Advocacy

Finnish Jazz Federation participates as an expert body in discussions about Finland’s cultural policy, as well as participating in development projects related to our industry both nationally and internationally.

The organisation assists Finnish and international jazz professionals in everything to do with jazz music, provides information about Finnish jazz, and produces industry statistics.

  • We strive to advance Finnish jazz sector’s shared interests by releasing statements, liaising with decision makers, and actively communicating the importance and societal significance of jazz music and those individuals and organisations involved in it.

    As part of our advocacy work, we participate as an expert body in discussions about Finland’s cultural policy, as well as contributing to major development projects related to our industry.

    One good example of a recent successful development project is the re-working of the Music Finland LIVE funding scheme for the independent and freelance music sector. Music Finland LIVE (previously known as Jazz Finland LIVE) is a grant scheme established in 2015 by the Finnish Jazz federation, the Finnish Musicians’ Union, and the Finnish Music Foundation (MES). The scheme facilitates collaborations between municipal funding bodies and local jazz event organisers through enabling direct funding towards their regular concert activities. Once a local event organiser has secured municipal funding, they are eligible to apply for a MES grant for up to double the amount of the municipal support. During the first few years, the scheme only covered jazz music and was known as Jazz Finland LIVE. In 2018, the scheme was expanded to include world music and was renamed Jazz & Etno Finland LIVE. From 2021 onwards, the scheme was further widened to cover all musical genres and relaunched as Music Finland LIVE. In 2022, a total of €340,000 worth of funds were distributed between 19 grant recipients.

    Finnish Jazz Federation seeks to influence the wider sector’s sustainable development through participating in various sustainability schemes relevant to the industry. We are one of the organisations spearheading the network KEMUT, a sustainable music industry toolkit, which facilitates and delivers a range of projects designed to increase the live music industry’s sustainability and responsibility skills. 2022 projects include measuring the Finnish live music industry’s carbon footprint and creating a shared digital platform. Both projects are administered and coordinated by Finnish Jazz Federation.

    Our 2023-2027 cultural policy objectives include increasing the national cultural budget to 1 %, investing in jazz professionals through strengthening existing incentives such as the Music Finland LIVE funding scheme, and securing increased funding to Finnish Jazz Federation to safeguard our national jazz touring activities. As a member of KULTA, the Central Organisation for Finnish Culture and Arts Associations, Finnish Jazz Federation supports KULTA’s cultural policy objectives.

  • We assist Finnish and international jazz professionals with everything to do with jazz music and culture.

    We organise training and discussion events, serve as an expert body, deliver statements about jazz related topics, and recommend expert members for grant funding committees.

    We collate industry statistics and publish reports on the Finnish jazz industry to support decision making across our national cultural and economic policies. Our industry member statistics cover the total number of artists and ensembles as well as the number of other professionals across the industry (according to the Jazz Finland database). Our funding reports cover the public funding available to the jazz industry as well as the major private funding sources (foundations and trusts) and municipal funding options relevant to Finland’s largest municipalities. Various statistics – numbers of concerts, audience figures, information about performing artists’ gender balance, information about employment figures across the industry organisations, and financial statistics for various jazz organisations – have been collected from the Jazz Federation members from 2020 onwards.

    The federation is undertaking a survey about the current state of jazz music’s accessibility, with the results becoming available in autumn 2022. We also undertake surveys and research projects in collaboration with other organisations across the music industry. Most recently, Finnish Jazz Federation contributed to facilitating a 2022 survey titled Vastuullinen musiikkiala (Responsible music industry) on discrimination and harassment in the Finnish music industry, as well as engaging with a 2020 survey about the live music industry’s sustainability practices, facilitated by KEMUT, a sustainable music industry toolkit.

    Latest survey results and reports

  • The Jazz Finland database is a service available for everyone, providing a one-stop shop for information about Finnish jazz artists and practitioners, events and venues, new publications and other industry news in Finnish and English.

    The website also maintains a national jazz concert calendar. In addition to Finnish users, the website offers extensive information about Finnish jazz to our international colleagues. For Finnish jazz professionals, the website provides information and marketing tools both nationally and internationally.

    The Jazz Finland website is updated primarily upon receiving new notifications and media releases. You can add your own details to the contact database through the electronic form found at the website.

  • We are active members of both national and international industry networks.

    We influence Finnish cultural and civic policy through our extensive collaborations and memberships with the Finnish Music Council and KULTA, the Central Organisation for Finnish Culture and Arts Associations.

    In addition, the Finnish Jazz Federation is a member of Yhdenvertaisen kulttuurin puolesta ry., an association administering the Culture for All Service. Our international networks include the EU-funded Europe Jazz Network with its 170+ members, and the Nordic Jazz Network, a collaboration between the umbrella organisations for jazz music in the five Nordic countries. The Nordic network strengthens the synergies between Nordic jazz operators and increases the visibility, exports, and diversity of Nordic jazz music, as well as the industry’s sustainable development. We cultivate our international contacts through attending Jazzahead!, the largest event for jazz industry professionals, and the annual European Jazz Conference. In addition, we have close ties with Jazz Estonia through our shared Heimojazz band exchange project, which takes one or two Finnish Jazz Federation touring ensembles to perform in Tallinn each year and in exchange presents an Estonian ensemble in Helsinki.

    We work in close collaboration with Music Finland, the Finnish Musicians’ Union, and the Finnish Music Foundation (MES).