Sector Table Jazz/World/Contemporary Composers and Musicians

The chain table is composed of various sectors. This includes composers and (composing) musicians. Additionally, it involves programming venues and festivals. Several (online) broadcasters are also affiliated, as well as representatives from intermediaries, rights organizations, professional training programs, and the jazz archive.

The members have unanimously observed that there is limited and even decreasing attention for the jazz/world/contemporary genres from responsible governments, funds, broadcasters, and institutions.
They believe that improvements must be made in this regard, as this significantly determines the earning potential of those working in the sector:

• There are no ensembles that receive structural national subsidies from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW).
• At the Performing Arts Fund NL, there are schemes that must be shared with multiple music genres for: text and composition; creation and production; programming for venues and festivals; internationalization; and multi-year subsidies for festivals and productions. Occasionally, the music sector can also appeal to the five other national cultural funds.
• The number of specialized venues has decreased, totaling 39 locations including various festivals. However, there is a large, mostly non-subsidized and financially weak so-called ‘third circuit’.
• At the national public broadcaster, NPO Radio 4 was renamed NPO Klassiek this year, resulting in jazz being rarely heard, if at all. A protest book was published and a protest march was held against this in June 2023. There is still a digital theme channel, NPO Soul & Jazz, featuring non-stop music.
• There is no targeted attention on television. The composers and musicians are of the opinion that, given the diversity in our country, approximately 25% of the NPO music offering on radio and TV should consist of jazz/world/improv.
• There is a national online concert station, linked to the NOS until 2009, which is now a private initiative. In the recent auction of broadcast frequencies for national commercial radio stations, the jazz station Sublime was left out.
• Income from streaming is negligible.
• Provincial and local governments, as well as local broadcasters, often lack specific policies.
• The Netherlands Jazz Archive is operating independently after the disappearance of government support in 2012. At the end of July 2023, they launched a calling campaign aimed at recruiting more friends and donors.
• The table is positive about the efforts of copyright organizations such as Sena with the National Podium Plan and Buma/Stemra with BumaCultuur plus specifically inJazz. However, this is effectively done with the ‘own’ money of the composers and musicians; it is not an external financial stimulus.

Starting with a comprehensive overview of (income/revenue models in) the sector

The sector table is of the opinion that it must first provide insight into both the fair and the complete professional practice of composers and (composing) musicians in jazz/world/contemporary. This involves an outline of the development of this music, the status of the various components of the professional practice, and the different sources of income/revenue models.

In relation to this improved overview of income/revenue models, fair payment for various activities, including the copyright aspects therein, must also receive attention.