Migros Culture Percentage promotes local record companies
Four independent labels that have Swiss musicians under contract will receive a total of 110,000 francs in support.
The ninth "M4music - Festival, Conference & Demotape Clinic" took place in Zurich from May 4 to 6, 2006. The music event took place for the first time in the Schiffbau and Moods Club. The festival, conceived and realized by Migros Culture Percentage, was very well attended with over 5,000 visitors, as Migros announced.
At the same time, Migros Culture Percentage is launching a grant for Swiss pop music labels for the first time. Four independent labels with Swiss musicians under contract will be supported with a total of 110,000 Swiss francs. The largest grant will go to French-speaking Switzerland: Gentlemen Records, a label from Lausanne, will receive 50,000 francs. Christian Fighera's company was founded in 2001 and mainly represents musicians from the rock, post-rock and pop genres, such as Favez, Honey for Petzi and Magicrays. Three other labels will each receive 20,000 francs: Nation Music from Aarau/Zurich, Mental Groove Records from Geneva and Little Jig Records from Gisikon/LU.
Pop label promotion is intended to close a gap. Although the Swiss pop music scene is booming, only a few artists can make a living from their music and even fewer make the leap abroad. This is why small independent labels play an important role, although they usually have to tread a fine line financially. When it comes to the distribution of state or private funding, these record companies have so far been left empty-handed; the artists are supported, as the communiqué goes on to say. The label promotion by Migros Culture Percentage is intended to strengthen the autonomy and professionalism of Swiss independent labels.
