Subsidizing ‘musiques actuelles’ in French-speaking Switzerland: mapping policy instruments and local arrangements

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ABSTRACT In this article, we examine public subsidies for musiques actuelles (popular music) in French-speaking Switzerland. Drawing on mixed-methods research focusing on the 2017–2019 period, we employ the notion of public policy instruments to examine the modalities of public funding and its impacts on the music sector. To this end, we conduct a detailed analysis of the subsidies granted, identifying the beneficiaries and the amounts allocated. Our analysis highlights three findings. First, public support for musiques actuelles is fragmented. There is no coordination among funding bodies, and it is sector actors who, from below, produce coherence between policy instruments. Second, this fragmentation of funding leads to a scattering effect, making it difficult to support genuine professionalization among musicians but also in music venues and festivals. Third, support structures are completely absent from public funding. This absence reflects a lack of market awareness in the design of policies. In conclusion, we discuss the relationships between cultural policies and the structuring of the music market in French-speaking Switzerland.