The Ministry of Education and Culture has allocated a special export grant of 80,000 euros for the project Jazz Finland International. The project aims to promote the internationalisation of Finnish companies operating in the field of jazz music.
Background information
Seminar Jazz Finland organised by the Finnish Jazz Federation in 2013 revealed that there was a pressing need for sustained activity furthering export and cultural exchange in the field of jazz. In 2014, the Finnish Musicians’ Union carried out a report that looked into the current state of Finnish jazz. Relating to export, the fortification of the framework of public funding and the drawing up of an overarching strategy were identified as two key targets for development.
In spring 2016, at the preparatory stage of the project, more mapping was conducted to assess companies’ level of readiness for internationalisation. The results showed that their activity was mainly based on grants and proceeds that were in most cases spent to cover immediate expenses. This disabled any export-related aspirations.
Before the project, companies operating in the jazz field have received state grants for export through Music Finland. However, these have mostly been appropriated for export in German-speaking countries. The Jazz Finland International project targets a wider range of markets including Central Europe, Southern Europe, Scandinavia, United Kingdom, United States, Canada and Japan. Another previous occasion for the export grant to be allocated for Finnish jazz was the showcase festival Jazz Finland and the annual general meeting of the Europe Jazz Network, organised jointly in Helsinki in September 2014 and hosted by the Finnish Jazz Federation.
Aims and Implementation
The project involves eleven companies, and the project period runs until 1 August 2017. Each company receives a share of the grant for the implementation of its individual export plan. The grant will also enable the offering of certain resources such as mentoring, marketing skills, communication and networking for all the companies. The remainder will be spent on coordination-related expenses.
The main aim of the project is to promote the visibility and recognition of Finnish jazz and provide players with stronger international networks and better opportunities for international cooperation. The attainment of key goals will be monitored by assessing the quality and quantity of partnerships, deals, shows, releases and events achieved through the project. The project aspires to create sustainable partnerships and networks in the target markets and to increase the know-how at the home front.
Participants
The Finnish Jazz Federation administrates and Annamaija Music Company coordinates the project. Agma ry provides specialist knowledge. Companies involved are Aki Rissanen Music, Annamaija Music Company, Astra Music, Boulder Music Helsinki, Creatika Agency, Eclipse Music, Hub Productions, Jazz HUG, No Problem! Music, Vapaat äänet, We Jazz Oy.