In 2016, De Staat, a rock band from Nijmegen, was granted a subsidy of €236,200 per annum for the period of 2017-2020 by the Fund for Performing Arts (Fonds Podiumkunsten). It was one of 84 subsidies granted by the fund, but it was the only one that provoked rather fierce reactions. On social media, comments were largely negative. The criticism also came from other pop musicians and people related to the sector. These reactions are striking, as the plans that were laid out in the application barely differed from other applications like the Dutch Chamber Choir (Nederlands Kamerkoor) or The Hague Percussion (Slagwerk Den Haag) (Van Woersem 2016). Arjo Klingens, manager of De Staat, believes that subsidising popular music should be common sense. ‘Why would you subsidise a chamber orchestra and not a rock band? In the classical music scene, it is totally acceptable to apply for a subsidy to make a complete production.’

The Cultural Policy Act lays down the responsibilities of the different government levels. For the popular music sector, municipalities are responsible for the infrastructure, i.e., the venues. The national government used to supply money for the Stage Plan (Podiumplan), an ingenious system that allowed venues to programme upcoming bands for a reasonable fee. At first, the National Pop Institute bore responsibility for the Plan, but after it merged with other organisations to form the Dutch Music Centre (Muziekcentrum Nederland), the Stage Plan became the responsibility of the Fund for Performing Arts.

These policies certainly contributed to the unique network of venues of various sizes in the Netherlands, according to Klingens. This network makes it possible for musicians to perform at various stages of their career, from amateur to professional. Klingens does harbour doubts about this system, however. ‘One of the effects is the urge of municipalities to build the biggest venue. As a consequence, there is a proliferation of venues of a similar size, with all the consequences that that entails. After the building of the venue is finished, there is barely any money left for a team to run the venue professionally. Sometimes it is sad to send your artists to a venue that is hardly professional.’

Klingens finds it incomprehensible that the infrastructure only includes the venues. ‘It would be very useful to also include the artists in it. Bands create bastions of people with the network they gather around them.