Dear Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz,
Dear Vice-Chancellor - Federal Minister for the Arts, Culture, Civil Service and Sport Werner Kogler,
Dear State Secretary - Federal Ministry for the Arts, Culture, Civil Service and Sport Andrea Mayer,
Dear Federal Minister for Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection Rudolf Anschober,
Dear Federal Minister of Finance Gernot Blümel,
The already precarious living conditions of Austria's independent music makers have been considerably worsened by the Corona crisis. Events have been and continue to be cancelled at short notice, downsized or postponed indefinitely, causing a large number of independent music makers to lose their livelihood.
Since contracts in this industry - if they exist at all - primarily serve to secure the rights of the organisers, there is currently no mechanism to cushion music creators when they lose their jobs: no unemployment benefits, no legally defined partial payment of fees - in short, music creators are completely at the mercy of this situation.
According to the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, there are currently over 22,000 music creators living in the country. In 2018, the Federal Chancellery commissioned a study on the social situation of artists in Austria, which revealed that 73% of the artists surveyed in the study work exclusively on a self-employed basis.
Through Corona, a professional group roughly the size of the population of a small Austrian town has lost its job and can no longer cover its living costs.
The Interessensgemeinschaft Freie Musikschaffende Österreichs was founded in the wake of the Corona crisis to provide musicians with a public representation that had been lacking and was long overdue anyway.
We know from experience that fees affected by cuts, for example during the economic crisis of 2008, are usually not raised again but remain at a low level. This is why the devastating fee structure for freelance musicians has become the way it is.
Our great and justified concern is therefore that the current situation will make our situation even worse in the long term.
Thus, with this letter to the Austrian government, we would like to describe the catastrophic situation of the independent music scene and offer some suggestions on how it can be stabilised again.
At this point, we would also like to emphasise that we identify with all freelance people in this country and that many of our proposals are also cross-sectoral - however, our competences lie in music and the music business, so we will limit ourselves to this area:
1. possibility for freelance musicians to cancel rehearsals and performances in case of Sars-CoV2 symptoms without total financial loss
- "Look at you, look at me": Music makers often work closely together physically over a long period of time. If a musician feels ill, he/she must be able to leave the ongoing project for the good of all. This is usually impossible for financial reasons. Thus, people often "play sick", often in poor health. Since this practice represents an increased health risk for the musician concerned and for all colleagues and the audience, quitting must be made easier or possible. Otherwise, the emergence of new hotspots will be encouraged.
In line with point 2 (see below), 60% of the net payment for the entire project and 100% of the net payment for performed services should be paid out in the case of a health-related withdrawal. - There must also be a provision for musicians who are members of Covid 19 risk groups or who live together with such groups. This can, for example, take the form of unemployment benefit or minimum income, but it must also apply for the duration of the crisis.
- Furthermore, it must be possible for musicians to be tested for the corona virus at short notice and free of charge. Musicians work in public all the time, sometimes in large groups. We are aware of this and want to protect ourselves and our environment as much as possible - but we need the necessary means to do so.
2. compensation for musicians in case of corona-related cancellations
The support provided so far, such as KSVF and SVS bridging fund, is far below the poverty line. Therefore, in order to increase these, compensation for the few jobs that have come about at all is unavoidable:
to betested for the corona virus at short notice and free of charge. Musicians are constantly working in public in sometimes larger groupings. We are also aware of this and want to protect ourselves as well as our surroundings as much as possible - but we need the necessary means to do so.
- In case employers are not able to fulfil this obligation, there should be the possibility to apply for a one-time grant for this purpose.
- Following some models of European countries, we propose that in case of cancellation due to official regulations, at least 60% of the net remuneration of a fee below € 1,000 and 40% in case of a higher fee up to an upper limit of € 2,500 be paid to all musicians involved.
This regulation applies in particular to projects and events funded by the federal government.
3. one-off payouts are not a permanent solution
- The measures you have taken so far, the Artists' Social Security Fund, the Hardship Fund, the SVS Bridging Fund, have fortunately been effective and - for the time being - have saved many musicians from total financial disaster. Some of these measures expire today, on 15.9.2020, or were one-off payments intended as support over a six-month period.
In yesterday's National Council session, the Covid 19 fund of the KSVF should have been increased from 5 million euros to 10 million euros. However, this decision was postponed. Therefore, we appeal to you to extend all the above-mentioned measures with immediate effect. - It is often said that we are currently experiencing a "new reality" in terms of health provisions, forms of work and attitudes to life. In order to prevent the slow death of the music scene, a flagship and important economic factor of Austria as a cultural country, appropriate financial resources and mechanisms that distribute them sensibly must be considered and implemented on a permanentbasis.
4. greater flexibility for visa applications
- Non-EU nationals must prove a sufficiently high income to obtain an artist residence permit, in many cases annually. As mentioned in the previous point, they therefore often have to work in the worst conditions and in any state of health to achieve this income.
- In addition, such applicants are obliged to prove their future artistic work by means of contracts and agreements. In view of the constant cancellations, postponements and the general uncertainty in the cultural sector, it is impossible to meet these requirements. Therefore, the lower income limit for residence permits should be suspended for the duration of the crisis.
Conclusion
The Corona crisis has made the precarious working conditions of independent musicians even more apparent. Due to years of price dumping and either little or no leeway to negotiate fees, many are facing nothing as a result of the cancellations or postponements. A considerable part of the international industry is facing the end with no way out.
The role that music plays as an identity-forming art form in the Republic of Austria and as a weighty economic basis in Austrian society does not correspond in any way to the situation of those working in music.
We need immediate measures and financial support now, as well as long-term solutions. Both in the work culture, where there is almost no legal protection for the contractors, and in the social system, which does not fit the work reality of independent musicians.
We, the IG Freie Musikschaffende, plead for an open dialogue at eye level between all actors in the music scene, between musicians, politicians and funding bodies as well as organisers. Our goal is to emerge stronger from this crisis. This will only succeed if we work together to find sustainable, fair solutions to the systemic problems of the industry.
We urge you to comply with our demands and to arrange a meeting with State Secretary Andrea Mayer as soon as possible.
Yours sincerely,
Ana Inés Feola, Irma Niskanen, Martina Reiter, Bianca Riesner, Johannes Stöckler, Heide Wartha and Philip Yaeger, for the members of IG Freie Musikschaffende