The Latvian music industry has turned to the Ministry of Culture to reduce the sector’s losses in the current crisis. It is called to introduce minimum quotas for music programs created in Latvia for radio programs. The offer stipulates that 40% of all transmitted recordings should be in Latvian or published and registered in Latvia during the last three years. At least half should be played between seven in the morning and eight in the evening.
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It should be noted that this is not a new initiative. It was updated already in 2013, and there were particularly active discussions about it in the previous Saeima.
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12. In the Saeima, the then ruling coalition promoted the idea of a 20% quota, but, taking into account the different views, no decisions were made. Now the local music industry hopes to gain support.
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The industry points out that radio frequency is state property – it is also a question of language and national identity. Currently, a quarter of the compositions played on Latvian radio stations are local. If Latvian Radio 2 is deducted, there are only 18%.
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“Higher mathematics is not needed to understand that up to 75% of the collected fees are paid to foreign authors, performers, phonogram producers,” says Agnese Cimuška-Rekke, Executive Director of the Latvian Music Development Association.
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Categorically against these quotas is in the Association of Latvian Broadcasters, where he emphasizes that the days when disc jockeys could put music to their liking – the list of songs played on both world and Latvian radio stations is made professionally, finding out the musical needs of listeners in regular research.
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“Radio stations cannot be teachers. We are no longer in the analog age, we cannot teach what to listen to. Radio is currently competing with all possible digital platforms – Spotify, Youtube and much more,” emphasizes Andris Ķēniņš, Executive Director of the Latvian Broadcasting Association. .
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Broadcasters emphasize that if a person does not hear what he wants on the radio station, he will switch. As a result, the current market for around € 10 million in radio advertising could shrink, and so could copyright payments, including to local artists. Instead, one should think about the wider promotion of Latvian music with state support, possibly the mandatory playing of local music should be introduced on public radio when it leaves the advertising market.
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Parties in opposite trenches. The Ministry of Culture will have to try to reconcile the first disputants. It does not yet comment on quotas. A discussion is planned in both musicians’ and media professional advisory councils.
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