With around 5000 live music performances a year, there are far more concerts and festivals in Oslo compared to neighbouring Scandinavian capitals Stockholm and Copenhagen. by:Larm alone attracts 1500 music industry delegates and 500 musicians. The event is divided into a daytime programme with seminars, meetings, debates and workshops, and an evening music festival counting up to 350 gigs at various venues across Oslo. The festival is the most important meeting place between the Norwegian and international music industry.

The music industry is the most important player on Oslo’s creative scene. The impact Oslo’s live music activity has on urban development, culture and business is significant. A seminar before the official by:Larm opening focused on brand and identity development, and cooperation and working methods to develop Oslo in terms of culture and investment was discussed. This seminar will lead to a continued partnership between the music industry, the public sector and developers, as Knut Halvorsen, Managing Director at Oslo Teknopol, outlined in his speech that can be read in full below:

Some words from Oslo Teknopol

Presented at by:Larm seminar, February 19th 2009, by Knut Halvorsen, Manager. 

I will be short – my, and Oslo Teknopol’s, job in this city is to make good things happen on the creative side; innovation and international cooperation is what we are paid to do. Sometimes that job is more amusing and stimulating than other times. This is definitely a peak.

We move fast, and we want results, and it works best when all the implied partners are happy with the conclusion. The aim Oslo Teknopol has with this seminar is that the partners in this panel can agree - and only with a handshake today - that we will have some kind of intentional agreement stating that we will deepen our cooperation, in order to stimulate the music industry in Norway. If it turns out bad, all partners are free to go, but at least we tried. The cooperation has been very smooth and good so far, almost lasting a year - so I think it should not take much from any of us, and it feels good and right to now try to move this to the next level.

First of all let me state - and being a civil servant, I should be careful in making this kind of statement. This one I risk: We have wise politicians in this city. The investments that the city now are doing in stimulating the music scene, both by working with the most important pop and rock movement in Norway - by:Larm - and by creating the Pop center at Schous, are internationally significant moves. The political decisions have size, it has creativity, it has boldness and it will for sure be noticed around the world. We`ll make sure of that.

As Little Steven said in his speech when Øvingshotellet was opened on Monday:

 "This is amazing. This is what government should do".

It is also ok that the politician now has left the seminar. This is also their strategy, and this is how it should be; now let the industry and the professional helpers take care of the details.

So why should we do this: I scared Erlend, Sondre and Paal the other day, when I said that in my presentation I will focus on the long term economic changes of the city, the Marxian historic perspective - about identifying the important economic drivers of history - and then find out how we should work with them. That does not mean that one is a Marxian in politics - we are all proud to say that we are all social democrats here. In the broadest sense, all political parties in Norway are happy to say that. My point is that the music industry is becoming a driving economic force of the city, it is not just "culture and luxury on top of things". That’s why we work equally with the creative industries, as we do with the other clusters of the Oslo region. Oslo was based on shipping, later also on energy, now perhaps also renewable energy, and it is among the world leaders in these sectors. It has a great information technology industry, and it has many, very potent sub-clusters in the biomarine sector and in cancer related research and development, to mention some.

And within the creative industries, music is the most potent driver. by:Larm is an enormously important initiative, not only for the music lovers in Oslo, but for all of Norway. I will not get into all the facts behind this, since other speakers have spoken about that. I think we for sure can say that this week, with the opening of Øvingshotellet, and now moving into the by:Larm week, will be milestones.

But we need to move this forward. We need to make the Norwegian music-industry better, better prepared for the international market. That’s why we are so pleased and happy to work with Little Steven, Jean and John of Renegade nation, who not only represent international professionalism at the very top level, but who actually works with Norwegian bands to help them out in the world. The best you can offer is not being nice (all though you have plenty of that too), but to be sincere about our strong and weak sides, the way you see it. One of the conclusions we ended up with during our dinner on Monday night was "Fuck Jante". Just the fact that you have been living all your life without being aware of the Law of Jante makes you the greatest coach for Norwegian bands who wants to make it out there.

My ten minutes are almost up. Let me towards the end quickly sum up what I hope the partners in the panel here can agree on with a hand shake today;

- That Erlend and his by:Larm team continue to create great by:Larms in Oslo, to the benefit of Oslo and all of Norway, perhaps also after 2011?

- That Paal and his great colleagues at Kulturetaten in Oslo Kommune will continue to be able to combine their creative skills with the ability to make things really happen. And secondly: to make sure that the City of Oslo tries it best to find good solutions for other creative forces in the music industry in the Schous Cultural Brewery.

- That Little Steven and Renegade nations continue to work with us to find more permanent solutions for cooperation. Secondly; that you keep on stimulating talents (not only Norwegians) in the music crafts. And thirdly, that you guys promise to attend the by:Larm events also in the years to come.

- Finally for myself and Oslo Teknopol; if ok for you guys - we will continue to coordinate all good forces here, and make sure to help where we can.

This is the basis of the intentional agreement I mentioned in the beginning. If ok - we agree with a handshake here today - and perhaps sign something later this week.

Thank you.