In the midst of allegations of being a communist sympathizer, I’m reminded about this interesting article on Pitchfork about how some musicians in Sweden, the UK and Canada have benefited from government support.
The first time the Knife got money from the Swedish Arts Council was in 2001, for their self-titled debut album. The electro-pop duo received 45,000 Swedish kronor (SEK), or about $6,327– “pretty standard for albums back then,” says lead singer Karin Dreijer Andersson. Statens Kulturråd, as the arts council is known, awarded funding for the Knife in 2006, too. That time, Andersson (who also records as Fever Ray) and brother Olof Dreijer received 80,000 SEK, or $11,248, through label Rabid as tour support for their first– and, so far, only– U.S. shows. “We have a long history of social democratic culture in Sweden, which I think has made this possible,” Andersson explains.
0 Responses to “WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH SWEDEN?”