Message culture - the general cultural-political orientation is correct, but more resources are needed

Until September 22, 2023, interested circles had the opportunity to express their views on the Culture 2025-2028 message. SONART took advantage of this opportunity and coordinated its position with the umbrella associations Suisseculture, Suisseculture Sociale, the Swiss Music Council and the Taskforce Culture.

Below, we list a few selected points from SONART's position paper. 

Social security 

It is gratifying that the Confederation wishes to improve the safety of cultural actors through various measures. Indeed, as in any other professional sector, it would be desirable for the cultural sector to be governed by working conditions that enable professional cultural actors to exercise their profession in an appropriate context. This implies appropriate compensation for the work performed, as well as adequate social protection through the social security system.

Consequently, the inclusion of adequate compensation in the evaluation of funding applications, as provided for in the cultural message, is an eminently positive measure. The fact that the assessment of fairness is based on the recommendations of professional associations on salaries and fees is very promising. This consideration of appropriate compensation must be matched by adequate additional resources for cultural promotion.

However, systemic problems cannot be solved by cultural promotion alone; the social security system needs to be adapted to atypical forms of activity in general, and to self-employed workers in particular. For this reason, it is positive to envisage closer collaboration between the Federal Office of Culture (FOC) and the Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO) in certain thematic areas, and also to consider ad hoc adjustments to the social insurance system. We believe, however, that the social security system should be fundamentally adapted to "atypical employment relationships", a phenomenon that is becoming widespread in all professional sectors.

Cultural promotion takes into account the entire value-creation process

As part of the updating of cultural promotion, it's a good thing that the phases before and after the actual production work are also supported. We are convinced that by supporting pre-production activities (research and development) and improving support for post-production phases (promotion, dissemination and mediation), it will not only be possible to improve the financial situation of cultural players, but that this type of support is much more suited to the process of artistic creation.

Strengthening cooperation in cultural policy

Another positive aspect is that, in the field of cultural policy, the Confederation wishes to strengthen its collaboration with cantons, towns, municipalities, cultural associations and private cultural promotion institutions.

In our opinion, the experience gained during the pandemic (and also prior to the drafting of the Culture Message) clearly demonstrates that exchanges between state bodies responsible for cultural promotion on the one hand, and cultural associations on the other, are particularly beneficial.

Musical encouragement

Important innovations are also planned in the field of music promotion. SONART welcomes the fact that the differences between promotion measures for different musical genres have been reduced. It is also commendable that, on the one hand, projects in the fields of pop, rap and electro will be given greater support in future, and that, on the other, selected festivals and venues will also be supported. For Pro Helvetia to be able to implement these measures, however, it will need considerably more resources than it has had to date for the promotion of music.

We are delighted to see that "the development of adequate framework conditions in the digital environment" is also mentioned as a cultural policy objective. According to SONART, this includes measures to further encourage large, globally-oriented streaming platforms such as Spotify to act locally. It is essential that international streaming platforms have teams based in Switzerland who are familiar with the diversity of the Swiss music scene, and who integrate local music into playlists in Switzerland and abroad in order to improve their visibility.

Financial framework for federal cultural promotion

The Confederation's quarterly budget is insufficient. In view of the rising cost of living and the general reduction in the cultural budget announced by the Confederation in 2024, a higher-than-expected growth in the budget will be necessary. Growth in the cultural budget over the years 2025-2028 will have to amount to at least 2.5% (instead of the planned average nominal growth of 1.2%). 

Nina Rindlisbacher is responsible for political projects, social security issues and SONART's legal department.