Dutch Gov. To Cut Music

The Dutch government’s decision to try cutting its arts budget by 30 percent has caused a howl of protest from an industry already battered by a VAT rate hike.

While increasing the VAT from 6 percent to 19 percent as of July 1 will cause a sharp rise in ticket prices, hacking the cultural budget will also mean less help for Dutch artists exporting their talent.

Showcases and conferences with also suffer to some degree, including the annual Eurosonic Noorderslag showcase conference, Dutch music export platforms at such gatherings as SXSW, CMJ, Germany’s Reeperhahn and Popkomm showcases, and ILMC.

The industry has very little time to register its protest, as the cuts were first suggested June 10 and the initial parliamentary hearing on them is scheduled for June 20.

The government could decide to implement the cuts June 27, although none should take effect until the current round of funding has expired.

“We will protest the cuts but it will be of little use because the government doesn’t read or listen,” said Arjen Davidse, head of rock, jazz and world music at Music Centre The Netherlands.

Within two years, all 60 people working at MCN could lose their jobs.

“Twenty-five years ago the Dutch government was the first to support its rock and pop music talent, which has since been followed by others all over Europe and in Australia, Japan and Canada,” Davidse told Pollstar. “They have all copied the Dutch example and made it work for them but now The Netherlands may end up with nothing.”

Eurosonic creative director Peter Smidt says funding is awarded every four years and the internationally known event in Groningen won’t suffer until 2013, but after that there will be less money to promote Dutch acts at the annual showcase or anywhere else.

The changes in cultural policy date back two years when the election returned a coalition government headed by the Liberals and supported by the Conservatives.

It also has the support of the far-right Dutch Freedom Party, whose election manifesto included a promise to “abolish the arts.”