We chatted with Eduardo Lindes Burnao, the director of Plastica Magazine, a digital magazine with 13 editions to date, and which is now looking for financial support to launch a paper version. Plastic Magazine´s objectives: the professionalization of a semi-sufficient scene which generates its own demand parallel to the anglo-saxon.

How and why was Plastic Magazine born?

It was born of nothing, literally. At least not of anything physical. A group of us artists who collaborate on other publications came together with something in common. What we had in common was a desire to talk about what was happening on the street in an objective way, beyond our personal tastes, things that impact on the future state of Spanish music, let´s call it “music trends”. Besides bringing all this to the world, we want to widen our scope to take in the whole Hispanic world. To begin locally and end up global.

Who is behind Plastic Magazine? How many people are collaborating? What are the different personal profiles that go into making the magazine?

Well it’s a tough question, because there many! The headquarters are in London and Madrid. But it is easier to say that we are 9 cities with regular collaborators living in each, and in 13 different countries with cultural events and developments and cooperation between Europe and America. So, we are plenty!

How do you arrive at a selection of the groups that appear in Plastic Magazine?

We are curious by nature and we know that there are few reliable publications, because their daily work is based on a multitude of commercial compromises with brands that also have interests in social or cultural affairs, and therefore their content is contaminated or in the best of cases, repeats itself over and again, if not in terms of musicians, then in types of musicians. If you look, for example, at the “Best of the Year” lists that are already approaching you will realise that those who appear in them, could well be there because they have some muscle behind the them who is in permanent contact with the publication, who don´t investigate this, but are feeding back off the same sources since the 90s. We investigate, it´s as simple as that.

You organized a Crowdfunding to launch the paper version of the magazine. Why did you opt for that? Does crowdfunding really work?

In the beginning it wasn´t going to be an option for us as the Crowdfunding system is something that Spain still hasn´t assimilated yet. Even less so for a company like ours. However, in other countries like the United States or the United Kingdom, it has. To give you an idea, in the USA or the United Kingdom you have 4 options for financing your projects, those who happen to be rich or have relatives who are, can ask for a loan from the bank, you can apply to a Business Angel fund, or there´s Crowdfunding. And these are all real and established options in the business culture of each country. Despite the fact that in Spain this is not the case, we decided to do it because we understood that, regardless of whether the participation went badly or well, it was a good opportunity to reach people and let them know about the Plastic´s change in direction brought about by the entrance of My Major Company into Spain. And that’s how it happened, the feedback from the public has been spectacular and the reception from the cultural world impressive. We are very happy.

What are your three year plans? What do you want Plastic magazine to be in 3 years?

Within 3 years we hope that Plastic will be released on paper and will be established as a point of reference within Hispanic music at an international level. That by that time it will be helping to create a stable market at last, a real possibility that any musician that wants to can earn a living by it, although it may only be subsistence level (minimum wage) but that would be a start. That’s why it is necessary to do all this in English, because Hispanic independent musicians have gone as far as they can go in their own countries and they need to export the talent.

Once they recognise you abroad, they will receive you with open arms.

How can a band send you their work? How do you go about your work when you select an artist.

Each day we get an average of 10 new proposals in our mail box or via social networks. It´s crazy. It´s something that also pushes us to want to professionalise Plastic as soon as possible, all this material can´t be shelved for a lack of resources. We listen to everything that arrives, and we thank everyone for sending it. Since it is unfair to offer better treatment to one band than another, when it comes to evaluating our cover page and articles we try to clarify as to whether the artist has a project for the future, this also clarifies their trajectory, that although they may be young and independent, they do have one. Because the music world changes, we prioritise innovation; that which ruptures the canon, and projects of the future.

Do you edit albums? What do you do with the albums that you edit? How do you sell them?

We edit but we don´t sell them. What we try do is bring the music out of itself. They are vehicles for bringing the most notable examples of Hispanic music at the moment to an international level, and assure us that we have nothing to envy of the anglo-saxon, rather it is better to be a blast of fresh air and creative, without any hang-ups. So our future work will not be about labels, the content will be evaluated as something unique, with less attention paid to the packaging.

Where will the paper version of Plastic Magazine be distributed? Will we be able to buy it at a kiosk?

It will be found in specialist libraries for design publications, record shops, museum shops and lifestyle shops, the kind that mix fashion with everyday objects for the home or leisure time like cameras, books, record players…all this in 50 cities in 20 countries.

Are you a business? An association?

We are a business.

You are based in London. Why have you chosen London? Can you not export Spanish music from Madrid or Barcelona?

You can export anything from Madrid or Barcelona, as from Lisbon or Porto for example, but it all depends on what mechanisms are used to do it and the surrounding environment being favourable. In the music scene that is not the case, there already exist big events like Primavera Sound or Sonar, their success is based precisely on their international vocation, not exporting local talent. And you have to be aware of this vocation as it is key. London is a better musical platform at an international level. It´s not that everything happens in London, but there is the kind of support and British welcome that so many artists look for; if it goes well here, your project will work in any other country.

And to finish: What does Plastic Magazine provide that other specialist music magazines don´t.

Ambition, investigation, solutions and opportunities.