Friday, June 03, 2005

You Rock, Hungary Pays

According to Yahoo!, Hungary's culture ministry is going to help pop, jazz and folk bands:

Among the key points in the program presented by Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany and Culture Minister Andras Bozoki were financial incentives for music clubs hosting live music and the sponsorship of radio and television shows broadcasting Hungarian pop music. "I hope there will be a Renaissance in Hungarian pop music in the coming years," Gyurcsany said.

Hungarian pop and jazz musicians often complain that while the government spends considerable sums subsidizing classical music and other artistic activities, so called "light music" has been largely shut out of state sponsorship. Other parts of the program, which is expected to cost some 450 million forints (US$2.2 million, euro1.8 million), were the promotion of international tours by Hungarian bands, funds to help amateur bands make recordings, and 20-year loans partly financed by the state for municipalities wishing to set up youth clubs where live music can be performed.
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If only there were someone around to give me a couple million forints when I was starting out, I might have been a success. I wonder if it's too late for me to become a Hungarian citizen...

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