Project Swift: why Europe cannot afford to outsource culture

Different versions of this op-ed are also available on EUobserver (English), Observador (Portuguese), De Standaard (Dutch) and La Libre (French).

Policymakers aspiring to re-establish Europe’s diminished presence on the world stage should start with an often overlooked sector: music.

No one expected this EU election year to kick off with a plea to a US pop icon for help. When Vice-President of the European Commission Margaritis Schinas called on Taylor Swift to mobilise young European voters at a press conference in January, the irony couldn’t have been starker.

A senior EU official calling on an American singer to galvanise young voters felt like yet another case of Europe deferring to US power, this time the soft kind.

Although everybody in Brussels expects the next mandate to pivot towards industrial competitiveness, Schinas’ nod to a superstar musician reveals something deeper about the future of the EU and how it might re-establish itself on the world stage.

Europe’s own live music sector has struggled since the pandemic, as already predicted by the Rebuilding Europe study published back in 2020. On top of that, the war in Ukraine and successive energy and inflation crises have pushed shows’ production costs through the roof. 

While major tours and global live music businesses are boasting record revenues, music venues have less room for manoeuvre in their own artistic programming to avoid further financial losses. This means less resources to take risks to showcase emerging talent to their audiences.

Kitty Florentine, an award-winning singer from Estonia, told me: “It’s a constant struggle, and I constantly ask myself: how do I create enough revenue with my music, my skills as a musician and performer? It is often something you need to be aware of in your creative work.”

Kitty has been performing on stage since the age of eight, when adults compared her to Shirley Temple. She now describes her performances, in which she sings, dances and plays instruments, as alternative and ethereal.

It was two years ago when Kitty quit her day job to make a go of music. But she knows that if she’s going to make a living, she needs a bigger audience than the one available to her in Estonia. In other words, she needs to tour. “It’s an unstable business and when you come from a small country you need funding and structures that allow you to reach other audiences. Because touring is not simple and it’s not cheap.”

“Estonia is so rich in culture and creativity, but because the market is small, it doesn't get the kind of recognition it deserves. There isn’t as much space in this market.”

Kitty’s problem isn’t uncommon. The four members of up-and-coming Portuguese band Hause Plants also work other jobs to enable their pursuit of a stable career in music. “It’s a hot topic right now, how expensive touring is,” Guilherme, the band’s lead singer, told me.

“Without the support of Liveurope, we would never have been able to travel for a show. We’d never have realised we could have an audience beyond Portugal.”

Liveurope is a pan-European initiative that aims to increase the diversity of live music on offer across Europe. It does so by providing financial incentives for venues to book more emerging acts from other European countries.

Kitty and Hause Plants, both coming from the peripheries of Europe, have experienced firsthand the challenges of breaking into other EU markets, where local and Anglo acts take precedence. 

When looking at the music streaming habits of EU citizens, artists that come from the EU only represent 15% of the total listening share, while US and British artists account for 42% and 18% respectively.

Anglo-cultural dominance has, like any unchecked form of monopolisation, become self-reinforcing. Dominant American and British acts benefit to the detriment of European acts, making it harder and harder for those artists to break through.

A recent EU study showed that concert and festival fees for larger, well-known acts are increasing. The report concludes that decreased subsidies and budgets for music events has driven down the remaining budget for emerging acts, resulting in a homogenisation of lineups.

This concerning trend has only increased post-COVID-19, and should be a warning sign to politicians seeking to improve Europe’s economic and cultural well-being.

But turning Europe’s cultural sector around will not happen overnight. Cultural change requires dedicated investment, time and space to flourish. 

Culture is the foundation on top of which many of the changes people would like to see during the next EU term can be built. The usual slew of election year manifestos from industries, NGOs and political parties are filled with buzzwords that speak to those changes; unity, innovation, competitive, strategic autonomy, single market…. Most manifestos depict a fragmented Europe lacking in self-confidence and vigour.

Schinas, Commissioner for Promoting our European Way of Life, wisely recognises that a shared sense of the value for culture is at the core of what the EU is. He also understands that music is a cornerstone of the EU economy—contributing over €31bn annually— and that, apart from anything, music speaks to people from all walks of life. As the late Jacques Delors once said, ‘One does not fall in love with the single market’.

So as the European institutions prepare to embark on a new term, they would do well to take a close look at the funding set aside to music and culture. Under the existing budget, set to expire in 2027, Creative Europe, the programme through which all EU cultural funding derives, accounts for just 0.19% of the overall EU budget. 

Europeans have proven more than capable of innovating world-beating exports – be that companies, medicines, research or music. But none of these things happen in a vacuum, and soft power is a long-term play, which is potentially the reason why politicians running for re-election neglect to do so on a ballot of funding for the cultural sector.

Perhaps Swift’s billion-dollar grossing Eras Tour, which has just rolled into Europe, will serve as a reminder of the power of music and cultural figures. But instead of asking the American popstar for help, policymakers should invest in Europe’s next generation of cultural icons.