Worldwide COVID-19 has hit the cultural industries hard. Very hard. However, collective management succeeded in limiting the impact for performers. A survey that AEPO-ARTIS and SCAPR conducted among their members came to the conclusion that despite of a general drop in revenues, collective management organisations (CMOs) for performers were able to increase their distributions while looking for all ways possible to help out performers in need.

An overall decline in collections in 2020.

The vast majority of societies for the collective management of performers rights have experienced significant variation in their collection in 2020 (as compared to 2019) with an average 9% decrease. This is comparable to the impact of the crisis on collective management for authors rights, which was recently calculated by CISAC at 9.9%. This decline cannot be underestimated, but thankfully below the forecasts CMOs made themselves in 2020.

When we compare the different sources of income of CMOs, it is striking that the income from public performance has been hit particularly hard. 88% of the organisations have seen this collection significantly drop (up to -85%). With the cultural sector forced to staying closed even long after ending lockdowns, this was no surprise. Collection of broadcasting rights remained generally stable, however 39% did declare a decrease, mainly due to a drop in advertising investments from the broadcasters. Other traditional sources of income for CMOs, such as private copying, lending, renting and cable retransmission, remained mostly stable and have permitted CMOs to slow down the general decline.

Less in, more out!

Despite the general drop in revenue, from 848 million euro in 2019 to 776 million euro in 2020, CMO’s were able to stabilise the amounts they distributed in 2020. What’s more, half of them managed to pay their actors, musicians and dancers higher amounts than initially planned.

70% of CMOs have adapted their operations to better help their members in times of crisis. 61% brought forward distributions, 36% made additional efforts to lower their administrative costs. As a result the effective payments to performers increased from 585 million in 2019 to 664 million in 2020.

Limits to the engine

With the way their collections and distributions are organised, performers CMOs have been able to slow down the negative income curve for performers in 2020. However, with a drop in collections in 2020 and 2021, they will not be able to keep distributions at the same level in the years coming.

The majority (68%) of the societies that are able to predict future distributions anticipate a decline in payments, reflecting the drop in collections. Again, societies representing sound recording artists are more affected than audiovisual only societies. However, 64% of the respondents are still making efforts to bring the distribution forward (40%), to reduce operational costs (47%) and/or to maintain emergency funds (37%).

It is therefore disappointing to see that these organisations, that have proven to do everything in their capacity to assist the most affected sector, are themselves often left in the cold. 63% of CMOs have reported not being recognised as eligible to any emergency measure by their local authorities. This is all the more painful knowing that 56% of CMOs have consented (or have been forced to consent) to discounts, delays, exemptions or even refunds to users, mainly for public performance users. It is these exceptional measures that have impacted the collection of about 70% of all CMOs and have caused up to a 75% decrease of collection in certain areas.

While the members of SCAPR and AEPO-ARTIS have not been able to turn the crisis into a success story like some major online players have, they have shown to do what they were founded for: put the interests of performers first and be a stabilising factor in the turbulent career of the artist, even in the most turbulent times.

For more information please see press release here.

AEPO-ARTIS is proud to present together with GESAC – authorsocieties.eu #rebuildingeurope: The cultural and creative economy before and after the #COVID19 crisis.

What was their economic situation before the COVID-19 crisis (2019 figures) and what impact has the crisis had on activity and employment (2020 figures). The study then set out the main priorities for the sector to protect itself from the most serious consequences, to recover growth and enhance its value in the European economy.

The study was commissioned by GESAC bringing together a number of project partners including AEPO-ARTIS. Other partners are EUROCINEMA, EUROCOPYA, EVA, FIAPF, IMPALA, IVF, SAA, SROC; and supportive organisations: AER, CEPIC, EACA, ECSA, EGDF, EPC, FEP, FERA, FSE/SCRIPT, IFRRO, IMPF.

This study, which has been released today during an online press conference, follows a report of the same type, entitled Creating Growth, published in December 2014 and covers the 10 core sectors that already served as the scope : advertising, architecture, audiovisual, books, music, newspapers and magazines, performing arts, radio, video games and visual arts.

The analysis and figures of the study reveal that CCIs are more than just another sector to bail out of the crisis, they are part of the solution to the current situation in Europe and its economic and social consequences.

The full study is available at www.rebuilding-europe.eu and a video presentation is available here: video presentation

European culture is in the midst of a crisis. How decision-makers choose to respond now will set the scene for the next decade of cultural and creative life in our union.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, theatres, cinemas, music halls, museums and other venues of cultural expression have remained closed. Many of those venues will simply not reopen.

The result has been to squeeze the life out of the cultural and creative sectors, exacerbating the desperately perilous situation in which culture, the arts and the creative sectors at large find themselves.

Cultural and creative sectors are Europe’s third largest employer. Meaning the economic consequences of a stagnant sector have reached far beyond the realm of culture.

But, despite such a diminished cultural landscape, it is to culture that we have all turned during this time of great personal and societal adversity.

It is music that has brought us together on balconies, films and TV series that have entertained us, documentaries, books, performances, pieces of art that have all truly comforted us in our solitude and helped us to escape intellectually and creatively.

Europe’s most treasured asset is our culture. It is a culture united in its diversity, a culture that draws in millions of people from all over the world every single month.

Cultural expression in all its diversity is at the heart of what is meant to be European.

Despite strong messages from leaders of the European Union that our sectors would be firmly supported, the current proposals for a recovery plan and a European budget strangely fail to consider the needs of the cultural and creative sectors.

As creators and professionals from the sector, we call on the EU leaders to be bold and to invest in culture and the arts, to invest in all our creative futures.

We need a plan that revives our cultural ecosystem and inspires the next generation of Europeans.

This means providing the financial resources at a level which will allow art, culture, cultural and creative enterprises, creators and creative workers to continue their work, to survive and thrive into the future.

This is an opportunity for the EU to amply demonstrate that it can honour its values. The time is now for Europe to be ambitious and invest in its creative future.

Culture is the fertile soil out of which Europe’s next generation will unite and flourish. Let’s show Europe’s next generations what kind of future we want to offer them!

List of signatories

1. Aga Zaryan, jazz vocalist (PL)
2. Agnieszka Holland, filmmaker (PL)
3. Agustín Almodóvar, producer (ES)
4. Alberto Guijarro, director of Primavera Sound and Sala
5. Apolo (ES)
6. Alberto Iglesias, film music composer (ES)
7. Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, contemporary dance choreographer (BE)
8. Benny Andersson, musician, composer (SE)
9. Bernie Sherlock, conductor (IE)
10. Björk, singer-songwriter (IS)
11. Charles Sturridge, filmmaker (UK)
12. Dame Evelyn Glennie, percussionist and composer (UK)
13. Daniel Buren, conceptual visual artist (FR)
14. Isabel Coixet, filmmaker (ES)
15. István Szabó, filmmaker (HU)
16. Ivo van Hove, theatre director (NL/BE)
17. Jaco Van Dormael, filmmaker (BE)
18. Jean-Michel Jarre, electronic music pioneer, musician (FR)
19. Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, filmmakers (BE)
20. Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, filmmaker (FR)
21. Joan Fontcuberta, conceptual artist and photographer (ES)
22. Lisa Kaindé Diaz Zayas and Naomi Diaz Zayas – IBEYI, singers, songwriters, and music composers (FR)
23. Marian Urban, Scriptwriter and Film Producer (SK)
24. Marina Abramović, performance artist (US/SRB)
25. Martin Šulík, Film Director and Film Producer (SK)
26. Maryla Rodowicz, singer (PL)
27. Michał Urbaniak, musician and composer (PL)
28. Milo Rau, theatre director (BE/CH)
29. Mirga Grazinyte, conductor (LT/UK)
30. MØ, singer, songwriter, and record producer (DK)
31. Moritz Eggert, composer (DE)
32. Nele Neuhaus, writer (DE)
33. Nicola Campogrande, composer (IT)
34. Nina Bouraoui, writer (FR)
35. Nina George, writer (DE)
36. Olga Neuwirth, composer (AT)
37. Olivier Guez, writer (FR)
38. Paul Dujardin, CEO & artistic director of BOZAR (BE)
39. Phil Manzanera, composer, guitarist (UK)
40. Salvador Sobral, musician (PT)
41. Sebastian Fitzek, writer (DE)
42. Stijn Coninx, film director (BE)
43. Thomas Anargyros, producer (FR)
44. Tiago Rodrigues, writer, director, artistic director Teatro Nacional D. Maria II (PT)
45. Tim Etchells, artistic director, artist, writer (UK)
46. Yuval Weinberg, conductor (IL/DE)

 

The statement in full is available here: A call to invest in all our creative futures

Europe’s cultural and creative sectors call for ambitious EU budgetary measures to get through the COVID-19 crisis

Time to put words into action!

Europe’s cultural and creative sectors were among the first and hardest hit by the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis. They will also be among the last. Across Europe, almost all cultural activities have been cancelled or postponed indefinitely, while venues and retailers have closed with disastrous consequences for all creators’ and cultural and creative professionals’ livelihoods, as well as the ecosystem as a whole. Millions of jobs are on the line.

In its Resolution on how to combat the COVID-19 crisis and its consequences, the European Parliament rightly underlines that the cultural and creative sectors “have been hit especially hard by the fallout from the COVID-19” and “calls for the EU and the Member States to provide support to the cultural and creative sectors as they play an important role for our economy and our social life and are severely affected by the current crisis”.

Commissioners, Ministers and MEPs are also regularly stressing the vital importance of protecting and supporting the cultural ecosystem and creators all over Europe, to ensure that they can continue to create and invest – for the enjoyment of all Europeans, both during and after the crisis.

So far, the EU has provided much-needed financial support to Member States to protect jobs, workers and businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic, but has failed to adequately address the specific needs of our sectors. The Cultural and Creative Sectors, which stand at €509bn in value added to GDP and over 12 million full-time jobs (7.5 % of the EU’s work force), must be considered as priority sectors and benefit from ambitious budgetary measures. Only a limited number of countries have introduced broad furlough compensation schemes while the majority of professionals working in the cultural and creative sectors were put on unpaid leave as very few employers have the means to continue paying salaries or compensation without state support. In addition, our sectors have a much higher than average percentage of self-employed workers with little to no access to social benefits who find themselves in extremely precarious situations as they are left without resources.

As the European Commission is due to propose a new long-term EU budget and recovery plan, it is now time to put words into action. The undersigned organisations from across Europe’s cultural and creative sectors are calling on the EU:

• To propose an ambitious budget for the future Creative Europe Programme 2021-2027 – the only EU framework Programme specifically dedicated to the cultural and creative sectors – which represents today a mere 0.15% of the overall EU Budget. The European Parliament’s proposal for a budget of €2.8bn should be considered the absolute minimum for a Programme commensurate with the sector’s contribution to the EU economy and wellbeing, and with its needs and challenges in these times of crisis.
• To ensure that the cultural and creative sectors, are included as priority sectors in the EU’s planned Recovery Fund, with sector specific funding. Our sectors are among the hardest hit, and our intercon- nected value-chains are fragile – if they are to get through the crisis, especially SMEs, urgent support is needed, including liquidity/cash flow measures leading into 2021.
• Boosting the EU’s loan guarantee facility for the cultural and creative sectors under the future Invest EU programme, with increased budget, guarantees and flexibility. Loan guarantee instruments have a demonstrated trigger effect on investment, which is urgently needed in these difficult economic times.
• To secure a strong budget for Horizon Europe’s new cluster “culture, creativity and inclusive society”. In light of their innovation-driven and risk-taking nature, Europe’s cultural and creative sectors should benefit from a strong budget under Horizon Europe.
• To ensure that EU funds, notably structural funds, reach the cultural and creative sectors swiftly and effectively.

   

• To ensure that a meaningful part of the EU funding is also deployed to support the livelihood of creators, creative workers and freelancers throughout this unprecedented crisis.

In these hard times, as the contribution of Europe’s cultural and creative sectors to the social, economic and artistic development of Europe couldn’t be more tangible, yet our sectors find themselves in danger of partial collapse, it is more important than ever to preserve and support Europe’s arts, culture and heritage and the values they promote.

Investing in our culture is investing in our future. Now is the time to turn words into concrete measures.

SIGNATORIES

ACT – Association of Commercial Television in Europe
AEC – Association Européenne des Conservatoires, Académies de Musique et Musikhochschulen AEPO-ARTIS – Association of European Performers’ Organisations
ANIMATION EUROPE
CAE – Culture Action Europe
CEATL – The Council of European Literary Translator Associations
CEPI – European Audiovisual Production
CEPIC – Centre of the Picture Industry
CICAE – International Confederation of Arthouse Cinemas
CIRCOSTRADA – European Network for Circus & Street Arts
ECA – European Choral Association – Europa Cantat
ECCD – The European Coalitions for Cultural Diversity
ECSA – European Composer and Songwriter Alliance
EDN – European Dancehouse Network
EFA – European Festivals Association
EFFORTS – European federation of fortified sites
EFJ – The European Federation of Journalists
EFNYO – On behalf of the European Federation of National Youth Orchestras
EFP – European Film Promotion
EHTTA – European Historic Thermal Towns Association
EI – Europa International
EIBF – European and International Booksellers
ELIA – globally connected European network of higher arts education
EMC – European Music Council
EMCY – European Union of Music Competitions for Youth
EMEE – European Music Exporters Exchange
EMU – European Music School Union
ENCATC – The European network on cultural management and policy
ENCC – European Network of Cultural Centres
EOFed – European Orchestra Federation
ERIH – The European Route of Industrial Heritage EuroCinema
Europa Cinémas
Europavox
Eurozine – European network of cultural journals
EVA – European Visual Artists
FEDEC – European Federation for Professional Circus Schools
FEP – Federation of European Publishers
FERA – Federation of European Film Directors
FIA – International Federation of Actors
FIAPF – International Federation of Film Producers Associations
FIM – International Federation of Musicians
FSE – Federation of Screenwriters in Europe
GESAC – The European Authors’ Societies
IAO – International Artist Organisation of Music
ICMP – The Global Voice of Music Publishing
IETM – International network for contemporary performing arts
IFPI – International Federation of the Phonographic Industry
IFRRO – International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations IGCAT – International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism IMMF – International Music Managers Forum
IMPALA – Independent music companies association
IMPF – Independent Music Publishers International Forum
IN SITU – European platform for artistic creation in public space
ISFE – The Interactive Software Federation of Europe
IVF – International Video Federation
JM International
KEA European Affairs
Live DMA – European network for music venues, clubs and festivals Liveurope – the platform for new European talent
Michael Culture
NEMO – The Network of European Museum Organisations
On the Move
REMA – the European Early Music Network
Res Artis – Worldwide Network of Arts Residencies
SAA – Society of Audiovisual Authors
SHAPE – Sound, Heterogeneous Art and Performance in Europe Sistema Europe – The Sistema Europe Association
UNI MEI – UNI global union – media, entertainment & arts UNIC – International Union of Cinemas
Yourope – The European Festival Association

 

The statement is available for download here: Europe’s cultural and creative sectors: Covid-19 statement

The Joint Film and Audiovisual Sector statement regarding the COVID-19 pandemic co-signed by AEPO-ARTIS on 7 April continues to gather further signatories. As at 23 April, the total number of signatories stands at 112.

Joint Film and Audiovisual Sector COVID-19 Statement – 23 April 2020

The film and audiovisual sector in Europe calls for urgent action by EU and Member State decision- makers to safeguard the future of the sector in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, following in the footsteps of initial emergency measures announced at national level, including by film funds and other bodies.

Why does it matter? We are facing a profound crisis for creativity and culture in Europe – for businesses and for individuals. Our sector is at the heart of Europe’s cultural, creative and social identity and a key contributor to the European economy and employment; immediate intervention is therefore crucial and indeed strategic for European and national unity going forward. Without a firm commitment from European and national leaders, the film and audiovisual sector in Europe will not recover from the unprecedented impact of the health crisis.

Our sector could play a major role in the healing and recovery process that our societies are going to face in the months and years ahead – but only if its basic infrastructure can be saved.

Why is film/AV specific? The sector is characterized by its project-based nature and irregular business cycles – a vast interconnected eco-system from project development through creation, financing, production, exhibition, distribution (online and offline), and all forms of broadcasting. The sector’s activities are driven by numerous individual creators, entrepreneurs, companies of all sizes, including many SMEs and freelancers that have all been thrown into a social and economic crisis as a result of the pandemic. Each segment of the sector from project development, financing, production through exhibition, distribution and broadcasting will have its own specific challenges going forward. Different impacts are experienced in different Member States, including in different parts of each individual Member State.

The negative impact will not stop when normal activities resume in our societies; rather it will continue through the medium- to long-term due to the long development/lead time nature of the sector.

Although gathering around screens at home has contributed to a sense of unity during the crisis, this has not stopped the current wave of mass job and income losses in the film and audiovisual sector, nor will it translate into recovery of investments, simple resumption of interrupted production, exhibition or distribution activities, or indeed funding for development of future projects.

What is needed? Urgent financial support now and in the months to come to safeguard the existing film and audiovisual eco-system and the future of the sector in Europe which is suffering grievously because of valid social distancing measures and related societal consequences. The crisis in our sector will be felt way beyond the confinement period.

The film and audiovisual sector in Europe can be a conduit and a catalyst for the debates and discussions which will be essential in Europe’s democracies as its citizens come to terms with the consequences of this unprecedented crisis and lay the groundwork for new optimism and confidence in our shared European future.

 

The statement is available here: Joint Film and Audiovisual Sector COVID-19 Statement – 23 April 2020

The Joint Film and Audiovisual Sector statement regarding the COVID-19 pandemic co-signed by AEPO-ARTIS on 7 April has gathered further signatories. As at 16 April, the total number of signatories stands at 98.

Joint Film and Audiovisual Sector COVID-19 Statement – 16 April 2020

The film and audiovisual sector in Europe calls for urgent action by EU and Member State decision- makers to safeguard the future of the sector in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, following in the footsteps of initial emergency measures announced at national level, including by film funds and other bodies.

Why does it matter? We are facing a profound crisis for creativity and culture in Europe – for businesses and for individuals. Our sector is at the heart of Europe’s cultural, creative and social identity and a key contributor to the European economy and employment; immediate intervention is therefore crucial and indeed strategic for European and national unity going forward. Without a firm commitment from European and national leaders, the film and audiovisual sector in Europe will not recover from the unprecedented impact of the health crisis.

Our sector could play a major role in the healing and recovery process that our societies are going to face in the months and years ahead – but only if its basic infrastructure can be saved.

Why is film/AV specific? The sector is characterized by its project-based nature and irregular business cycles – a vast interconnected eco-system from project development through creation, financing, production, exhibition, distribution (online and offline), and all forms of broadcasting. The sector’s activities are driven by numerous individual creators, entrepreneurs, companies of all sizes, including many SMEs and freelancers that have all been thrown into a social and economic crisis as a result of the pandemic. Each segment of the sector from project development, financing, production through exhibition, distribution and broadcasting will have its own specific challenges going forward. Different impacts are experienced in different Member States, including in different parts of each individual Member State.

The negative impact will not stop when normal activities resume in our societies; rather it will continue through the medium- to long-term due to the long development/lead time nature of the sector.

Although gathering around screens at home has contributed to a sense of unity during the crisis, this has not stopped the current wave of mass job and income losses in the film and audiovisual sector, nor will it translate into recovery of investments, simple resumption of interrupted production, exhibition or distribution activities, or indeed funding for development of future projects.

What is needed? Urgent financial support now and in the months to come to safeguard the existing film and audiovisual eco-system and the future of the sector in Europe which is suffering grievously because of valid social distancing measures and related societal consequences. The crisis in our sector will be felt way beyond the confinement period.

The film and audiovisual sector in Europe can be a conduit and a catalyst for the debates and discussions which will be essential in Europe’s democracies as its citizens come to terms with the consequences of this unprecedented crisis and lay the groundwork for new optimism and confidence in our shared European future.

 

The statement is available here: 16 April 2020 Film AV Sector COVID-19 Statement

Music is one of the first sectors hit by the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis. It will also be one of the last.

As borders close, venues as well as festivals suspend their activities, performances are cancelled, group activity is stopped, shops close, and new releases are put on hold, the entire creative value chain is stalling. Artists and their management, performers, composers, songwriters, music educators, conductors, booking agents, record shops, labels, publishers, distributors, promoters, manufacturers, technicians, events managers and event staff count among the many actors of the ecosystem whose livelihoods are on the line.

These risks will persist, even after the public health emergency is solved. The stark reality is that profound harm will be felt long into 2021 due to how the music ecosystem operates.

In light of this dire situation, we call for emergency as well as sustainable public support and structural policies at EU, national, regional and local level to consolidate the music ecosystem, and help it thrive again in all its diversity.

The undersigned music organisations urge Member States and the European Commission to take a stance and significantly increase the national and EU budgets dedicated to culture, and within that to music. Secondly, under the EU Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative, it is imperative that each Member State provides Europe’s creative sector with swift and comprehensive access to Structural Funds in order to offset the harm in the shorter term.

The full magnitude of the current turmoil will build for months and the number of casualties will be high. Even when the complete standstill ends, the crisis will continue due to hyper saturation of events and new releases and audiences will be unpredictable.

All this points to a slow recovery, with less job opportunities, less participation in music and less room for artistic risk-taking. Jobs and diversity are at stake.

At the same time, we see how important the cultural sectors are in promoting solidarity and in providing rallying points. Within the confines of their homes, artists and DJs have been streaming their own live performances to fight isolation by engaging online communities. Drawing upon the example of Italy, citizens from across Europe gather on their balconies to play music and regain a shared sense of common purpose.

This reminds us that music is a vehicle to recreate a sense of community. In times of containment and pressure, music builds bridges between individuals and cultures irrespective of social, ethnic, cultural backgrounds.

Music and culture are essential to offer citizens the renewed social and cultural bond that Europe will sorely need.

As decision makers reflect on how to address the crisis, culture must be recognised as a priority sector.

The undersigned organisations:

AEC, Association Européenne des Conservatoires, Académies de Musique et Musikhochschulen
AEPO-ARTIS
Beachfest, The European Association of Beach Festivals
CIME/ICEM, International Confederation of Electroacoustic Music
DME, Digital Music Europe
EAA, European Arenas Association
ECA-EC, European Choral Association – Europa Cantat
ECSA, European Composer and Songwriter Alliance
EFNYO, European Federation of National Youth Orchesta
EMC, European Music Council
EMCY, European Union of Music Competitions for Youth
EMEE, European Music Exporters Exchange
EMMA, European Music Managers Alliance
EOFed, European Orchestra Federation
ETEP, European Talent Exchange Programme
Europavox
EJN, Europe Jazz Network
EVTA, European Voice Teachers Association
FIM, International Federation of Musicians
GESAC, the European Authors Societies
IAMIC, International Association of Music Information Centres
IAML, International Association of Music Libraries, Archives, and Documentation Centres
IAO, International Artist Organisation of Music
ICAS, International Cities of Advanced Sound
ICMP, International Confederation of Music Publishers
ICSM, International Society for Contemporary Music
IFPI, International Federation of the Phonographic Industry
IMMF, International Music Managers Forum
IMPF, Independent Music Publishers International Forum
IMPALA, Independent music compagnies associations
IMZ, International Music + Media Centre
INES, Innovation Network of European Showcases
JMI, Jeunesses Musicales International
JUMP, European Music Market Accelerator
Keychange
Live DMA, European network for music venues and festivals
Liveurope, the platform for new European Talent
Pearle*, Live Performance Europe
SHAPE, Sound Heterogenous Art and Performance in Europe
REMA, European Early Music Network
Resident Advisor
We are Europe
Yourope, the European festival Association

The statement in full is available here: Music sector joins together to call for EU and national investment to address current crisis and promote diversity

 

 

The film and audiovisual sector in Europe calls for urgent action by EU and Member State decision-makers to safeguard the future of the sector in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, following in the footsteps of initial emergency measures announced at national level, including by film funds and other bodies.

Why does it matter? We are facing a profound crisis for creativity and culture in Europe – for businesses and for individuals. Our sector is at the heart of Europe’s cultural, creative and social identity and a key contributor to the European economy and employment; immediate intervention is therefore crucial and indeed strategic for European and national unity going forward. Without a firm commitment from European and national leaders, the film and audiovisual sector in Europe will not recover from the unprecedented impact of the health crisis.

Our sector could play a major role in the healing and recovery process that our societies are going to face in the months and years ahead – but only if its basic infrastructure can be saved.

Why is film/AV specific? The sector is characterized by its project-based nature and irregular business cycles – a vast interconnected eco-system from project development through creation, financing, production, exhibition, distribution (online and offline), and all forms of broadcasting. The sector’s activities are driven by numerous individual creators, entrepreneurs, companies of all sizes, including many SMEs and freelancers that have all been thrown into a social and economic crisis as a result of the pandemic. Each segment of the sector from project development, financing, production through exhibition, distribution and broadcasting will have its own specific challenges going forward. Different impacts are experienced in different Member States, including in different parts of each individual Member State.

The negative impact will not stop when normal activities resume in our societies; rather it will continue through the medium- to long-term due to the long development/lead time nature of the sector.

Although gathering around screens at home has contributed to a sense of unity during the crisis, this has not stopped the current wave of mass job and income losses in the film and audiovisual sector, nor will it translate into recovery of investments, simple resumption of interrupted production, exhibition or distribution activities, or indeed funding for development of future projects.

What is needed? Urgent financial support now and in the months to come to safeguard the existing film and audiovisual eco-system and the future of the sector in Europe which is suffering grievously because of valid social distancing measures and related societal consequences. The crisis in our sector will be felt way beyond the confinement period.

The film and audiovisual sector in Europe can be a conduit and a catalyst for the debates and discussions which will be essential in Europe’s democracies as its citizens come to terms with the consequences of this unprecedented crisis and lay the groundwork for new optimism and confidence in our shared European future.

 

The statement is available here: Joint Film and Audiovisual Sector COVID-19 Statement – 7 April 2020

Dear President von der Leyen,
Dear Commissioner Gabriel,

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all countries in Europe, and it is already evident that performers have been heavily impacted with film and TV production as well as recording sessions coming to a halt, venues closed and performances and festivals cancelled. Performers, who are often in an already precarious situation being mostly self-employed or freelancers, combined with little or no access to social benefits, are now left without income.

Moreover, with the closing of shops, restaurants and other public places, collection of statutory remuneration for the use of recorded music and audiovisual works will drastically decrease and performers will be deprived of this important source of income in the coming months.

This situation, in addition to be specially alarming, is unfair, as in these confinement days their performances are bringing joy and entertainment to the millions of people confined at their homes, generating a huge income stream for certain digital platforms, most of them not even based in the EU. In other words, the only ones that are not benefiting from the mass consumption of audiovisual and music contents during the confinement are, precisely, the performers, one of the social groups most vulnerable to the economic crisis derived from COVID-19.

Performers’ collective management organisations are working hard in these difficult times to distribute remuneration earlier than originally anticipated and setting aside funds to assist with immediate economic pressures.

However, it is clear that the situation is too grave for performers’ organisations to be able to absorb the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic themselves. Their funds will not be sufficient.

AEPO-ARTIS urges the European Commission and the Member States to take immediate action to support performers in a coordinated manner mitigating the negative economic consequences of the COVID-19 crisis.

What is therefore urgently needed is easy and swift access to financial support, a Solidarity Fund for Performers, to help them through the hardship caused by this unprecedented crisis to cover costs in the forthcoming weeks and months.

We would welcome an opportunity to discuss the creation of this Solidary Fund with you in further detail. In the meantime, we remain at your disposal should you require any further information and are looking forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Tilo Gerlach
President, AEPO-ARTIS

The letter is available here: AEPO-ARTIS letter to President von der Leyen