Inquiry into the accessibility of live jazz music in Finland

In 2022, the Finnish Jazz Federation commissioned an inquiry into the accessibility of jazz music in Finland today, seeking to identify how accessibility is achieved at live jazz music events, as well as charting jazz industry professionals’ attitudes towards promoting accessibility. In addition, the inquiry report proposes specific actions to help advance accessibility across the industry.

The research method of this inquiry, delivered by Valtteri Pokela, was a survey targeting 78 Finnish jazz concert organisers. The survey attracted a large number of responses, with a response rate of 43.6%.

The survey results indicate that live jazz music accessibility is best achieved in the areas of regional accessibility and availability, and sees the least success in the areas of social accessibility, audience development, and comprehension support measures. Although the jazz sector’s audience development work is quantitively modest, its quality appears to rate highly in the context of audience development research. The results indicate that the greatest challenges in promoting accessibility are insufficient resources and limited opportunities in influencing physical accessibility at event venues.

After analysing the survey results, different conceptual profiles were created in order to describe jazz event organisers’ attitudes and opportunities in terms of promoting accessibility: incapable, passive, resource-oriented, natural, and forerunner. Although significant differences between survey respondents were identified in terms of promoting accessibility, jazz event organisers in general seem to have a positive attitude towards promoting accessibility, which creates positive conditions for continuing promotion of accessibility.

The inquiry results indicate that live jazz music accessibility in Finland is largely in line with accessibility within Finland’s broader cultural sector. The jazz industry’s current state of accessibility can be considered a commendable achievement, especially when considering the sector’s size and resources.

To further promote jazz music accessibility, a range of measures are proposed to help increase the resources available to jazz event organisers and to strengthen the general accessibility skills and knowledge across the sector. Other effective methods suggested to promote accessibility include widening the jazz industry networks further and creating specific tools to help promote accessibility.

Read the inquiry: Accessibility of live jazz in today’s Finland (Available only in Finnish).

Read Valtteri Pokela’s thesis which includes the inquiry: Accessibility of live jazz in Finland