General national economic measures

*small business relief or other financial support

*company tax relief

*income support for employees

*income support for freelance workers

*unemployment relief

*employer social security payment holiday

*loan repayment holiday

*mortgage payment holiday

*tax returns and or VAT returns suspended/delayed

More information:

-The government is covering 75 percent of salaries of workers experiencing downtime because of the coronavirus from March 14-May 14. Businesses with a decrease in income due to the coronavirus can have tax payments deferred or staggered for up to three years, if they qualify.

-Latvia has also extended the VAT reclaim deadline for non-EU countries, from June 30 to the end of September. Tax delays are also allowed including VAT payments to provide relief for businesses, which also must apply to delay their taxes until June 30.

-The EU has also approved a subsidised loan scheme and a loan guarantee scheme for companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The overall budget for scheme is €200 million. The scheme aims to enhance access to external financing for companies most severely affected by the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak. The objective is to ensure these companies can continue to operate.

National measures specific to the music sector or to culture in general

Government crisis fund for culture and/or other sectors, which music can benefit from - this fund supports also "popular" music, but is not really connected to COVID-19 http://kkf.lv/index/english.html

Measures taken by local collecting society organisations

Advances - Latvian Performers’ and Producers’ Association (LaIPA) opened advance payments 30% of the amount of the previous year's payment (more information here).

Other music fund available

None so far

Support from online services

Bandcamp waved their share for items sold on a specific date. For more initiatives by online services, click here.

Support from national radio and other media

Radio have been suggested to play more local music - Latvian Performers’ and Producers’ Association (LaIPA) have called both radio and people to listen more local music - https://www.facebook.com/laipa.biedriba/photos/a.454949097982824/2022749507869434/?type=3&theater

Some music production companies are doing lockdown series of livestream gigs - https://www.3s.lv/en/news/lockdown-sessions

Social media campaign to promote music during the crisis

There is one campaign asking radios and people to play/listen more local music.

Local programmes supported by EU funds covering music

None so far

Business and other expected losses

-Estimate of losses for Latvian national music sector for March-May are calculated as €1 620 080 (including - artist fees, collecting societies, promotion and marketing expenses, not including small venues, stages, festivals, instruments, organisers and agents)

-Experience from I Love You Records’ owner Bruno Roze: Government tries to stop companies from firing people by paying them 70% of their salaries while companies can’t do that. For record label basically everything has stopped, bands cant play lives so people do not buy physical records, people are listening less digitally even if they are supposed to listen more. Basically for us as a record label almost everything has frozen. For instance we happened to release new album exactly on time when all this started - we paid for promotion, physical production, etc connected with release and band (Super Besse) had to start touring and STOP. Don’t know how it all will continue and when musicians could start to play again.

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