Beat Santschi

Beat Santschi, Central Secretary of the Swiss Musicians' Association SMV, answers questions posed by the Schweizer Musikzeitung.

How are you and the SMV doing after this year?

The SMV is doing well under the circumstances. The members less so. I'm slowly becoming a Zoombie. The problem is that the crisis isn't over yet. It's already very draining. From today's perspective, the association's work in earlier years seems almost paradisiacally comfortable to me.

What is particularly drastic for you about the Corona period?

While the live performance sector has been suffering from a de facto or de facto professional ban for a year now and those affected are only making ends meet thanks to a constant battle with the authorities, the recording industry is making record profits in the streaming business, which are still largely reserved for musicians.

Cooperation with other associations, including event organizers, in the Culture Taskforce and with the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions for the benefit of the entire cultural sector has been very positive. International solidarity within the Fédération Internationale des Musiciens has also been further strengthened by the crisis, despite unprecedented difficulties in many countries.

How do you think the corona period is changing the music profession and your association?

The longer the crisis lasts, the more freelance musicians will (have to) change their career direction. A survey by our English sister union revealed that 40 percent of its members are thinking of giving up the music profession. A survey by the Taskforce Culture Romande came to a similar conclusion for French-speaking Switzerland. Compensating for the resulting loss of cultural diversity will be a Herculean task.

Fortunately, the SMV has not suffered a loss of members so far - on the contrary. However, the long-term effects of the crisis cannot yet be estimated. Of course, we hope that the expected drop in tax revenue for the cantons and municipalities will not be compensated for on the back of culture and cause problems for our orchestras in the long term.

What question would you like to ask the Federal Council or what would you like them to do to revive the music scene?

Whether he has plans to revise the social security system after its gaps for cultural workers became glaringly apparent during the crisis. I have already asked BR Berset this question. The answer was disappointing. The reopening of cultural institutions that is expected one day should not be linked to rigid figures, but - as shown in the "Basel model" - should be flexibly geared to local circumstances and existing protection concepts.