Koda’s cultural contributions distributed 8.8 million EUR in support of the music scene in 2017. The cultural contributions help maintain the conditions required for a vibrant music scene – and improve the conditions for Koda’s business overall.
Every year, up to ten per cent of Koda’s net revenue is set aside for cultural contributions. The allocation of cultural contributions aims at stimulating and supporting the creation of new music. Through support for composers and songwriters in the form of working grants, production support, songwriter camps, courses, networking initiatives and opportunities for international collaboration, the cultural contributions ensure that every year, part of Koda’s revenues are reinvested in the development of the music scene.
Koda’s cultural contributions are also part of political and PR-related efforts aiming at improving the basic conditions for Koda members and their business. Hence, the use of cultural contributions is a constant focus area for the Koda Board of Directors. In 2017, the Koda Board of Directors adopted a number of decisions to ensure that the distribution and administration of Koda’s cultural contributions will continue to meet the established objectives in the years ahead.
Unlike previously, all Koda members can now apply for the cultural contributions, not just members of the four associations DJBFA, DKF, DPA and Musikforlæggerne. It has also been adopted that in future, the cultural contributions will be credited and marketed under the common heading Koda Kultur, regardless of whether they are distributed by Koda or by one of the four associations. Furthermore, the board decided to redistribute the cultural contribution funds between the four associations. This means that the allocation of the funds will gradually be changed so that in 2020, each of the four associations will distribute 20 per cent of the cultural distributions while the remaining 20 per cent will be pooled in a shared reserve. Finally, the administration of the cultural contributions will be centralised so that members will be able to apply for cultural contributions from a single, shared portal from 2019 onwards.
As the chart on the right shows, 8.8 million EUR were distributed. The funds were divided up into six parts, one each for Koda, DKF, DPA, DJBFA and Musikforlæggerne, and a shared reserve for the four associations.
The following provides a more detailed account of how the cultural contributions were allocated in 2017.
Koda
Koda, which also facilitates cultural contributions for Greenland and the Faroe Islands, allocated 0.8 million EUR of the total cultural contributions of 2017. Koda partly uses the cultural contributions as a means of raising awareness of Koda in general and partly through the work concerning the framework for copyright legislation. The largest single item of expenditure was legal advice in connection with a range of copyright cases, and the Board of Directors’ work on restructuring and reinventing the use of the cultural contributions. Other major items include as the financing of Koda Skolekontakt and support to MXD, Rettighedsalliancen and Spil Dansk.
In Greenland, the main activity was the annual award ceremony ‘Koda-prisen’ – the Koda Award. On the Faroe Islands, the cultural contributions were spent on grants and other types of support for the local music scene.
DJBFA
DJBFA allocated 3.3 million EUR of Koda’s cultural contributions, spending them on a range of initiatives aimed at composers and songwriters. In 2017 DJBFA pooled all these recourses to form two large reserves: the Grant Reserve (Legatpuljen) and the Production Reserve (Produktionspuljen). The Grant Reserve handed out a total of 0.8 million EUR. Four application rounds yielded a total of 889 applications, 34.5 per cent of which were rewarded by a grant. A total of 307 grants were handed out, averaging just under 2,600 EUR each. The Production Reserve handed out a total of 0.8 million EUR. Four application rounds yielded a total of 1,359 applications, 56 per cent of which were rewarded by a grant. A total of 607 grants were handed out, averaging approximately 1,300 EUR each. A total of 0.3 million EUR was spent on having a total of 312 composers spend time at one of DJBFA’s nine retreats. Finally, DJBFA spent cultural contribution funds on supporting ten intensive work residencies.
DJBFA placed particular emphasis on two specific areas of cultural policymaking: 1. Music and Health, and 2. Public Service. In addition to this, DJBFA collaborated with various political, cultural and music-related festivals, such as Folkemødet on Bornholm, Spotfestivalen, Kulturmødet on Mors, Music Days, Nordic and international collaborations and similar. The total expenditure on cultural politics and copyright issues came to 0.4 million EUR.
DJBFA’s administration costs came to 0.4 million EUR in 2017.
DKF
Dansk Komponistforening (Danish Composers’ Society) works towards developing and strengthening the art of music. In 2017, DKF distributed a total of 1.4 million EUR of Koda’s cultural contributions. Of these, 1 million EUR were spent on the creation, production and presentation of new Danish music, mainly via the association’s own reserves.
In 2017, the events and activities launched by DKF included network meetings on sound art in Aarhus and Copenhagen, a development project on music drama created in co-operation with marginalised citizens, discussions on sound in public spaces, and art salons where artists working within many different genres spoke about the creative process. Further work was also done on a collaborative scheme with Inter Arts Center Malmö concerning a residency for experimental artists.
In addition to policy-related work done through media, political meetings and negotiations, the DKF also strives to get children and young people involved in live music – as audiences and as composers. In 2017, these efforts gave rise to initiatives such as teaching materials to be used in music lessons in Danish schools, training courses for composers, mentoring courses for music school students with professional composers as mentors, and other teaching courses.
Another key focus area in 2017 was the issue of diversity in classical music; the activities within this field included an international summit. In addition to this, cultural contributions were spent on a public discussion at the popular political festival Folkemødet on Bornholm., addressing the food chain of music and the conditions currently facing professional composers in Denmark. Funds were also allocated to a public hearing in the Danish Parliament on the organisation of orchestras in Denmark and their interaction with the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, DR.
In 2017, DKF spent approximately 0.2 million EUR of their allotted cultural contributions on administration.
DPA
DPA conducts political work aimed at bringing about the best possible conditions and framework for music that is aimed at the market. DPA spent 2.1 million EUR of Koda’s cultural contributions. The DPA grant reserve hands out grants four times a year, and in 2017 the total value of these grants came to 1 million EUR, encompassing 583 project grants and travel grants. A total of 597 applications were rejected. The size of the grants issued ranged between DKK 1,600 (215 EUR) and DKK 60,000 (8,054 EUR). DPA’s Emergency Export Reserve handed out a total of 69,000 EUR on 69 emergency export grants, each representing a value of between DKK 2,000 (269 EUR) and DKK 20,000 (2,685 EUR).
DPA hands out grants for courses, each worth up to 670 EUR or 80 per cent of the cost of the course. A total of 24 course grants were handed out. DPA entered into collaboration with MXD to offer support to managers who work diligently to promote their songwriters and their tracks abroad; a total of 27,000 EUR was distributed in this context.
DPA gave out 66 grants in the form of residencies in London and Los Angeles.
The DPA’s political work aims at creating the best possible conditions for popular music aimed at the commercial market, including the export market. In 2017, these efforts included collecting and sharing information as well as collaboration with other stakeholders in Denmark and internationally. For example, DPA collaborated with the SPOT organisation, placing particular focus on international songwriters. They also worked with festivals such as Campen Aarhus Calling, the popular political festival Folkemødet on Bornholm and Kulturmødet on Mors, focusing on music as an industry and on entrepreneurship on the music scene. DPA spent 0.2 million EUR on political efforts. In addition to this, the DPA board of directors handed out 0.3 million EUR to support the Danish music scene in general.
DPA spent 0.3 million EUR on administrating the cultural contributions.
Musikforlæggerne
Musikforlæggerne (the Danish Music Publishers’ Association) allocated 0.9 million EUR out of Koda’s cultural contributions. A total of 0.3 million EUR were allocated in the form of production and publication support, divided among 133 different authors associated with 28 different music publishers. A total of 22 composers and songwriters affiliated with various music publishers had their works published as sheet music, requiring a total of 62,013 EUR to support the production of sheet music. A total of 0.1 million EUR was handed out for working grants and travel grants to 21 music publishers and 38 authors. A little more than 28,188 EUR was spent on supporting concerts. A total of 15,500 EUR was spent on courses and similar. Around 4,300 EUR was used to defray the cost of legal assistance associated with a specific leading case.
A total of 0.2 million EUR was spent on PR. This included PR for physical and digital publication, participation in trade fairs and expos, as well as support for the organisations Spil Dansk Sekretariatet and Dansk Musikomsætning.
Musikforlæggerne spent 0.2 million EUR out of Koda’s cultural contributions on administration.
Shared reserve
For a number of years now, the four associations closely affiliated with Koda – DJBFA, DKF, DPA and Musikforlæggerne – have worked on a series of shared initiatives funded by a shared reserve set aside from the cultural contributions before the remaining funds are distributed among Koda and the associations. In 2017, this shared reserve amounted to 0.1 million EUR. Like all work associated with cultural contributions, this collaboration is currently in a stage of transition, and for this reason the 2017 initiatives have been cautious in nature.
The two main recipients benefiting from the shared reserve were BFM, Brancheforeningen For Mediekomponister (Danish Film & Media Composers – DFMC), who received 87,000 EUR for 2017 and 2018, and Ophavsret DK, an organisation which works specifically to support copyright and which received 27,000 EUR for 2017 and 2018. In addition to this, 1,300 EUR went towards a survey examining the working conditions of game composers; 9,400 EUR was allocated to the organisation Musik og Erhverv, while around 4,500 EUR was spent on communication within the same setting. Finally, approximately 3,000 EUR were spent on financial matters and facilitating meetings, while 2,000 EUR went towards accounting and auditing services.
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