(Prensa Latina - Cumbancha) Havana, Cuba - The Cuban record industry has gradually improved its quality and since 1996 has gained ground and integrity in the international market, thanks to Cubadisco, said Ciro Benemelis, president of this international fair. Organizers took advantage of a press conference to inform that the seventh edition of the event, to be held May 11-18 in Havana, will have the participation of performers and researchers from over 10 countries. In lauding the advances of the Cuban music market Benemelis noted the creation of six new recording studios and the recovery of the Empresa de Grabaciones y Ediciones Musicales (EGREM) archives, which permitted the release of anthological recordings by artists such as Leo Brouwer, Ruben Gonzalez and Eliades Ochoa. It also highlighted the founding of new labels such as Pablo de la Torriente Brau, Casa de las Americas and Unicornio, aimed to promote young talents of Cuban music.

This year's Cubadisco will include the 1st International Symposium "The Music Industry in the 21st Century." It also includes concerts of national acts and guests from other nations, such as Serranito (Spain) or Ursula Oppens (US). Besides the event headquarters at Pabexpo, the Karl Marx, Mella and Amadeo Roldan theaters, the Balneario Universitario, the Morro-Cabaña Park and the National Fine Arts Museum, and other facilities will stage concerts of classic music, jazz, folk, pop, rap, reggae, son and other genres also deep-rooted in a culture rich in tradition.