BPI Grounded

If it’s not the fallout from the collapse of its banking systems, then it’s the fallout from one of its volcanoes erupting.

Either way, the tiny North Atlantic island of Iceland is becoming well versed in bringing the rest of the world to a standstill.

One of the victims of its most recent disaster, a volcano blowing its lid beneath a glacier that goes under the seemingly unpronounceable name of Eyjafjallajokull, was a BPI trade mission about to depart for a discussion on synch licensing in Los Angeles.

As the mountain belched out a cloud of smoke and ash that plumed over most of Europe, reps from the 40 or so UK companies signed up for the three-day U.S. gathering were grounded. Great Britain and a huge part of the continental mainland became a no-fly zone.

Various reports have surfaced of acts being faced with canceling shows or finding some imaginative and circuitous ways of getting to them.

As for the synch licensing pow-wow, it’s hoped the 30-plus presentations by senior U.S. synch licensing executives and music placement companies – as well as a number of networking events and a formal reception at the UK Consulate in L.A. – can be rescheduled for later in the year.

“In the meantime, I am now a firm believer in that part of chaos theory which states that the outpourings of a 1,000-year-old-plus volcano in Iceland can affect the gathering of a few UK music people in a city 5,000 miles away,” said BPI director of international events Julian Wall.