– You often feel like office rats instead of artists. This is how drummer and freelance musician Tollef Østvang describes his working situation. He also experiences the situation as demanding and financially unmanageable. – Some months you earn well, then three months can go by without income, he says. With one million kroner from the government, the artists’ organization Creo worked out a plan for what was to become the “Musikaralliansen”. As a kind of employer, it should provide permanent employment and better living conditions to professional freelance musicians. But for the time being, the money to start up the alliance has not arrived. The freelance drummer believes that an alliance could improve the situation. – I think it would have resulted in lower shoulders, better mental and physical health and good artistic results for many. UNMANAGABLE: Tollef Østvang describes the situation as a freelancer and self-employed person in music as demanding and unmanageable. Photo: Peter Gannushkin – Some of the most important things we can do for the music field Hans Ole Rian is the union leader of Creo, Norway’s largest artists’ organization. He says that Østvang is not alone. – It is tough to be a freelancer in Norway. For most, incomes are low and the future uncertain. You also miss out on a number of rights that permanent employees have, says Rian. To improve the situation, Creo started planning the “Musikaralliansen”. How does the “Music Alliance” work? Musikeralliansen is to be a company that hires professional freelance musicians and gives them permanent employment. Musicians apply for leave from the alliance when they have other assignments. During periods of unemployment, they receive a salary from the alliance instead of being dependent on unemployment benefits. And during this period they can continue to exercise their work, prepare new productions, practice and attend courses. The plan is to employ up to 100 professional musicians after a couple of years of operation. Source: Hans Ole Rian, union leader, CREO Such a scheme exists for shoe players and dancers in Norway, but not for musicians. The artists’ organization received one million kroner from the Ministry of Culture in the state budget for 2022 to work out a plan for such an alliance. But when the report was ready and delivered to the Ministry of Culture, Creo did not receive funds for start-up in the state budget for 2023. Nor did they receive funds in the revised budget, which was recently submitted. NO ALLIANCE: Confederation leader in Creo, Hans Ole Rian, believes they were promised to start a Musician’s Alliance, but have not yet received funds for start-up. Photo: Jonas Ørbeck Sire / news – We understand that these are difficult times, but this measure is one of the most important things we can start up in the music field, especially now, says Rian. He points to research reports from the Culture Council which, among other things, show that the music industry missed out on several billion kroner during the pandemic. Used as a knowledge base State Secretary in the Ministry of Culture and Equality Odin Adelsten Aunan Bohmann says that they cannot promise funds for the start-up of the Music Alliance in the future. – Why have you spent a million kroner on what will now be nothing? – The government needs a better knowledge base for assessment, and what is there now is interesting. Strengthening the artist economy and giving cultural workers better working conditions is one of our most important cultural policy projects, says Bohmann. #KUNNSKAPSGRUNNLAG: State Secretary in the Ministry of Culture and Equality, Odin Adelsten Aunan Bohmann, says that the report to Creo is used as a knowledge base. Photo: Lars Tore Endresen / news In the Hurdalsplattforma it is stated that the government will “facilitate more cultural workplaces and an environment of expertise across the country”. Bohmann points out that the alliance does not create more jobs, but rather provides permanent employment for a group of professional musicians. – An alliance in itself solves something for someone, but much greater action is needed if one is to solve the artist economy in the big picture. – You have such an arrangement for shoe players and dancers – isn’t music just as important? – It is absolutely as important as performing arts and dance, says Bohmann. He can tell that the government will start a public settlement of the rights and finances of the musicians over the summer. – Irrational Rian is disappointed that the report has only been used as a basis for knowledge and that there will not be an alliance, as he believes was promised. – For me, it would be very illogical to first allow one million for a solution, without starting the alliance, says the union leader. – Some may want to ask themselves why musicians can’t just get a permanent job somewhere else – Do we really need freelance musicians? – Musicians create soundtracks for our lives. If we hadn’t had the music that follows us through the weekday on our ears, concerts and festivals, I think it would have been reasonably quiet. Frilanstrommis Østvang fears that the current situation means that we may miss out on both art and artists. He envisions a weekday where there is more time to focus on the music. – We must be able to find solutions that enable us to devote most of our time to what we are actually supposed to do, which is rehearsing, playing concerts and producing art, says Østvang.
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Should improve the situation for the musicians – spent a million on “nothing” – news Culture and entertainment
