretative skills.
Gerard likes to wake up passion around the people and not leave anyone indifferent, as he rightly says "Create, compose and perform my songs is one of my passions, but really what I like is that people enjoy, laugh, cry (in doesn’t matter) listening to me".You can listen to the new single "Vull tornar a sentir" (I want to feel again) here:
  Gerard Sesé - Vull tornar a sentir
The singer describes himself as a different singer, "Gerard Sesé is like an stage bug trying to make a different catalan music to what we are used to. Try to approach the English-pop sung in Catalan".
In previous albums Gerard has reached the semifinals and winning contests such as Enganxa't a la música and Carles Sabater prize. We wish Gerard he win many more prizes. Go on Gerard.
Music sales fall 30% during 2009
 According to the report published by IFPI (International Federation of the Record Industry), entitled " Record Industry Numbers 2009”, sales of music in Spain fell by 30% over the 2009 and the impact of piracy exacerbates the situation for the first months of the year. Based on data collected from more than 70 countries, Spain is in ninth position in terms of recorded music. This reveals that even with the high quality of musical productions, is not in the proper place due to the high rate of piracy, which is one of the highest in the Western world.  This downward trend in terms of buying music legally, IFPI value in a drop of over 50% compared to 2001, with 7 years of consecutive decline and the trend is exacerbated when we think in the crisis we are nowadays. Consequently, sales of legal music in digital format are still ridiculous compared to other countries much more aware, with only 11% through a computer or mobile phone connection, respect to the 21% that gives us the international reckoning, there is also an special fact in Spain, that is the internet access the companies offer here and the conditions that are offered in other countries, a lot more speed but less price.
At the end of last month Picap participated in the Digital Music 2.0 workshop.
Besides talking about the main issues that concern to music industry, the speaker Juan Paz from Musically wanted to focus on the need of today's music industry companies to attract the attention of fans who are mainly in social networks and they create all content.
But to do this we need to have a set of clear concepts before, such as those defined (RSS, widget, wordpress, web 2.0., User-created content, social network,...). And here is where Juan Paz wanted to show the different possibilities offered by the network to promote the artist, with a special emphasis on social networking and content creation. We saw different tools to distribute content on the web (Twitter, Myspace, Facebook, Reverbnation, e-mail, podcast,...).
It also introduced the concept of FRM (Fan Relationship Management). Here we have to use all the tools that the network has for a consistent marketing strategy and achieve all the objectives.
Finally we saw different cases of digital strategies, some successful and others less so. As an example we discuss the case of groups that record exclusive sessions for different internet music services like Last.FM, Spotify, Napster... and other very interesting examples.
Albums à la Carte? Yes it's possible !!!
There is no doubt that new technologies offer us a new dimension of consumption and leisure time, either by making friends with social networking, buying movie, theater or concert tickets, or shopping games and dvds and in our case music records. So far we know that consumption from joining certain music style, artist,...  Now Picap offers a new way to apply new technologies to your musical pleasure: ALBUMS À LA CARTE Service. Our commitment is to exceed the individual to generalize and making the album with the artists songs that you can find in Picap’s website. We could say that until now we recorded the albums which we think would like our unconditional music lovers, we chose everything, for 25 years it seems that we have been successful. We will go on with our project, but as a company we know the need to adapt to new technologies, to take them and give to our friend the possibility to choose among our artists, to create their own CD. You now have the opportunity to create your preferred album, decide the songs ... Can you imagine a CD with Pegasus, Maria del Mar Bonet, Sau, el Cant del Barça... together?
Digital music sales grows 25% in 2008
 The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, IFPI, showed results telling that legal sales of digital music have been $3,700 million for 2008, €2,800 million, representing an increase of 25% respect the previous year, 2007.
Japan leads the legal purchase of music via the mobile telephone with more than 140 million songs downloaded, while U.S. is the leader in selling digital music with a 50% market share worldwide, 1,100 million songs legally downloaded. Despite these figures, 95% of all music that was downloaded last year was illegal, that is to say, no money for the intellectual work of making music, produce it and launch it on the market. IFPI estimates that were made up to 40 billion illegal files download over the past year.
Cut the internet connection to those who download music illegally:
 IFPI’s chairman, John Kennedy believes that limiting access to Internet is the only way to end the piracy. Insists that the Internet providers are the ones who have to handle the user / "client" to not to download illegal content, from IP addresses information. It is not only a problem in the music industry, but also film, television and books, due to the extension of unauthorized download.
At the recent International Forum of Digital Content, FICOD'08, organized by the Industry Ministry of the spanish government, the vice president of Software Alliance in Spain, Alfonso Sort explained that 43% of Spain software was illegal, and in some regions reached 60%. All this was an economic loss of €659 million.
These two views show where the industry have to go in the near future while the french Senate has just sanctioned a law of illegal downloads that President Sarkozy has personally endorsed, here in Spain, the courts give free legality to P2P downloads because these platform are not looking for profits.
The law approved in France, with sanctions to the user until one year without Internet applied after two warnings. Put in operation a cyberspace police to protect the rights of intellectual property.
Half of the on line purchase will be legal in 2013:
The French example should encourage the protection of intellectual property rights in the cultural world; we don’t have to forget that involve three main actors, the creator, producer and the distributor. In this new world of cyberspace we could settle that everything costs nothing, it’s free, while the job of putting it on the network is nothing.
 The spanish judges are beginning to say that the penalty process against downloading piracy is not the appropriate jurisdiction, because if there is an economic damage, the civil jurisdiction can contemplate damage the cyber pirate.
In fact the report U.S. Music Forecast, 2008 to 2013 reveals that in five years, 55% of users who make purchases online typically will pay to download music. Despite this positive perspective, the study anticipates that the decline in CD sales can not be offset by higher revenues from the "Electronic Download" of music. The consultant company says the musical market in United Stats will be reduced in the next five years by four hundred million dollars, the current income of $10,200 will down to $9,800 million dollars.
However, and according to the report, even though piracy is leading the online music downloads, legal purchases begin to be increasingly popular among U.S. internet users. Companies like Amazon that allow legal downloads of MP3 compatible with all music player without any restrictions, are pushing sales of digital music.
Xavier Dotras Trio surprise us with VINCENT
 Xavier Dotras has recorded with his usual trio, Toni Pujol on bass and Cèsar Martínez on drums his latest album " Vincent", which has the support of the singer Carme Canela, in some tracks. It is an album totally dedicated to the ife and works of Vincent van Gogh with a prominence of the Dotras piano where the rest of the group gives the exact replica of swing and improvisation. Dotras was keyboardist for the legendary Catalan pop-rock band " N'gai-N'gai" and pianist in group Gospel Viu!, with which he recorded several albums. It makes a valuable contribution to the Jam-session of the Mozart Space in Calella, although he spend the time teaching music, in secondary schools and music schools. He is also director of the Orfeó Misericòrdia in Canet de Mar.  According to the media from Maresme the presentation of the album was great, " Xavier Dotras Trio's presented the new album VINCENT is an excellent performance of this trio led by the composer and musician Xavier Dotras in the piano, Tono Pujol with double bass, and Cèsar Martínez on drums, they made an atmosphere of good music to those who were able to listen them in Pineda de Mar, in the opening of Acords cycle of music, at the Pati de Can Comas, organized by the Council of Culture". Xavier Dotras has been performing in many concert halls and the main Catalan auditoriums as (Jamboree, Sala Bikini, Jazz Cava de Vic, Auditori de Barcelona, Auditori de Girona, Auditori del Forum, Auditori de Tarragona, etc.) and numerous jazz festivals in Catalonia and Spain. Also highlights the performances in the " Jazz Club Soho” in London and the " Bath Music Festival”, broadcasted in live on the BBC in the program Line-up. Listen to the single here:  Xavier Dotras Trio - Les Iris
 The Polytechnics University of Valencia celebrate the 50 years of Raimon’s song “Al Vent”, with different things: 1) An anthological recital of the singer, accompanied by his quartet of musicians: Fernando Serena, Miquel Blasco and Joan Urpinell, Pau Domènec 2) An exhibition 3) Various publications The exhibition consists of original pictures of Joan Miró, Antoni Tàpies and Andreu Alfaro that these artists have done for various book covers and LP's, as well as originals of Pere Joan Viladecans, Guinovart, Artur Heras and other painters designed for posters or inspired by Raimon’s performances. Those who visit the exhibition will find at the entrance a big sculpture by Andreu Alfaro "Raimon: la veu d’un poble”29 posters will be exhibited from different performances of Raimon (including those of France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, USA, etc) since 1963 until now. Eight windows with press releases, photos, flyers, books and CDs from here and from many countries where Raimon have been singing. The University has published a catalog, a CD with different singers ( Serrat, Dyango, Moncho, Esther Formosa and Toti Soler, Verdcel, etc..) performing songs of Raimon and a rewrite of the Raimon’s biography by Joan Fuster published in 1964 and the poetry book of Raimon "D'aquest viure insistent" published in 1986. The May 8 at 8 pm Raimon will sing in the hall of the Nexus building of the University. The exhibition will run until the June 23.
Susanne Georgi, Andorran representative at Eurovision Song Contest with "Get a Life / La Teva Decisió"
 On 4th February, the audience of Radio and Television of Andorra, and the jury of media professionals have decided that the Danish singer resident in the Andorra, Susanne Georgi, is going to represent the country with the pop song "Get a Life / La Teva Decisió" for the next Eurovision Song Contest held in the Russian capital, Moscow, on May 12.
The jury and the audience agreed on the positions of the three finalists of "Passport to Moscow" TV show for RTV Andorra, both rankings leaded by Susanne Georgi, followed by Lluís Cartes, and finally Mar Capdevila. This last singer, is the only performer who had participated in the three programs of the Andorran representative to Eurovision, where the audience could vote for the election.
Susanne Georgi is 32 years old, and 13 year ago she fell in love for the Pyrenees Country, where he continued his musical career as a solo artist because together with his sister, Pernille Georgi, formed in the second half of the 90s the duo Me&My achieving an international hit in 1999 with the song "Let the love go on”.
 However, Susanne enjoy the same success in music nowadays, since she arrived in Andorra, which has not only welcomed, but she is now speaking an excelent Catalan which has been very useful to her to finally become the Andorran representative.
Eurovision community know her because in 2007 she competed to represent Denmark, with the duo Me&My; but they obtained a sixth place in the national final with the song "Two Are Stronger Than One". But her sympathy captivated the Danish audience and they chose Susanne Georgi as a part of the jury to score the countries to the Final of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2007.
Picap has been chosen by RTV Andorra to edit the single that will represent Andorra. You can listen here:
Susanne Georgi - "Get a Life / La Teva Decisió"
Ramon Sauló's unique concert
Ramon Sauló, our singer songwriter from Cerdanyola is going to play the next May 2nd at 10 pm in Ateneu from Cerdanyola a unique concert in the framework of the village parties.
Ramon Sauló’s concert will be a real reunion for people from Cerdanyola. Ramon developed a short but intense interpreter career during the 70s and 80s. He recorded an album with CBS with a song dedicated to Cerdanyola, Bona nit. But aside from this record, he composed very good and many songs dedicated to love and to those little things that surround us.
Thirty years later, with the new perspectives offered by maturity, Ramon has composed songs that surpass the sincerity and freshness and has put it all in an album released in Picap "Som Així ...". And for the annual village parties the Ateneu from Cerdanyola is going to present a unique concert for the unique singer songwrites who has had Cerdanyola, accompanied by an exceptional group of musicians: Toni Xuclà, Pep Coca, Josep Traver, Eloi López and Joan Carles García, plus collaborations surprise. A feast to be reunited with the beautiful memories of a not so distant Cerdanyola. 
New Radio Program from Picap - PICANT MÚSICA
 The president of the Local Radio Federation in Catalonia (FRLC in Catalan), Manel Ramon, and the general director of our record label, Joan Carles Doval, signed this last month a collaboration agreement with the aim of promoting synergies of both organizations, and is materialized with the first production. The Local Radio Federation in Catalonia and Picap are going to start to record next week, coinciding with St. George party (very important in Catalonia), the production and dissemination of a series of 12 programs of 30 minutes devoted to music in Catalan; program called PICANT MÚSICA. The program will offer all time hits as well as the latest songs released by Picap located in Castellar del Vallès, but acting globally. In fact, because of the geographical proximity, the first 12 programs will be recorded in Radio Castellar and will be spread asap to all broadcasters who wish through the website of the FRLC, www.radiolocal.cat. The host of this program in Radio Castellar, Carla Sanmartín will present the program together with different responsible of Picap that are going to help in explaining the content of the program, either by presenting new releases as the different hits achieved during the 25 years of existence of the record label. The program will have the production made by Eduard Garcia, and Jorge Gelabert with the realization.
Leyenda's new album "Horizontes"
 After an intensive and continuous preparation, LEYENDA publish a new album, with a new record label and with an speciall illusion to begin a new stage. With "Horizontes", generic title of the new album of the hard rock band of the most recent generations of Madrid, want to reach all fans of the genre in Spain.
The diversity of their musical ideas makes a wide range of tracks, such as slow tracks and fast and powerful tracks, feature sticky choruses and good melodies, with all kinds of influences from both the eighties classic Heavy as the most modern. The lyrics, many of them worked by the guitar player and singer Antonio S. Montemayor, attempt to explain free interpretation stories, although originally based on some fact or thought.
LEYENDA has been playing several times around Catalonia and knowing the famous band Sangtraït, thay decided to cover in Spanish one of its song "Inquimissio", a cover that gives a touch of diversity to the CD "Horizontes".
 LEYENDA comes from the exchange of musical ideas of the three founding members, David, Fernando and Antonio, with persistence, perseverance and the passage of time gave way to a band with its own style and well received by the media. The work and the fight to raise awareness of the band have always been the dominant notes and as a recognition the band have had the opportunity to play, on several occasions, in the most distinctive music venues in Spain. LEYENDA also has reached popularity outside its natural market, receiving good reviews from the media of other countries.
LEYENDA is currently formed by Alfonso Casasayas Marín on drums, Luis Ángel Andrade Lazo in the rhythmic guitar and solo guitar, Jandro R. Hervás with the bass and Antonio S. Montemayor with the voice and rhythmic guitars.
Listen here the new single "Horizontes": Leyenda - Horizontes
Launching the next GÀTACA album "Deliris"
 GÀTACA began with the twenty-first century, they do not know exactly if the 2000 or 2001, emulating the argument of the ongoing century. Themselves say to be influenced by demand groups such as Korn, Slipknot, Skunk df, or Hamlet, and claim they came to fill the hole that has Catalan rock in his harder and powerful face. In fact, the vocalist Gonzalo Gironés explains this latest album with these words, "Return of the power, the most powerful and revolutionary sound of Valencian Country. Gàtaca returns with his new job, DELIRIS (Delirium). The most basic instincts take shape and will not be indifferent. Gàtaca, reinventing the rock in Catalan".
 The fact is that after years of intense work, in 2004, they won the Sona 9, demo contests organized by Catalonia Radio, Catalonia’s TV, and the magazine Enderrock, supported by the Ministry of Culture and the General Directorate for Youth. This award marks the revelation of the band into the Catalan culture, and a promotion throughout the country playing at different concert halls as Razmatazz in Barcelona, and its first clip, and his first professional contract with the label Picap.
Deliris is the new album with 12 new songs, with the Valencian accent that characterizes them. Their lyrics are still talking about the passage of time, the problems and virtues of our urban lives, or the characters of his particular imagination, as the song dedicated to Boris Karloff, qualified as a monster for its public image. But there are other songs like “L’home tranquil” (The quiet man) or “Cançó de bressol” (Lullaby) where they retrieved on melodic rhythms, but not abandoning its powerful mix of electronic music, funk and hard rock.
So, from today and as appetizer for the launch of their new album (March 30) all nu-metal fans can listen to a 3 songs in streaming; ECLOSIÓ, CRIATURES i BUIT. All you need to do is to click the flyer:  ATTENTION: During the next March 30th, and only that day, all nu-metal and Gàtaca lovers will be able to listen the entire album DELIRIS in his website.
Albert Fibla and Nua are finalists of the prize "Disc català de l’any” (Catalan disc of the year) of Ràdio 4
The Catalan music party, which every year under the name of the first Catalan radio station, Ràdio 4, is celebrated with "El disc català de l’any”, has two artists from Picap in the final voting process of this prize; Albert Fibla and Nua. 
The award "Disc català de l'any" organized by the "Catalunya Exprés" program, which can be heard, to monitor the voting, each Saturday and Sunday from 5pm to 7pm in Ràdio 4. As well as on the internet at http://www.disccataladelany.cat
 A hundred people joined in the showcase of NUA in their new release of QUÍMICA “Chemistry” (Picap, 2008) at the Forum of FNAC in “El Triangle” of Plaça Catalunya in Barcelona.
Marc Grasas -voice and guitar, Cati Juan -guitar-, Tòfol Martínez –bass-, Joan López –drums- and Eduard Farrés -keyboards- go from the most acoustic folk and the most electric rock of its first album, Lluny (Picap, 2006), to a more electric and experimental sound where textures contrasts are the main aspect of the twelve songs composed by Marc Grasas and arranged by the entire band.
Unlike Lluny, recorded in Mallorca, QUÍMICA was recorded entirely in Sabadell and changing landscape influences the sound of the group, forming a more aggressive and urban album, which penetrates the deepest feelings of people. Do not speak of social relations but of the psychological characteristics of each individual that define it as unique and singular. Therefore, it is an album that talks about optimism and pessimism, love and hate, selfishness and generosity, euphoria and depression and all those feelings that can not be regulated and they travel through the brain as chemistry.
Thus the different songs were played in front of the audience explaining the Monday’s melancholy (DILLUNS in Catalan), misunderstanding of the relationship in VERÍ, or nostalgia for the landscapes as TOSCANA. 
Music Awards & Enderrock Awards
Picap is pleased to announce that 3 of the artists and bands of our Record Label will win or are nominated for various music awards.
 The first is Albert Fibla, who writes as well in his web "Albert Fibla will receive Enderrock Award by popular vote for best song in the category of singer-songwriters for "Pel seu nom". The event will take place at Sala Bikini, on February 10, beginning at 21:30. "
CONGRATULATIONS ALBERT!
Yesterday we received an email telling that the following artists & bands are finalists in the "Music Awards". Here we have:
 Jordi Sabatés eligible for the award for Best Jazz Album for his work "A Propósito De Bola De Nieve” (To Snowball Purpose). A tribute to Cuban musician Ignacio Villa, known as "Snowball."
CONGRATULATIONS JORDI SABATÉS!  Port Bo opting for the prize for Best Song in Catalan/Valencian by the song "Busca'm a l'Empordà" of his latest album titled the same. Port Bo are the most popular band of habanera’s songs.
CONGRATULATIONS PORT BO!
Recognizing Picap's history
Within the show of Enderrock Awards 2009, this year and for our 25 birthday EDR Group has decided to award a prize to our history in the music industry's contributing to the promotion, dissemination and strengthening of the music scene of Catalonia and all over the world.
The delivery of this recognition will be February 10th at Sala Bikini in Barcelona, from 20:30h 
The music industry is in a constant evolution and adaptation process to the market demands. That is why people form Picap are constantly leading new challenges to achieve.
We have just begun 2009 and we want to work hard to continue our musical project, as many of you will know, is trying to recover the memory of the music of Catalonia. This doesn’t mean that we don’t look to the future, but to do so we must have in mind our roots, musically speaking.
 Last 2008 we reissued different artists who mark an strong period of our history culturally very strong; so from the acquisition of catalogs of Edigsa and PDI and with the help of our partners we can now enjoy artists like Jordi Sabatés, Pegasus, Toti Soler, Ovidi Montllor, Pi de la Serra, Peret... in a high quality and in a format never offered so far, the digital format. This allows us to preserve a piece of our history that will never be forgotten.
 Especially we should note the work done to gather a luxury collection with the 33 CD's of the Historical Anthology of the Catalan Music; important work of classical and traditional music which currently can be purchased in digital format for those who love the music and don’t have enough space at home.
Answering to the high quality of music produced in Catalonia, the past 2008 we could also offer new releases as Companyia Elèctrica Dharma, Lupe Villar, Albert Fibla, Túrnez & Sesé, Rodamons...
2009 is coming with lots of changes regarding to the music industry and especially in Picap. We are making the necessary tasks that will bring us to the way music lovers consume music and the way that they stay in touch with the company.
 Leaving aside the changes that you will be able to see throughout this year, we especially hope to communicate to everyone that ... Yes! We are 25 years old; we will also inform on the different channels available such as Myspace, Facebook, Twitter,...
In conclusion we would like to announce some new releases and reissues planned for this year, hopping that you will enjoy. So we will find reissues such as .Oriol Tramvia, Musica Urbana, Blai Tritono, Escolania de Montserrrat, Rocky Muntanyola, Secta Sònica,... and will appear with new releases Maria del Mar Bonet, Sangtraït's Tribute, Cobla Montgrins & Prot Bo,...
Historical Anthology of Catalan Music on iTunes
Hi everybody, Everyone who love classical music now can buy all the CD's that compound the Antologia Històrica de la Música Catalana (Historical Anthology of Catalan Music) on iTunes, the most important digital music shop. You can see the label room by clicking the photo: 
 We could baptize Midem 2009 as The Midem of the decline, on the one hand there are many fewer participants than in other editions, the festival's guide-book has almost half of pages than other years, but we can also note the decline in the concerts schedule and in the different delegations parties. This year's inaugural event on Sunday night was in charge of Russia and has been one of the worst parties that we remember, but there was an interesting pop-singer who was called Sergey, with good acute and a good performance, but compositions were not from the twenty-first century.  Even with the general crisis, we can also notify the new participations as the Chilean delegation, with whom the representatives of our government have held talks on cooperation at a time that we have closed partnerships with the company Infanta Terrible in Chile that is going to release the last record of Maria del Mar Bonet among other productions of Picap. Another symptom of the crisis is the missing presence of the Catalan press at the fair, where we only found Jordi Rueda from professional magazine Clave and missing journalists who used to come year after year such as Esteban Linés from La Vanguardia and Jordi Biencciotto from El Periodico... Also missing José Miguel López from Radio 3, he had a personal problem. By the Catalan part and under the brand CATALAN MUSIC, with a good design and professionalism they have done things in the best possible way, though the lack of understanding between ICIC and the Ramon Llull Institute, makes impossible a performance of any of the catalan artists in the most important record industries trade show. This Midem is not going to go down in history.
 After working few months recording the tracks at Manresa, the Barcelona’s band, Túrnez & Sesé has a new album to the market: " ROMANÇOS I ESTAMPES DEL 21" ( Picap, 2008) its fourth album. This album achieved by the 15 romances that make up the renewal of language, musical and literary style of this figure. The lyrics pass by a thematic own itinerary of tradition, but with new authorship narratives that are covered in modern arguments. Túrnez & Sesé make a sound travel through different melodies, rhythms, tones and timbres. The percussion has a role in some romances more rhythmic, other highlights stringed instruments –for the tracks that call for a more lyrical sound-, and other stringed instruments that give a more traditional and popular atmosphere. In an effort to overcome, the band has developed a very complete album and this time the lyrics are in charge of seven contemporary poets among them Josep de Flix, Montse Gort, Jordi Guardans or Sergi Jover.  The poets have created new romances using traditional arguments: love and gallantry, crime and revenge, thieves and bandits, mythical characters, satirical and political events... As a result we will find songs like " Repartiment", " Els Nous Segadors", " La dona alliberada" or " La Princesa bruna". We must remember that the launch of this record, " ROMANÇOS I ESTAMPES DEL 21", took place in the Great Hall of the Kursaal Theater within the schedule of the eleventh Fair of the Mediterranean celebrated in Manresa where the band conducted an interdisciplinary show where the image was also present through eight illustrator artists that, from visual contemporary language point of view illustrated in a conceptual and narrative way the romance. Listen to the single: Repartiment
Túrnez & Sesé at Barnasants with "Romanços i estampes del 21"
 Túrnez & Sesé is a band that begins in 2001 when they won the contest SONA 9 in the category of singer-songwriters. Since that moment they signed for our record company and edit "Quedarà a paraula” with poems of Desideri Lombarte, "L'arbre de l'esperança" with poems of Carner and Espriu, "Sol blanc”adapting and interpreting a small anthology of west’s language authors, and finally their new release "Romanços i estampes del 21".
During his musical career they has worked with artists such as Quico el Célio…, Maria del Mar Bonet, Lluís Molas, Quartet Quadrifonia, Toni Xuclà, among many others... creating in their performances an intimate atmosphere and force that moves the entire audience.
For this reason, and inside the schedule of Barnasants Festival, the next February 5th at 9:30 pm in the Auditorium Barradas (Rbla Just Oliveras, 56) in Hospitalet de Llobregatyou will be able to enjoy the performance of the new album "Romanços i estampes del 21" showed for first time in the Fira de la Mediterrània in Manresa.
 The performance is based on the renovation and updating of the literary language of Catalan romances. In this latter albumthe band have created new romances by the hands of contemporary poets who talkabout love and courtship, crime and revenge, thieves and bandits, political events,... projecting images of eight artists to illustrate this romance where space permits.
We hope you enjoy the concert that they have prepared and we leave you with the video of the single "Repartiment": 
Andorra & Eurovision 2009
For the sixth consecutive time Andorra will participate in Eurovision festival and this time with the accumulated experience of the last years of this festival.  Last Saturday at the headquarters of RTVA met the jury chaired by the General Director of the Andorran television, Mr. Enric Castellet. A jury of eight members representing different sectors and visions of the musical world, including the Picap’s director, Joan Carles Doval. The headline of Andorra’s newspaper said " ATV bet on the talent from home and contrasted to pass to the final" and began the article with " Experiments have been completed: Andorra Television (ATV) bid for the local product with proven experience to pass to the Eurovision final”. As a novelty this year, the jury will have more weight in voting to determine the winning song. Andorra has submitted a total of 107 disk models divided into three categories (composers, interpreters and closed projects).  Although Andorra does not have a big budget as it may have other countries, we believe that it may present an interesting project, that especially impact and could be remembered for all the followers of this great contest. Finally, three are the candidates who are going compete to represent Andorra at the Eurovision festival in Moscow. These are: - Lluís Cartes with the song “ Exhaust” - Susanne Georgi with the song “ Get a life” - Marc Durandeau & Marc Canturri with the song “ Estrelles d’or”
Albert Fibla - Concert at Cafè Teatre of Lleida.
 "El món es mou" is the title of the latest album from the songwriter from Badalona Albert Fibla. The album was released last February and talks about loneliness, isolation and individualism of twenty-first century’s people with songs like "Entre la multitude” (Among the crowd), "Pel seu nom", "Balmes 129" or "De bona lluna".
They have been intense months plenty of concerts, presentations and interviews in major media in the country.
Continuing with the task of bringing his songs and hidden messages, the songwriter is ging to act the next Sunday November 30th at the Escorxador theater’s Cafè of Lleida from 8:30 p.m. The action which is organized by the Association Anti-AIDS of Lleida will serve to give last presentation of the album "El món es mou".
In this concert we will find Albert Fibla accompanied by old friends as Jordi Belza on guitar and vocals, Valentí Adell at the piano, Guillem Aguilar on bass and Tito Busquets in the drums.
On the other hand we can also listen Albert Fibla on Saturday 29th, from 11:00 a.m. in the show in Catalunya Ràdio "The Supplement" with Núria Ferrer; to talk about his performance in Lleida on Sunday.
As always remind you that Picap works hard for you to stay on tune of the latest news, concerts and upcoming launches of our artists through the website of Picap, Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Netvibes,....
Listen to "Entre la multitud"
You can't miss it!
Would you like to stay on tune with Picap? Do you want to communicate directly to us?
Some months ago we published an article on the website explaining the changes in Picap to adapt to these times.
Under this premise, the marketing department along with the Production and Promotion has been developing new ways of communication, mainly on the internet, and in this post we want to show you different options that you have to follow Picap’s work.
1 .- Do you have Facebook? Look for Picap, you will find us in Facebook pages.
 Facebook is the biggest social network that has grown a lot over the past few months and Picap is there with a page where users can sign up as fans. In that page you can find a music player, and also we send updates with the latest news on the web to all our friends.
To sign up is as easy as clicking the following link: http://tinyurl.com/face-picap
2 .- Do you have Myspace?
 Myspace is beggining to be displaced by the Facebook, but it’s still the private community on the network with more artists that display their creations. For Picap becomes an essential tool for discovering new talents. For this reason there is more than a year ago that the company decided to join this community and we can only get good experiences. From Myspace we have found our graphic designer, as well as emerging artists. It really has saved time in listening demos, because lets you create an idea of what is offering the artist.
You will find us at: http://www.myspace.com/picapdiscografica
3 .- Do you have Twitter?
 Twitter, according to Wikipedia, is a social networking and microblogging service that allows to connect with your friends with messages from an extension of not more than 140 characters to know at all time what you are doing,... Twitter is also becoming a very powerful marketing tool for businesses and Picap has opened an account where you can add us as a friend and follow every day what the company is doing (artists, attendance at trade fairs, seminars, or just to know the point of views of our workmates,…).
-If you are already a user you can find us with @ Picap
-If you are not user, you can sign up now and follow Picap by clicking the following link: http://twitter.com/picap
4 .- Do you add RSS feeds in the section of bookmarks of your browser? And in your e-mail client?
 RSS technology allows you to publish and syndicate content to save time making unnecessary to enter each time on the same page to see if there is new content. In this way, syndicatting the content from Picap’s web you will be able to stay in tune and recieve the latest published news without having to enter each time.
RSS feeds from Picap’s web for the three languages are:
 Catalan: http://www.picap.com/xml/ct/picaprss.xml
Spanish: http://www.picap.com/xml/es/picaprss.xml
English: http://www.picap.com/xml/en/picaprss.xml There is different options (all of them valid) to syndicate the content of Picap’s web:
a)-To add the feed to the bookmarks of your browser, you only need to copy and paste the previous feeds into the section of your browser (ie Firefox and Internet Explorer)
 Firefox
 Internet Explorer
b)-To add the feed to your e-mail client, you can do it by pasting the feed with your favourite language as follows: (thunderbird, outlook, gmail)  Thunderbird
 Outlook
 Gmail
c)-You can paste the feed in any service of customized homepages like iGoogle and Netvibes. Later we will explain how to do it with Netvibes.
Even so, the latest albums releases are not syndicated, so do not miss the web and type http://www.picap.cat from time to time to see which new artists we have.
5 .- Do you have your browser's homepage customized with Netvibes?
As already mentioned above in the post, with Netvibes or iGoogle you can save time by watching all the information that you normally read on the same page.
 With Netvibes, Picap has created his Universe with all available information in RSS of the company. You'll find us in the following link: http://www.netvibes.com/picapdiscografica
Moreover, for all those who have an account with Netvibes, you will find feeds and widgets from Picap done to stay in tune of what is happening in the company. You just need to add content and write in the search bar Picap. The next 6 results show 3 news feeds from the web in 3 languages and 3 widgets also available in 3 languages.
You can find syndicated in a single feed all this information and add it in the bookmark bar of your browser by clicking here: http://es.eco.netvibes.com/rss/user/45415
Finally, if you are a Mac user with a Netvibes account, you can download and install widgets on your dashboard.
We bring you two good news from Picap. Nan Roig, a Rap Metal and Punk Rock band from Barcelona has joined Picap with its second work "Via Fora" (Picap, 2008), in the same way as Leyenda, a Metal band from Madrid.
 Nan Roig appears for the first time in 2005, formed by experienced musicians of the Barcelona scene, with the aim of moving the audience with a style rare in the Catalan circuit of music: Rap Metal; growing in this way the styles fan of Catalan music.
During 2007, with their first album, "Pandemonium AD" Nan Roig enjoyed a great response and acceptance by the public of the Catalan Countries; that led them to conduct a tour introducing this new musical proposal.
In early 2008, the band locked in the studio to record their new album that we present today, "Via Fora" (Picap, 2008), addressing 2009 as a year full of performances.
Listen here the new single from Nan Roig: "El Museu dels Arbres Morts"
 On the other hand, Leyenda, a band from Madrid who was born from the musical interest of David, Fernando and Antonio and eventually became a band with its own style acting in almost every concert hall in Madrid, has just joined Picap and during the upcoming spring we will be able to listen to his new album with the new company.
The band is characterized by the variety of their song, as both slow and fast with a lot of powerful influence of Heavy Metal.
We will keep you informed of the progress of the new album of Leyenda with Picap.
Ended the Music Trade Fair Womex it's time to take stock. As every year, a big part of music sector has met in Seville, although this fair focuses on tours and festivals of world music. Held at the Palacio de congresos of Seville, the fair had different spaces as 2 pavilions for the stands, a building where the conference took place, ...
 With more than 650 companies, 320 stands and 2800 delegates, the attendance exceeded the 2007 significantly. With 50 performances of 40 different countries, we were able to enjoy true musical jewels, including a performance of Peret with the accompaniment of some of the components of GEMA 4.
 As a commemoration of last year's celebration of Womex in Seville (Womex has signed a contract to celebrate it for 3 years in Copenhagen), the festival has wanted to pay tribute to the contribution of Andalusia with flamenco at the World Music. So we enjoyed the performance of the well known Miguel Poveda.
Although it’s not a pure music trade fair, Picap usually is there to give support for international tours of our artists through their discography is an important part of the international boost of our Record Label.
Apart from meetings with physical distributors from different countries; Picap, seeking always to stay in contact with the innovation in the recording industry, adapts to new ways of distribution such as digital distribution. In this sense we take in account this type of distribution, and we met with digital distributors to offer our friends and customers a new way to be closer and detect their musical needs.
11th Mediterranean Fair at Manresa
 The music bands S'Albaida, Túrnez & Sesé and Al Tall will be present at the Fira Maditerrània (Mediterranean Fair) of Manresa.
From October 30th till November 2nd Manresa celebrates the eleventh edition of the Mediterranean Fair devoted to the root and traditional entertainment.
The fair is a market for new artistic creations, inspired by the Catalan tradition or the one more common in the Mediterranean coast.
 The band from Menorca S'Albaida will act on Saturday November 1st at 4:30 in the afternoon at the Taverna of the Fair. The band which this year celebrates its tenth anniversary in active will interprete songs of his latest album Xalandria (Picap, 2008) and will end in this way the acts of the Fair.
Talking about S'Albaida is the same to talk about Mediterranean culture, Catalan and Menorquin. We can consider every track of this album as a small piece of popular culture of our country, maintain its poetic structure, but giving it a distinctive sound that we already know about the band.
They mix a concept of lyrics that will endure over time with the music of percussion with touches of flamenco or African music.
 Túrnez & Sesé will also act in Manresa presenting at the Fair their latest album " Romanços i estampes del 21" ( Picap, 2008) the fourth of this band. Romanços i estampes del 21 is a show based on the renewal of the literary language, musical and graphic from the Catalan romance. Seven contemporary poets write nine romances using traditional themes. Music and image are the transmission vehicle of these stories, and the melodies are inspired by popular forms, passed by the sound of Túrnez & Sesé, a band specialized in putting music to the poems created by Catalan authors; " Quedarà la paraula" ( Picap, 2002), " L'arbre de l'esperança" ( Picap, 2004), " Sol blanc" ( Picap, 2006) without forgetting the common root of the Mediterranean song and the reasons for the troubadour tradition through an atmosphere of chamber music. People who want, they may enjoy the new songs in the two concerts that are going to offer in the large room of the Kursaal, the first one on Thursday at 10:30 at night and on Saturday in the same room but at 6 in the afternoon.  Within the range of performances that will give us the Mediterranean Fair, the band Al Tall will present the show " Vergonya, cavallers, vergonya" their new album. The show revolves around the literary works of James I, which this year celebrates the 800th anniversary of his birth. The aim of the artistic proposal of the band is to claim the hitorical and political figure of the character. To do so, they created a repertory of new tunes that blend elements from different Mediterranean traditions, and have the voices of two exceptional guest artists: the Mallorcan Tomeu Penya and the Occitan Jan Maria Carlotti. We are in front of an album which is set to make history, that Picap will publish during the first half of 2009. We can see the show at Manresa on Sunday November 2 in the large room of the Kursaal at 1 p.m.
Womex, the main market for the world music all over the world, will start again in Seville for the fourth consecutive year at the end of October (October 29th – November 2nd).
In this trade fair, as always in these dates, we can find conferences, showcases, trade fair... and Picap will be present at all time.
From our company we believe in the adaptation need and we are aware about the know how of the record industry and the assistance in trade fairs is one of the principal pillars for the exchange of visions, opinions, ideas... that concern in the management of the record world sector.
In this sense we believe that it’s interesting, apart from all the commercial contacts that could arise, take part in the different conferences during these days, as the one that talks about the legal frame in digital topics for Record Companies and Artists, a look into digital music trends, and more.
 But an important part of Womex is dedicated to the artists' promotion, tours... In this respect the "King" of the Catalan Rumba, Peret, will realize an showcase as part of the offWomex Showcases.
 Peret, as Wikipedia says, is one of the maximum exponents of the Catalan Rumba, which fused the rock, the Flamenco Tango and the Cuban mambo.
 With songs so known as "Una Lágrima” (A tear) or "Borriquito" (little donkey) that appear in the album Gitana Hechicera that Picap has inherited from the PDI's catalogue.
For the acquisition of this historical catalogue we will find also other Peret's albums like "Jesus de Nazareth", "Que disparen flores" and "Como me gusta" reissued by Picap and "La puntita" and "No se pué aguantar" in reissue process; all of them with songs that buit an history inside the Catalan rumba.   
We are sure that all the collegas of Womex will enjoy this performance. Later you can listen to some emblematic songs of Peret: Gitana Hechicera
Borriquito
Una Lágrima
Caramelos
Vete
Joan Margarit, winner of National Prize of Poetry with his work called “Casa de misericòrdia” (House of Mercy)
 The prize is awarded to the best work of poetry published during 2007. The well known catalán poet Joan Margarit won last week the National Prize of Poetry awarded by the Culture Ministerium for the collection of poems “Casa de Misericòrdia” (House of Mercy), a work that also won the National Critics Prize, Rosalía de Castro Prize and Catalan Poetry Prize. This award, worth with 20,000 euros, is given to the best poetry work published during 2007 in spanish or oin any cooficial languages talked by the State.  Joan Margarit started his literary adventure at the end of ’50 but his first work had been published in 1975, called “ Crònica”. His poems have been recognized in many occasions, we can also stress the prizes awarded by Catalan Government “Crítica de Poesía Catalana” (Catalan Poetry Critique) or “Premi Nacional de Cultura” (National Prize of Culture). His work have been used as example and inspiration for Poets and Musicians, like Xavier Ribalta that made a selection for his record “ Xavier Ribalta canta Joan Margarit: 18 cançons d’Amor, Soledat, Llibertat i Melancolia” published by “Trobadors i Joglars” and distributed by “ Actual Records”. Listen a song from the record here
Crònica de la presentació de l'Antologia
Joan Barranca & Blai Masó
This meticulous production, released by Picap is a high quality piece of work featuring 16 new songs that swing between pop, jazz and bossa nova.
People in the music industry have described the album as “original, extremely creative, very mature, well produced, an oasis for the ears, easily enjoyable, etc.” The record features first class musicians was made in the old style: with enough time and resources, lots of creativity and attention to details, all of which are a luxury nowadays.
The album also includes a cover version of a song of the israeli singer Noa, who has ceded for free.
In summary, a more than worthwhile suggestion for lovers of good music.
Release of "Antologia Històrica de la Música Catalana" (Historical Anthology of Catalan Music)
The music in our country has been always a differential fact; keeping in mind that has been done by people who thinks and expresses artistically in a very special form. 
The Catalan encyclopedia defines the "Antologia Històrica de la Música Catalana" in the following way: "Record Collection begun to editing in the year 1966 by Edigsa under Pau Casals's presidency and the Management of Oriol Martorell and a team of editors, with the purpose of announcing the most interesting works of the musical evolution of the Catalan music". Following the project that Edigsa initiated –record label pioneer in the edition of the majority of Catalan artists in the years 60- and that the record label PDI continued, Picap has wanted to put it on the hands of the whole world and to adapt this collection to the current times. We feel very proud to be able to finally re-edit this great work that is "Antologia Històrica de la Músic Catalana" in CD format with new texts and designs as well as in digital format, adapting to the current times and ways of buying music. In this way, from this 2008, the Antologia Històrica de la Música Catalana will be able on the net at the main shops of digital music. As the promotional sheet says "The Antologia Històrica de la Música Catalana includes a set of recordings that try to offer a wide vision of what has been our music from the middle ages to the present days, and undoubtedly, deserves the consideration of important fact for our culture ". 
For this reissue in physical support we have created an special box of 33 CD's with the whole entire collection. As well as also, advised by Salvador Pueyo, there have been created different casings of 2 and 3 CD's. Selected with artistic and musical criteria.
For 20th consecutive year the Mercat de Música Viva de Vic is coming. This market was born with vocation of internationalizing the Catalan music and certainly every time his market approaches more to its goal, because it’s already considered one of the cultural markets of reference for the musical industry all over the world. In addition this year the ICIC (Catalan Institute for Cultural Industries) has decided -together with other 4 other festivals- to consider the Mercat de Música Viva de Vic as an strategic market for the diffusion of the music and the culture of our country. The market, divided between the professional part and the festival part, receives to all the professionals of the music world as visitors or as exhibitors, and works also as a meeting point of all the lovers of this art called music.
With a concerts schedule divided into two parts; the Invictro (with local artists, in the off scene of the market) and the Selecció Oficial (with international artists). And it’s inside the Selecció Oficial that the colleagues that make Picap are very happy to be able to say that the people in the market will enjoy the music of our label artists.
Thus, on Thursday 18th in the stage of LA PIETAT at 9 p.m. Toti Soler will perform his Guitarra Catalana show. 
On Friday 19th in the stage of PLAÇA MÀRTIRS at 9:30 p.m. Euclydes Mattos, an important character in the brazilian music will act.  The same Friday at 10 p.m. in the CINEMA VIGATÀ, you will enjoy the commemorative performance of 25 years of Pegasus, of which Picap is preparing a reissue of all their works in an individual CD’s and in a box with all the complete works.
On Saturday 20th, at 10 p.m. in the CENTRE COMUNITARI there will be the performance of Santi Arisa named Tavernas de poetes III that it’s in process of edition by Picap.  To finish, on Sunday 21st at 7 p.m. will act Tomeu Penya together with Géminis and Perico Linale Big Band in the PLAÇA MAJOR.
From Picap we are waiting that the change of the Artistic Manager of Mercat de Música Viva de Vic with Lluís Puig in front, it will serves more than ever to introduce the music of the Catalan Countries in the national and international programmers.
 Since some years ago, the music sector is in a change of cycle. From the appearance of new musical genres and new ways of enjoying the music (mp3, online,…) to the change in the way to promote the music, where traditional media used to create music hits and now they just schedule the hits when they are done, giving few opportunities to the new talents.
Despite of being a negative point for the sector, it can also become an opportunity for the music labels as Picap to be able to adapt the label to the new times and the new ways of promotion. Following the premise "to renew or to die" Picap has begun a new cycle in which it wants to obtain more presence on the internet, where we can meet all the music lovers exchanging valuations, worries,… These new times convulsed by Internet, new technologies and the appearance of the concept of web 2.0 where the user becomes the creator of information has caused the appearance of multitude of musical blogs, music forums, musical communities… where the user is the main figure.  Communities like Myspace ( http://www.myspace.com/picapdiscografica ) and Facebook (see previous article), and video portals like Youtube ( http://www.youtube.com/picapdiscografica ) have become new ways to promote artists and music labels; and we are planning to open to this new media. Picap is changing the organizational chart to give an answer to these new needs.
From Picap we want to keep in contact the internet users and music lovers who have musical blogs, music related webs,… you can contact us to talk about new possibilities of collaboration by sending an email to marketing@picap.cat, or by Picap’s pages of Myspace and Facebook.
National Day of Catalonia
Next September 11th, Catalonia celebrates his National Day with multitude of celebrations in different parts of the country.  Inside the " Festa per la Llibertat" that will take place in the Lluís Companys street of Barcelona during the whole day, the Companyia Elèctrica Dharma will offer at 8 p.m. one of his concerts from the tour "Misteri Tour '08" with the launch of his new album " El Misteri d'en Miles Serra i les músiques mutants" where the band has wanted to dedicate the CD to two teachers like Miles Davis and Joaquim Serra are, that have influenced his career as a music band. As a result of this fusion we will be able to enjoy a performance where they will fuse the style of sardanas of Joaquim Serra and the jazz-rock of Miles Davis. Of the same way, Picap will be present in this party with an stand where you will be able to find the last launches in CD format, as well as liquidation of different K7's to very attainable prices. And you will be able to buy the last CD of Companyia Elèctrica Dharma. We all expect to see you all in the different acts that are organized for this so special day.
"Sounds form the memory: Maria Carta" from Maria del Mar Bonet
In Siligo (Sardinia), town where Maria Carta was born, there is a Foundation-Museum with her name that remember her life (1934-1994).  At the beginning of this year, the foundation’s manager gave me a good new: they grant to me the Maria Carta’s Prize 2008. The main intention of these annual prizes is to recognize the job of Sardinian artists and also foreign artists who has contributed to the Sardinian culture diffusion. They gave it to me the August 10th at the town, inside an all day long celebration that began in the town hall, where the mayor met all the winners with a welcome meeting. Then they celebrate a mass in the church, where Sardinian artists sang songs, and before the lunch we went to the inauguration of an square in the middle of the town, with the portrait and the name of Maria. The grant ceremony was by night at the same square, that has the form of a little amphitheatre. Siligo is placed near Sásari and Alguer. It has a thousand inhabitants, that still live from the wheat and the shepherding. In Siligo, apart of being the name of the town, it’s also a higher wheat variety. Between olive grove and vineyards, there is also an astronomical observatory, where scientists, students and tourists meet there. It was a double joy for mi. In first place, because I knew Maria Carta, we had been singing together and we had a good friendship. In second place, because they gave me the prize for a version of the Sardinian song “Boghe, ´E Riu”, that I translated to “ Des de Mallorca a L’Alguer” (From Mallorca to Alguer), a song that I have ever stopped singing and also Nacho Duato has included it to his ballet about my songs “ Arenal”.  In the end of the 70’s, someone gave to me a Maria Carta’s record. It was full of traditional Sardinian songs. At the time I was listening to it I wanted to know her island, her culture and her language. Her voice was spectacular, deep and soft at the same time. She had a big confidence, that you can only get if you have been breathing since long years ago all the treasure of being born in a little town in Sardinia like her town. Maria, in the 50’s, won the miss Sardinia contest. She was very pretty, a very Mediterranean beauty. When we met in Paris in 1984 she was still taken. We were participating in a three weeks recital in Teatre de la Ville. The banderols were showing “Les tres Maries”. Maria Carta, Maria del Mar Bonet, Maria Farantouri. The first day we met in the hotel, she was with her husband and her son, a four years old child, David. During that morning we had to go to a TV program to promote the festival. I hade ver seen her singing in live. She sang a capella, an “Ave Maria” in sardinian. Very nice… That day we had time to talk to each other. We talked about the repertory we were going to sing in the theatre. Fieldwork songs, lullaby songs, poetry, etc. We confirmed that we had a lot of things in common, traditions, words, rhythms and the fact that our islands were so close and looked so far. The two of us we leaved home very young, Maria Carta to Rome and me to Barcelona, and we knew the meaning of leaving home, leaving family far away, friends…, the new way gave to us new learnings and new inconceivable profesional opportunities. Togheter with a yearning feeling, and a sensation of membership and exclusion at the same time. As Isidor Marí says to his daughter: “You will always avoid me / I will always be yours”.  During many years we have been meeting each other, now I remember the last time. It was in Barcelona, in the “Plaça del Rei” square, guest by the City Hall. I thought I'd take the opportunity to show her the city and I gave to her my last album, where there was the sardinian song “Boghe, ´E Riu”, that Albert Garcia translated into catalan. She told me that she discovered and sang that song many years ago. When she started to sing in Sardinia, she was the first to give importance to the traditional music because people saw this music with indifference. Her effort and her success was definitely to make Sardinia in conscious of it’s sardinian music treasures. She took part in the Italian Communist Party, and she was elected as communal counselor in Rome from 1976 to 1981. “Someone can be surprised –said Maria-, not for my candidature, but to know that I am communist... I really think people should be surprised if I wasn’t communist… for my origin, my way of life, my sardinian songs… all take to me to a unique identity. I’m a warrior woman that fight for our country, for a fair human future.” She gave lessons of Antropology and Popular Traditions in Bolonia University. She wrote poetry, whita a book called Canto rituale. As well as her long carreer as singer (26 albums y recitals around the world), she was also actress, playing theatre and films (Jesús de Natzaret of F. Zeffirelli and El Padrino II, of F.F. Coppola). Since de beginning of her carreer, she was an open window to her land, culture, and her language, of the great treditions of Sardinia. In 1989 she fell ill, she had a breast cancer and fought till 1994. She never stopped singing. That days, looked like Maria Carta invited to me to her town. From her brothers,her son and her nieces hands I have been walking along her town. They show me the museum and the foundation where they keep and show her films, musica albums, videos and books. Her dresses and instruments. In Siligo, where people continue planting and harvest wheat, olive and wine. Where they keep Maria Carta’s voice forever. Maria del Mar Bonet
Prompt to the appointment of the first Wednesday of August, with a crescent moon and a stressed Southwesterly Wind, at 10:30 pm, the current components of PORT-BO group came to the stage of the square and beach of Port-Bo of Calella de Palafrugell to celebrate the 42th anniversary of the group.  PORT-BO was born in 1966 on the occasion of the presentation of the book: "Calella de Palafrugell i les havaneres". The initial trio was composed by Josep Xicoira, Carles Mir and Ernest Morató. Forty two years later, the group is formed by Carles Casanovas, Fonso Carreras and Mineu Ferrer, that they offered some a splendid first part based on their last production " Busca’m a l’Empordà" ( Picap, 2008). In the second part of the party-show came on the stage the current components of the group plus the four ex-components still living and directed by Castor Pérez offered us a selection of havaneres, polkas, sea valsets and song of tavern from the most classical repertoire. With seven voices and a guitar we had fun with the all time hits even with the original version in spanish of "La Gaviota" wrote by the ex-member of PORT-BO Frederic Sirés. Carles Casanovas explained that Sirés composed the song in spanish, because it was  dedicated to a girlfriend that had left in Cuba, Orfelia, that as Carles said, she should be very beautiful to deserve a song like this... The same Sirés wrote the catalan version after two years at the request of local singers and it is in Catalan how the public sang the return part of the song last night. The three components of the current band jointly with Enric, the Castor, Txiqui and Fèlix made us to enjoy a good concert and demonstrated once again because PORT-BO doesn’t have competence in this musical genre.
Albert Fibla will act next thursday september 18th in Fnac of Plaça Catalunya (Barcelona) at 7 p.m. He will act together with Jordi Belza (guitar and voice) and Valentí Adell (keyboards) and the performance will be for free; playing the songs of the new album "El món es mou" (Picap, 2008). By the other side, the singer from Badalona will collaborate in the show 'El suplement' this season. This show is managed by Núria Ferré in Catalunya Ràdio and he will play songs about sports news. Albert will appear twice a month, on sundays at 10:30 a.m.
Concert’s season for the Orquestra Internacional Maravella.
 They will play the new album songs “Música Internacional” (Picap 2008).
More than 50 years of history and bringing the music and the Catalan culture all over the world is the best way to introduce one of the most representative and emblematic orquestra of our country: the Orquestra Internacional Maravella.
Since the foundation in 1951 by Lluís Ferrer i Puigdemont La Maravella has not stopped playing on the stages. The beginning of this long and successful musical adventure the orquestra had a very good reception abroad playing around Europe, from here comes the Orquestra Internacional name. It is necessary to say that the good reception of the public was not only abroad, in our country almost every town has seen the Orquestra Maravella playing their songs.
After many years of musical experience in 1997 comes the recognition from the institutions of Catalonia with the prize-giving of the "Creu de Sant Jordi" of Catalonia’s Government for letting know the Catalan culture all over the world.
From Picap we you want to show the new album of La Maravella "Música Internacional" (PICAP 2008).
The new album "Música Internacional" it’s build by songs of the whole world that try to reflect the spirit and the essence of this universal art understood for all over the World, the music. Immortal titles and unforgettable memories for example "Cielito Lindo", "Alma Llanera", "My heart will go on ", "Queen Rhapsody" interpreted by the personal stamp of the mythical orchestra of Caldes.
Everybody will be able to see and to enjoy the orchestra in more than 80 concerts that will be realized from now until the end of the year, where we are going to listen the old album’s songs and the ones from the new album.
You can look up for the concerts on the Orquestra Maravella website and also in the Picap’s Myspace page.
El Cant del Barça #1 at Jamba!
El Cant del Barça,
the original and oficial version, sang by La Coral Sant Jordi is #1 in one of the most
important internet portals for mobile phones,
Jamba! You will find it in
favourites, inside the music section. El Cant del Barça
has been edited and it’s distributed by
Picap, you can also
fisically get it at Actual Records Distribució
since 2007. Inside the album you will find versions from artists like
Pep Sala or Joan Isaac. This is a good new that shows all the work that
Picap is developing to adapt
the company to anew ways of distribution, digital distribution in this
case.
The next August 30th, Albert Fibla will performance the songs of his new album "El món es mou" at "Festival Acústica de Figueres"
 In the middle of the festivals season, as every year, the capital of the “Alt Empordà” will offer 5 long days of one of the most important musical contest of the latter years. On the 27th the fifth edition of "Festival Acúsitca de Figueres" will be inaugurated.
Born in 2002, this festival has been creating a professional market of important offers where programmers, artists and public meet new artists combined with consecrated artists. The whole success if we compare the assistance numbers between 2002 where 3000 meet there and 2006 had 23,000 people.
This year the festival has a very nice schedule with Kiko  Veneno, Marlango, Shuarma, Toti Soler, Quico Pi de la Serra, Toni Xuclà and the songwriter of Picap, Albert Fibla, who will show the new album songs "El món es mou".
The concert will take place on Saturday, the 30th of August at eight o'clock in the afternoon at “Plaça de l'Església” where you will enjoy songs like "Pel seu nom", "De bona lluna", "Entre la multitud" and many more. A good opportunity to discover one of the most emergent songwriters of our musical panorama.
Xavier Ribalta in concert at "Discopolis" from Radio 3
 Xavier Ribalta has played different poems of Joaquim Horta, Joan Salvat-Papasseit, Joan Coromines, Marius Torres, Salvador Espriu, Joan Maragall, Joan Margarit and so on, and has make a decisive task in the restoration of anonymous and popular songs of Catalonia.
Xavier Ribalta's work personifies the most genuine orientation of the Catalan "Cançó" (Song). The musical riches of his compositions valued all around the world, the rigour in the choice of the poets played by him and the form of the interpretations all they are his main characteristics.
On March 16th, 2007 Xavier Ribalta interpreted in the "Auditori de Barcelona" many pieces from different Catalan authors, since Joan Margarit to Ausiàs March with great feeling and passion. We could also listen the lyrics frfom the excellent Franch songwriter Léo Ferré that Xavier Riblata sang it in Catalan. With the accompaniment of really magnificent musicians, the response of the people after the performance was reaffirming the great event that was lived that day. The room, technically excellent, was the suitable context to frame the performance. The sonority was incredible in a distinguished space, and the lighting created the environment according to each theme. This Friday, the 15th of August we have the opportunity to re-live Xavier Ribalta’s concert through the program "Discopolis" of Radio 3 managed by José Miguel López for the whole Spain in a one hour summary programmed from two o'clock to three o'clock in the afternoon and a special rerun on Monday, the 18th of August at four o'clock in the morning.
Maria del Mar Bonet recieves the Maria Carta Prize
 Last Sunday, the 10th of August, Maria del Mar Bonet recieved in Siligo (Sardinia) the “Maria Carta Prize” granted by the foundation that takes the name of this Sardinian singer. In the same morning, there was a square inaugurated dedicated to Maria Carta in Siligo.
Maria Carta was born in Siligo (Sassari) on 1934 and left us on 1994 in Rome. It was an Italian songwritter that worked specially the popular Sardinian music, bringging all this kind of music out of Italy. With 24 published albums it is an authentic referent of the music of Sardinia Island.
The foundation that takes her name gives the prize to singers with a great international relief who have interpreted popular music of the Island and in this occasion has been fixed in Maria del Mar Bonet that plays the song “Des de Mallorca a l’Alguer” (El cor del temps, Picap 1997) popular song from Alguer adapted by Albert Garcia.
Maria del Mar Bonet has returned from Siligo and she’s already preparing the next concerts scheduled for this summer, as the next August 24th jointly with Manel Camp in The Granadella, or September 9th presenting "Terra Secreta” (Picap, 2007) in Picassent (Valencian Country), September 10th in Palma (Teatre Xesc Fortesa), 12th of September with Manel Camp in Son Servera (Mallorca) and many more that you can check in Picap’s Myspace.
Picap is conscious of the
importance that the new technologies have nowadays, for this reason we
have created a new department, the new technologies department. All the work is going to be related with the music and it’s digital
environment. Doing this
Picap proposes to use these
new technologies to give a better service to our clients, friends and
good music lovers. In fact, we want to tell you that we already have a new page available
for all the Facebook users, the
Picap’s page. Inside you will find everything related to the company
like new records, videos of youtube, music player, discussion board,… We hope that you joint the page to have a direct feedback with the
company.
Rebem una trucada de l’Eric del grup
+Rodamons|ht [...]
"El món es mou" of Albert Fibla
 You can look up for the concerts During august Albert Fibla
will bring the songs of his new album in Riudebitlles and “Festival
Acústica” in Figueres.
Last Monday, the August 4th there was the fourth “Meeting of
songwriters in Riudebitlles” and this year Meritxell Genés and Albert
Fibla participated.
With a full Saint Peter church square we lived a fantastic music night form our country. Together with Jordi Belza, playing the guitar, and Valentí Adell,
playing the piano, Albert Fibla offered to the public the new album
songs “El món es mou” (Picap, 2008)
The quality of the sound, and the great atmosphere made both, the
public and the songwriter enjoy the concert with an special feeling.
We recommend you to not to lose the next Albert Fibla's concert that
will take place on August 30th in the "Festival Acústica" in Figueres.
If you want to be informed of the concerts dates of our artists, you
can do it by visiting the Picap’s website or by visiting the Picap’s
Myspace.
Raimon, "22 maig a la Villa"
The night of 22 May was unforgettable. We had the night of our lives
at the concert in the Faculty of Medicine at the Universitat Complutense de Madrid. 1968 was a year of ferment in Madrid and one of the high points was
the concert given by
Raimon on 18 May, a
concert that has gone down in history with the song titled “18 de maig a la villa”. Wanting to
celebrate the anniversary, students in Madrid organized events
throughout the week, including roundtables, exhibitions and a concert,
featuring a performance by
Raimon himself.
On Thursday evening I visited the two exhibitions. There were stirring
photographs of the concert and some fascinating documents relating to
the event, such as the dean's statement to the police and the judge,
press cuttings from the period, songs banned by the censor, posters,
album covers, original paintings by Miró and Tàpies used to illustrate
the covers of recordings by
Raimon,
audiovisuals, and so on.
The concert hall was packed to the rafters. The organizers had set up
giant screens in the entrance, so that as many people as possible
could see the concert, which was also broadcast live online.
It was wonderful to see eleven television channels covering the event,
just as it was a joy to see how well Raimon was treated by the media
in Madrid, with the usual exceptions.
At the concert we met various Catalans who have taken up residence in
Madrid, including Manuel Campo Vidal and Enric Sopena; Catalans who
had come to Madrid specially for the concert, such as Jordi
García-Soler, Ramon Muntaner and Rafel Ribó; and Madrid natives, such
as Caco Senante, Rosa León, four government ministers, one former
minister and the Valencian Jordi Sevilla. The audience included older
people who may well have been at the original concert in 1968 and
young people, probably students at the Complutense. To add to the fun,
there was a large group at the entrance, waving placards and chanting,
complaining that the generation of ’68 had betrayed them and
demonstrating against the Bologna Process.
When Raimon came on
stage, he was greeted with a three-minute ovation. His set was serious
and honest and made no concessions to nostalgia. It was the same
concert he has given elsewhere this year, with a few of his old hits
but mainly new material and four previously unreleased songs. To end
the concert, he sang the inevitable “18 de maig a la villa”. First,
Raimon explained the
lyrics in Spanish and quite a few people followed the words in the
program, using their mobile phone as a torch.
As was to be expected, the audience demanded several encores, which
included some of the old favorites, ending with “El Vent”, to which the
Madrid audience sang along.
Raimon is a vital
part of our culture, the sort of artist we would have to invent if we
did not already have him.
Last week we worked very hard, evaluating projects and planning the
company’s forthcoming music. We have a few new colleagues at Picap
whose skills and enthusiasm encourage us to keep looking ahead to a
successful future. With twenty-four years of professional experience
backing us, our team strikes a balance between experience and youthful
freshness that will allow us to meet new challenges. We’ve inaugurated a new department called New Technologies, with Jordi
Jiménez contributing ideas and working towards the horizons we have in
mind. Francesc Verdera has added her young mindset and talent to the
Promotion Department, whereas Pere Jové has taken charge of Logistics
and warehousing and Josep Maria Abella has taken over the
Administrative Department. In addition to the new collection of Cuban music on DVD and CD we’ve
presented –a perfect collection for learning to dance and discovering
the best new music on the Caribbean scene–, we’ve also reissued such
interesting albums as Pi de la Serra’s “Pijama de saliva”
and several LPs by Toti Soler. Other CDs we’ve
put out recently also include the latest albums by
S’Albaida,
Naltrus,
Rodamons,
Dharma,
Lupe Villar,
Jordi Sabatés,
Port Bo,
and many others. Moreover, we’re preparing the editions of ANTOLOGIA HISTÒRICA DE LA
MÚSICA CATALANA (History of Catalan Music, an Anthology), the complete
discographies of Jordi Sabatés,
Peret, La Pataqueta and
others. So keep an eye out –over the next few weeks we’ll be putting
out some great stuff. We stated above that it had been a week of relentless work. To sum it up:
On Monday, we had a meeting with
Lloll and Celdoni Fonoll and signed
a project to publish an anthology of Fonoll as a double CD, an album
we are thrilled to produce because we believe Fonoll’s music deserves
it. On Tuesday, we had a business lunch with Annalisa and
Raimon
to discuss the concert in Madrid on May 22 and other forthcoming
projects. At the same time, we ran into Vicenç Villatoro
and took the opportunity to inform him that we had just reissued Ramon
Muntaner’s
“Fugida”,
with lyrics by Villatoro, which he was thrilled to hear. On Wednesday,
we met with Jesús Ventura and Jordi Molina, with whom we discussed
producing an album by Tenora i gran orquestra, a complex, fascinating
project. On Thursday we planned the new album by the havaneres band,
Xató, new album presentations
and the scheduling for other projects. On Saturday, we went to Berga
to attend the concert by Companyia Elèctrica Dharma with the band of La Patum, the
town festival. This combination was very promising and may soon become
a recording project, but it rained hard all afternoon and by 7:30 pm,
the organizers had cancelled the concert. Truly a pity, because at 10
pm, when the concert was supposed to begin, not a drop was falling in
the city of Berga.
DRAGONSLAYER, one of the best
hard rock groups in Spain, has recently been touring the main cities,
supported by the Madrid band
LEYENDA. Last Saturday it was the turn of Poble Nou in Barcelona. Fans crowded
into the La Nau concert hall to hear some of the best rock to be heard
anywhere in Spain at the moment. The concert began with
Leyenda,
followed by Dragonslayer, who
played some of the tracks from their latest album
“Cronos”
( Picap). There were various
guest appearances and other surprises in this last show of the tour.
First, Dragonslayer invited Leyenda's Madrid-born singer to sing "Com
la pluja" in Catalan. Later, as the main attraction, Lupe Villar and Víctor Estevez came on as guests and
sang two songs from the recently released “Kcor d rock”
album. Taking the opportunity of having Lupe on stage, they gave an
impressive rendition of
Sangtraït
"Les creus vermelles". The gig ended with the members of Leyenda and
Dragonslayer singing together, in a rousing finale to this tour by two
great bands.
On our new website we’ve added a very attractive section for emerging
groups wishing to make their music known, the Demo Contest.
Now you have the opportunity of presenting your demo. Now your music
will be heard, and what’s more important, evaluated.
Picap will listen
very carefully to all demos received. But to make things more
interesting, we thought we’d create a contest by popular vote. For
more information, just click on the section Demo Contest.
Maria del Mar Bonet en un festival antiautopistes
Homenatge a Lluís Llach - Si véns amb mi (Tribute to Lluís Llach: If You Come with Me)
Lluís Llach is one of the best
Catalan musicians of all times. Several months ago, he decided to give
his last concert and, as he put it, “stop acting like Lluís Llach”.
Lluís has stopped recording records and giving concerts, but his
legacy, his works, will remain with us forever. Now you can listen to
these precious songs that form part of our lives in different
versions. Si véns amb mi
(If You Come with Me) is a tribute to this singer-songwriter in which
his friends and fellow musicians from around the world interpret the
Empordà musician’s songs in their own style. A different perspective
revealing the personality of each musician, adding a new dimension to
each piece by Lluís Llach.
The first CD contains unpublished versions including: a spectacular
interpretation of “Penyora” by Maria del Mar Bonet, who also
created the illustration for the album cover – palm trees drawn in the
sand; a gripping Pedro Guerra; a surprising Silvio Rodríguez; the spiritual
force of Adrià Puntí and Miquel Gil; a splendid rendering of “Que
feliç era mare” by Marina Rossell;
a goose-bump inducing version of “Laura” in voice and piano by Roger Mas; Joan Isaac with his rendering
of “Vida”, which seems written for him; Josep Tero; Joan Amèric;
Túrnez & Sesé; Gorka Knörr;
Manu Guix and many others.
The second CD contains previously released versions in different
languages, some of them quite well known, such as “Un núvol blanc” in
Spanish (“Nube blanca”) by Ana Belén,
and others unknown to the great majority of people, but excellent and
stunning, such as: the version of “Abril 74” by the Italian, Alessio Lega; Jean-Michel Jarre's “l’Estaca”; the
Brazilian Zizi Possi's
rendering of “Cançó d’amor”;
the Frenchwoman Catherine Ribeiro's
“Lluna”; the Catalan group, Pomada with “Que tinguem sort”; the Polish
group, Zespół Reprezentacyjny’s rendering of “Encara”; and the Catalan
group
Inadaptats
covering “La gallineta”; among others.
A tribute album to one of the greats that will allow you to enjoy his
good songs in totally different versions and from unexpected
perspectives; it reflects the truly global scope of the international
singer from the town of Verges.
Last September we had the enormous pleasure of launching one of the
best albums, "Terra Secreta",
by our most universal singer. Since
then, Maria del Mar Bonet has been
immersed in a whirlwind of live and
studio concerts and interviews, performing throughout Spain and
appearing on major Spanish television and radio programs.
This album will go far, to judge by its excellent quality. The first
results of this well-rounded disc are promising – it was number 1 in
iTunes sales in October. Few Catalan musicians can boast having
captured such an important market as the digital one.
With PORT-BO there was a before and an after in the musical genre of
havaneres. The band from Calella’s first album with Picap was “Arrel
de tres”. Port Bo has put out ten albums with Picap to date, apart
from appearing on such albums as “Les nits de la bella Lola”,
“Sardanes a la taverna” or “Picap 20 anys, el concert” in
collaboration with other groups. Next week they will put out their
eleventh with us, a precious CD you can hear live at the many concerts
they have lined up this summer. It will accompany you the many times
when you feel the overriding need of listening to songs like the ones
included in “Busca’m a l’Empordà”. This recording was produced by
Antoni Mas, author of the lead song by the same name, recorded at the
studios Estudis 44,1 in Aiguaviva, now one of the best in the country,
with a design by Ramon Sauló. “Busca’m a l’Empordà” is a disc that
departs from the usual fare, with melodies and rhythms ranging from
the sardana by Mas Ros, “Tossa bonica”, to the lovely havanera,
“Margarita”, by maestro Ortega Monasterio, who wrote it in Spanish and
for which PORT BO has done a version in Catalan. You’ll also find an
havanera-plus-prayer that Casanovas wrote when he was an adolescent
and that had remained unpublished until now, “L’oració del pescador”
(The Fisherman’s Prayer), and “Mare vull ser pescador”, the first
piece by Antònia Vilàs sung by Port Bo. Other pieces by Casanovas,
Josep Bastons, Antoni Mas and others make “Busca’m a l’Empordà” an
extraordinary CD that stands out in the havaneres genre. It is one of
those new works that, like the swallows, announce the arrival of good
weather. “Busca’m a l’Empordà”, like Picap’s entire catalogue, is
available in CD format as well as through our “Albums à la Carte”
service and at major electronic download shops such as iTunes, eMusic,
Napster, Yahoo Music, etc.
Musicians Recording New Albums.
Picap will start off the year with great
pleasure. Get ready, because the new
albums by Albert Fibla,
Nua,
Baetúria,
Xavi Vidal & Berni Mora,
Lupe Villar,
Naltrus,
Rodamons
and the debutants
Pitjorestàstu
will come
out during the first quarter of 2008.
Picap continues to show a firm
commitment to high-quality music by
both emerging musicians and those who’ve been touring for years.
We’ll keep you informed every time one of these albums appears so
you’ll be the absolute first to know.
New Website + Albums à la Carte
We’ve totally refurbished our website. We’ve added some attractive
features, such as the Picap Radio and the
section on albums à la carte, and we’ve
revamped our corporate image. On Picap Radio, which
speaks for itself, you’ll be able to listen to all the hits that
Picap continues to put out on the
market, in addition to the all-time greats, of course. As an
absolutely innovative feature and an expression of
Picap's firm commitment to
offer the best service to all of you, we’ve started an ambitious
project called Albums à la Carte:
an exclusively web-based service where you can create your own CD to
suit your taste, and even choose the cover you prefer. We are very
proud of our new website and the new services we are launching for the
public at large. Picap is a company
deeply rooted in our country which continues to show a commitment to
new technologies and new ideas just like when we started out, always
thinking of the musicians and you.
Doing justice to its long tradition of publishing local music,
Picap
will have the honor of putting out several reissues during the first
quarter of 2008 from among its hit list, including albums by the
emblematic
Àtic,
Sonia Cortés
and the popular
Vicenteta. Worthy of special mention are the reissues we will put out during the
first quarter of 2008 from the PDI-Edigsa catalogue. Edigsa, a label
that was later taken over by PDI, played a very significant role in
the early years of the "Nova Cançó" (“New
Song”, a Catalan folk-rock
movement), serving as an effective platform for launching and making
nearly all the singer-songwriters of the movement known, from the most
diverse members of Els Setze Jutges to
Raimon, not to mention their
publication of albums by solo singers, vocal groups, vocal and
musician ensembles, choirs and choral societies, as well as
significant recordings of music for children, poetry and classical and
traditional music.
Now that Picap has acquired the
PDI-Edigsa catalogue, we will be
reissuing over 60 top albums in the first quarter of 2008 by bands
such as Companyia Elèctrica Dharma, Al Tall, Tete Montoliu and many
more. In addition, of course, to the reissues we’ve already published
in 2007, such as Gato Pérez
"Romesco",
Albert Pla's emblematic "Ho sento molt"
and Lluís Llach's first LP, "Les seves primeres cançons"
(His First Songs).
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After spending two and a half years recording, 
