Dutch music venues aided by new €2m fund

Music venues in the Netherlands are to receive their share of a new €2m fund for 2023 from the Prince Bernhard Culture Fund.

Some 65 venues will benefit from the fund courtesy of the group, which provides grants, funds, expertise, prizes and assignments for cultural initiatives. The venues are all affiliated with the VNPF (Association of Dutch Poppodia and Festivals).

They will each receive €30,000 to be used for marketing initiatives to regain lost audiences.

The money will help venues as they face the challenges of inflation, rising energy costs, the aftermath of corona measures and lagging audience numbers. The Fund said music venues are hit extra hard because they are largely dependent on ticket and merchandise income.

Cathelijne Broers, director of the Fund, said: “Music venues are pre-eminently places where culture reaches young people. And they are essential breeding grounds for young makers and new music movements. So, it’s super important to support them extra. The halls must be full, musicians must play and young people must dance!

“We have looked at where we can currently make a targeted extra investment to make a difference for young audiences and young makers, in places where programming takes place all year round. Pop culture often gets a bad start in subsidy land, so we opted for this.”

Geert van Itallie , director of Paradiso Amsterdam, one of the venues to benefit, said: “Paradiso is very happy with this contribution! We have a relatively low subsidy from the municipality of 5% of our turnover and almost always have to arrange extra financing for activities that do not cover the costs in themselves. With a contribution like this we can start next year with a new plan.”