Editorial: An (unwanted) break

Dear readers, contributors and friends;

Today we have to announce a difficult but necessary decision: Magazine AMPM will take an indefinite pause in its activities, at least in the way it has been operating until now. This pause responds to the increasing pressure and harassment of our director by the Cuban counterintelligence agencies, which among other consequences, leaves us without the possibility of applying for funds to carry out our work and endangers the integrity of our project and the team involved.

For more than six years, Magazine AMPM has been a space dedicated to the analysis, criticism and celebration of Cuban and regional music. We are very proud to have achieved this:

• Publish more than 1400 original articles signed by nearly 300 authors (writers, photographers, designers, illustrators), which gave unprecedented coverage to various genres and phenomena of the Cuban musical ecosystem.
• We have received half a million visitors to our site from all over the world, many of whom have followed our content closely.
• Create a social media community of more than 20 000 followerscommitted to sound diversity and musical culture.
• Participate in and/or collaborate with numerous events and projects (AMPM "América por su Música", Bonus Track, Radio Gladys Palmera, Alianza Faro, Music Meeting Festival). that connected musicians, creators and managers, especially from Latin America, generating deep and plural dialogues in the Cuban musical ecosystem.

We have built a platform that goes beyond music coverage; we have created a bridge within the Cuban musical ecosystem, linking musicians, creators, managers and music lovers in a deep and plural dialogue. We are proud to be a reference in the promotion of sound diversity, among artists, industry professionals and the public, and to participate in relevant discussions that rarely find such an open and honest place of expression.

This journey would not have been possible without the tireless collaboration of all the people who, with their texts, photographs, images, illustrations and above all, their invaluable time, contributed to bring this project to life. To all of them, who often did it (symbolically or literally) for free, our deepest gratitude. Likewise, we thank the patrons who, with their faith and commitment to culture, bet on our vision and allowed us to move forward when we needed it most. Thanks also to all those who contributed a peso, a comment or a word of encouragement to keep this dream alive. And, of course, our most special thanks go to you, our readers and music lovers, who have given meaning and direction to each of our actions.

Although today we face obstacles that prevent us from continuing as we have been doing, we do not consider this a definitive farewell. We are convinced that, when conditions permit, we will return with more strength and energy. In the meantime, we hope to keep our website active, so that it continues to function as a living and accessible archive, preserving the accumulated information and work done and offering a space for music, art and culture in its broadest sense.

We say goodbye for now, with the hope that this break is only a necessary pause to gain momentum and return to do quality music journalism again. The impact achieved in these years fills us with pride and motivates us to know that we have left a lasting mark on the Cuban and regional music scene.

See you at the concert,

The team of Magazine AMPM