Music funding

“The coronavirus support measures allocated to the arts and culture sector in Finland have been modest by Nordic comparison and were not based on compensation of losses as would have been appropriate but on the grants system that is in place under normal circumstances. Also, they only offer solutions for the immediate needs caused by the crisis. Further anxiety is added by the fact that there are substantial cuts to the arts looming in the central government budget in the near future, and what will happen beyond 2024 is anyone’s guess,” writes Kaisa Rönkkö, Executive Director of Music Finland.

Funding of the arts is a hot topic in public debate in Finland just now. We invited five people thoroughly familiar with music funding to sit down and talk about how the funding of art music in Finland could be maintained on a stable basis. Bureaucratic though their titles may sound, they expressed themselves with clarity and addressed issues relevant for music professionals, consumers and decision-makers alike.

The Finnish arts subsidy system is considered efficient and effective by international standards. However, a recent report by the Finnish Cultural Foundation reveals that the structure is beginning to show its age. Change is desired by many, but sweeping visions for the future are offered by few, the FCF says.