Growing Support For Silence

On May 20 most of Spain’s venues, bars, restaurants and shops will refuse to play music as a protest against the rising taxes squeezing the live business

. A Day Without Music is primarily aimed at the 21 percent VAT charged on tickets and a performance royalty charge of 10 percent.

The initiative begun by Barcelona-based promoter Neo Sala and announced via press conferences in Madrid, Barcelona and Bilbao Feb. 20 now has the support of 17 of the country’s major music bodies.

In addition to the day of protest, Asociación de Promotores Musicales – the Spanish promoters’ association – is trying to collect the signatures of 500,000 people that support its call for a VAT reduction on ticket prices.