Michael Kaufmann

Michael Kaufmann, President of Sonart - Musikschaffende Schweiz, answers the questions of the Swiss Music Newspaper.

How are you and Sonart doing after this year?

The pandemic year was a catastrophe for all those working in the cultural sector, and it took a heavy psychological toll on us all. Above all - and I was personally affected by this - because artistic activity was also largely halted, which to some extent blocked creativity. This is fatal for creative artists and perhaps even worse than the already difficult economic situation. In other words, a mix of social hardship and artistic blockage.

What is particularly drastic for you about the Corona period?

In my view, there are two main issues: One is social security, which is particularly precarious for musicians with a high proportion of freelance work. This was already the case before the crisis, the crisis has only exacerbated what many people don't know: Musicians generally live very, very modestly and have few reserves. A colleague did the math: With today's fees in independent contemporary music projects, the hourly wage amounts to a total of 16 francs. Culture outside of subsidized institutions should not cost anything. It is not worth much to society. The second is the resumption of concert operations: it is now crucial that we resume live acts and reach the audience directly again. Because everyone is fed up with pure streaming culture.

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

The music profession is constantly changing. The crisis of the past year has made this even clearer. More and more musicians are now involved in various artistic activities: on stage, in the education system, in cultural management, in multimedia projects, in education, etc. In other words, there is a great variety of activities, but also many uncertainties and economic uncertainties. This has long been clear to our association, and we are working intensively on corresponding concepts: on the one hand, it is the fight for social security, and on the other, we want to offer even more further training and services to make our members fit. For Sonart, however, this means taking a tougher stance in politics and publicly defending one of the most useful professions in our society.

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

Quite simply: we want to get back on stage! And we want even better framework conditions for culture as a result of the crisis. Social, infrastructural and cultural policy. Sustainable investment in culture is worthwhile for society. - If politicians are prepared to do so, we can and want to make a great new start. With or without a mask ...