Germany offers new aid to solo artists
mainThe German goverment issued a fresh statement today on aid for the smallest performing groups. It reads:
Solo self-employed persons – i.e. self-employed persons without employees, individual artists, etc. – and micro-enterprises with up to five employees will receive up to 9,000 euros in one-off payments for three months. For up to ten employees, up to 15,000 euros will be paid in a one-off payment for three months. In addition, some federal states also provide subsidies for larger companies with more than ten employees. Processing is to be carried out electronically via the federal states or municipalities.
Here is the link for solo artists.
Amazing…. impressive. Example for other countries.
Germany is coming up roses in this pandemic … I am glad there is still sanity and intelligence in this world.
For the moment it’s a misleading information. The solo self-employed persons are supposed to use this 9000 ONLY to cover their expenses on the running costs, in German “Betriebsausgaben”. That means you can pay part of your rental costs (for instance for your room which you use as your rehearsal studio). In three month it can be something like 1000, the rest – 8000 – you will have to return (with interest). If you decide to buy a new bow – it’ll be not recognised as a “Betribsausgabe”.
At the moment there are discussions about it. Two Bundesländer – Bayern and Baden-Würtemberg – have already decided to run an independent support program, each self-employed gets 1000 per month simply for living costs. I hope the other Bundesländer will decide to do the same.
Entitled to these payments are generally only people whose primary source of income is self-employment. Given that most opera contracts (Gastspielverträge) in Germany are contracts of employment, not self-employment, this isn’t much help to most opera singers who live in Germany.
Or those who can’t get work?
Can I get one if I’m not in Germany?