The Confederation supports the creation and dissemination of new musical works inside and outside of Switzerland. Music holds a particularly important place in Swiss society, whether through school programmes, via private listening, or professional and amateur practices (see chapters 5.2 and 6.2). The Confederation supports extracurricular music education through its national programme “Youth and Music”, as well as contemporary classical music, jazz, pop and folk music works. It also has extended this frame to interdisciplinary art forms that include music and musical theatre.
Extending the notion of “work” to new forms of musical creation is very important, as well as considering the research and production phases of creation, more support to international promotion in festivals and tours, and taking into account changes in music listening through streaming platforms.
According to the Creative Economy Report Switzerland 2018, “the turnover from audio and video streaming increased by 50% to CHF 34.4 million and thus contributed 39% to the total market. On the other hand, the decline in the download business, which still amounted to CHF 18.1 million (-17%), continued and thus already fell well short of the streaming segment.” While the global recording industry now generates 62.1% of its revenue from streaming (Global Music Report 2021, IFPI), the share in Switzerland in 2020 was 76% (possibly exacerbated by the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic) (annual figures, IFPI Switzerland).
SUISA is the Cooperative Society of Music Authors and Publishers in Switzerland. Established as a cooperative association in 1923, it now numbers about 37 000 composers, lyricists, and music publishers. SUISA collects the remuneration to which its members are entitled for the public use of their works in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. According to the 2020 Annual Report (possibly influenced by the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic), CHF 120.4 million of the CHF 155.9 million in revenue from copyright (including ancillary revenue) went to publishers, lyricists and composers in 2020 (CHF 87 per CHF 100 received). Broadcasting rights account for the largest share (64.27 million in 2020), especially the corresponding revenue from SRG broadcasts. The other revenues include performance rights (2019 (pre-COVID-19): 52.1 million CHF), reproduction rights (2020: 4.3 million CHF), streaming/download (2019 (pre-COVID-19): 5.5 million CHF), blank carrier remuneration in the audio sector (2020: 7.8 million CHF) and total revenue from abroad (2020: 11.6 million CHF).
Through the FONDATION SUISA, Swiss music was promoted at home and abroad with CHF 2.4 million in 2020. Along with the FONDATION SUISA, the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia supports artists in international activities. Pro Helvetia also supports programmes that specifically aim to enable Swiss music, such as Oeuvres Suisses, and provide continuous support to orchestras.
The field of contemporary pop music is specifically promoted by, among others, the Popkredit of the City of Zurich (since 1983; departmental credit for 2020: around CHF 1m) and the RFV Basel (founded in 1994 as a non-profit association), which operates under a performance contract (Leistungsvertrag/service agreement) with the cantons of Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft (annual budget: around CHF 667 000 (2020)). The cultural budget for alternative, club, youth, pop or subculture of all genres in Basel-Stadt will even be increased in future: On 29 November 2020, the “tip initiative” was accepted with a yes vote of just under 58 per cent, which demands that five per cent of the cultural budget of Basel-Stadt (instead of about 3.5 per cent as before) be used for this area.
Big efforts are made in terms of gender equality and access by associations such as HELVETIAROCKT, which would need to be translated into other layers of policymaking.
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