“Does centralisation continue to compromise a potentially viable and sustainable regional rock culture in Northern ?”

Module: Contextual Studies: Cultural Policies Module code: LPAEM2005 Written by: Lasse Lauritz Pettersen Date: 30 May 2006

1 1. 0 Research Questions

Does centralisation continue to compromise a potentially viable and sustainable regional rock culture in Northern Norway?

1.1 Introduction

The European Union claims that a third of their total budget goes directly to regional development in an attempt to bring balance to the economical differences between rural and urban areas. Through increased focus on sustainable development in order to prevent centralisation the EU aims to invest on a long-term basis through regeneration and structural funding (EUs Ungdomsportal, 2006).

One could argue whether or not regional rock culture as well as the potential export value of in Norway suffers due to a lack of professional infrastructure and political commitment, combined with the fact that Norway still is standing outside of a full EU membership. I have chosen this area of study, as it is my personal belief that one of the reasons for increased centralisation can be found in the risk-averse cultural policies of the Norwegian government and its failure to recognise rock music as a potentially viable music export oriented industry.

1.2 Subject of Investigation

I will utilise two case studies in an attempt to gain an understanding of how regional rock cultures in Norway and Sweden correspond with their respective governments

2 and the music industry. My research will include different viewpoints and appropriate theory that exists in regards to rock music and its value as an industry and export article. I aim to find symptoms, if any, on a regional as well as on a national level that might prove a trend towards a more aggressive cultural policy in relations to rock music.

2.0 Definitions

2.1 Rock Music

According to Piero Scaruffi (2002):

“Rock music is an identity that could be found in its audience, not in the stylistic attributes of the music itself.”

With this in mind I choose to interpret the term “rock music” as an umbrella for the different subgenres that exists within popular music. The expressions might vary but in regards to cultural policies, as stated by Haavind from the Culture Committee of the Tromsø City Council (2006, p. 3):

“The term “rock music” is considered to coincide with all rhythmical music thus including genres such as R&B, pop, metal, techno, dance etc.”

Essentially rock music is also a part of culture.

3 2.2. Cultural Policy

As announced by UNESCO in 1982 (Lewis, Miller, 2003, p. 2):

“Culture gives man the ability to reflect upon himself... and creates work through which he transcends his limitations.”

This indicates that culture is recognised as an enhancement of life quality and gives individuals a sense of fulfilment through cultural activities. Culture could therefore, in many ways, be considered as a tool for socialisation and integration. As a direct result of such a mentality, rock music as a part of culture, can be in danger of being ignored as a professional industry that potentially can generate both jobs, prevent centralisation and be profitable as an export article.

2.3 Cultural Centralisation

In a critical article on cultural centralisation in Norway, Geir Kragseth provides an analysis around the supposed myth that Norway only can excel efficiently internationally if it regionalised its cultural resources (Kragseth, 2004).

The rhetoric of Kragseth questions what he considers as a governmental mentality that is driven by the belief that there is a strong cohesion between the size of a competent environment and the quality of its performance. The effect this mentality has on the regional output, according to Kragseth is that their respective environments, i.e.

4 regional or local rock scenes, can’t position themselves competitively with Oslo, thus resulting in centralisation of regional talent. Continuing in his statement Kragseth argues:

“There is a reason why there is more than one university in Norway, this reason should apply in regards to culture as well.” (ibid)

3.0 Case study 1: Tromsø

With approximately 60,000 inhabitants the city of Tromsø is the capital of Northern

Norway (Tromsø City Council, 2005). In February of 2006 it was the host city of the annual Norwegian music conference By:larm where the future of Norway’s music export was thoroughly debated by industry personalities.

3.1 The Cultural Action Plan of 2002-2005

The cultural action plan of the city of Tromsø projects what can be regarded as a historical cultural policy where, as some might say, for the first time culture and rock music is looked upon as a contributing factor for regional growth. The action plan was produced in order to respond to what was recognised as a strong enhancement of the initial quality of both the professional and the amateur cultures (Tromsø City Council,

2001, 2004b).

5 3.2 The House of Rock

On the 8th of May 2006 the Culture Committee of the Tromsø City Council passed a resolution to initiate the planning stage of a project called Rockens hus (The House of

Rock). The resolution emphasised on the historical merits of the regions rock scene and how the musician’s visibility on a national level and their international achievements had enhanced the regions reputations as a promoter and breeding ground for ambitious and talented musicians (Haavind, 2006).

The House of Rock is intended to be a functional centre holding a professional studio with rehearsal and office spaces. These are valuable facilities that will be an important extension of existing institutions such as the Competence Centre for Rock and the

Tvibit Youth Centre (ibid).

Esben Helmersen of the Labour party claims that:

“In a city like Tromsø, where rock music is so central and with one of the countries best festivals, a centre like this is essential to encourage development. Not only a place with rehearsal spaces but a place where all aspects of music and its culture can develop.” (Lien, T., 2006)

The importance of such a house and the impact it hopefully will have on the regional rock culture is believed to be significant. The sources of funding for the planning stages consist of contributions from the national Culture Council as well as communal

6 and government financing. The building period of the centre is set to commence in

2007/2008 but at this stages both the city council and the government has only agreed to finance the planning stage of the House of Rock, not its actual construction.

3.3 Bukta Open Air Festival

The festival is located not far from Tromsø’s city centre and will be held for the third time in July 2006. Through the quality of its programming, its facilities and its unique atmosphere; Bukta Open Air Festival holds ambitions of being the best rock festival in Norway. Through its manifest the festival also states its intention of assisting the preservation and development of the rock culture in Northern Norway (Bukta, 2006).

The festival has received both critical acclaim and positive tickets sales. At the same time it is being hailed as an essential steppingstone and a centrepiece for the future development of Northern Norwegian rock culture (Lien, T., 2006).

In 2006 the festival was honoured by the Norwegian Rock Association as the best rock festival in Norway (Norges Rock Forbund, 2006).

7 3.4 Cultural Politics

The enthusiasm amongst the local politicians reveals what some might consider an untraditional instrumental cultural policy where rock music and culture in general is considered as something that can stimulate regional growth. As explained in an interview with Sif Vik of the Tvibit Youth Center in Tromsø (2006):

“When the current mayor Hermann Kristoffersen of the Labour Party ran for election in 1999 he based parts of his campaign on culture. All though he didn’t allocate any more funding to culture when he came into office, he put culture on the agenda.”

Another event that is believed to have had a positive effect on the regions new approach on culture is the success of the Bukta Festival because it now can be seen as a motivational factor, bringing a sense of cultural ownership to the people of Tromsø.

At the same time as the political environment created under Kristoffersen’s government seems to have given a much needed boost to local culture and rock music. There is reason to believe that an already existing vacuum has become more evident.

In an article called “Why I returned to Tromsø, and why I will leave again” the filmmaker Ole Giæver addresses the problem of increased centralisation:

8 “The cultural institutions of the city do a tremendous job in regards to developing talented youth in the age group between 14 and 18. But there are no one there to catch them when they want to take one step further.” (Giæver, 2005)

A direct result of this is that young people become students or practitioners elsewhere and that they are most likely to never return because of the absence of a local industry or infrastructure to utilise the competence and knowledge they possess after graduation. Giæver offers a simple solution and that is to establish a higher educational institution for film, music and the arts (ibid).

Giæver touches on what essentially could be an institution that could help bridge the gap between volunteer based activity and a professional regional culture industry.

With an educational foundation like that, a situation where talented undergraduates, in danger of becoming non-returning postgraduates, could be prevented.

3.5 Regional Growth

One could argue that Tromsø with its relatively unfavourable geographic location and with Northern Norway only accounting for approximately a fifth of the total population of Norway (Nordlys, 2005) it could seem unrealistic and unfair to suggest large-scale investment in culture. However, figures indicate that Northern Norway, with Tromsø as the metropolitan centre, will blossom dramatically in years to come.

Outlined in a report on the financial status of Northern Norway composed by the regional banking society Sparebank 1 Nord-Norge:

9 “...the region is in the middle of a strong growth period with low unemployment and big competition for competent labour. High cultural activity is recognised as an important tool to boost the regions attractiveness towards prospective settlers.”

(Sparebank 1 Nord-Norge, 2006)

This suggest that despite the cultural centralisation that has existed within the region for decades, trends can be seen towards a brighter future where the population of

Tromsø can escalate further (ibid).

Local entrepreneur and Chairman of the Northern Lights Festival, Roar Dons sees close connection between the current regional growth and the need for a stronger focus on culture.

“I believe it will be important to look at culture as a new paradigm, a new dimension.

Culture is woven into our lives in a stronger and clearer way. Subsequently this will directly or indirectly lead to growth.... One would have to use the long-term mentality of professional industries to manage culture as a business of growth. ” (Lillebo, S.,

2005)

In January 2005 he held a conference where local and national politicians and businesspeople met in order to discuss a systematic cross collaboration in order to find ways of creating new jobs through active investment in culture.

10 But as Sif Vik of the Tvibit Yout Centre explains in an email:

“There is still a long way to go, most local businesses still doesn’t see a connection between culture as a business model that could bring revenue back to the city.” (Vik,

2006)

4.0 Case study 2: Hultsfred Rock City

Hultsfred is a small town in the south of Sweden with 5,500 inhabitants. Like Tromsø it also plays host to a music festival. Unlike the Bukta Festival though, it is the largest commercial festival in Sweden with a history tracking back to 1981 and with annual ticket sales of approximately 40,000 (European On-Line, 2006).

4.1 Rock for Local Development

After recognising and making use of the Hultsfred Festivals existing competence and infrastructure a collaborative effort between the European Union’s structural funds, the Swedish government and private sector investors a total of EUR 3.7 million was raised to create Rock City Hutsfred (European Union On-Line, 2006).

The project began in 2000 and was called “Rock for local development” and is estimated to have created approximately 70 jobs and established Hultsfred as the capital of the Swedish events industry. The local high school provides courses on

Music and Entertainment Management and through its comprehensive infrastructure

11 Hultsfred has created opportunities for related industries to profit from the investments in the region (European Commission, 2006).

This shows how a synergy between the European Union and its focus on regional development and the Swedish government’s belief in the music industry has revitalised and restructured a small community through rock music.

Hultsfred is now a cultural breeding ground and meeting place for all creative industries. The Rock City’s activity centre consists of office spaces, recording facilities and a library/museum with an extensive archive preserving and displaying the “treasures” and historical merits of Swedish popular music. The centre also has an impressive daily agenda offering network opportunities through lectures, showcases, educational tours, conferences and concerts with the aim of creating new ideas and nurturing them (Rock City, 2006).

5.0 Norway vs. Sweden

The two case studies presented show intention, enthusiasm and belief in regional development through rock music from a political and a private sector level. Through the success story of Hultsfred we see how long-term large-scale investment and cross collaboration between the government and the music industry has provided a regional platform of growth through rock music.

The direction the Tromsø City Council has taken towards a possible establishment of the House of Rock proves initiative, innovation and a willingness to invest in rock

12 music. However, in the case of Tromsø it is a slow decision-making process where the planning period reportedly is estimated to cost £3,000 and take a year before a final decision can be made (Haavind, 2006, p. 7).

In 2006 the new labour government decided to establish an activity centre for rock music in Trondheim in the middle of Norway. The resolution was subject of much discussion with conflicting interest between the music industry and various political parties. A question can be raised whether or not this is a little over due, when given the Swedish example of Hultsfred established its rock city in 2000.

Differences between Norwegian and Swedish cultural policies can be considered to be huge. Through acts such as ABBA, the Cardigans and Roxette the Swedish music industry, in the 80’s and 90’s, manifested itself as a European powerhouse for music export. According to European Union On-Line (2006):

“Music is the country’s third biggest export and naturally this results in a high level of government involvement.”

So why, one can wonder, are the two neighbouring countries Sweden and Norway so different in both its approach on - and the initial success of its rock music?

All though there are tendencies towards a new political approach towards rock music as seen in the Tromsø and Trondheim example, there is an alarmingly negative atmosphere within the Norwegian industry. The high profiled music industry

13 personality and self proclaimed national provocateur Christer Falck states in an interview that he has:

“.... come to realise that the Norwegian music industry has more limitations than opportunities.” (Ighanian, C.G., 2006)

Local Tromsø musician turned international pop star Espen Lind explains:

“When Norway speak about music export it is the Minister of Culture, in Sweden it is the Minister of Trade.” (Oksnes, B. 2005, p. 28).

This further confirms that the problem can be found not only in the governmental policies but also through the industry itself.

“Increased export of Norwegian music will eventually strengthen the Norwegian music industry.”(Dirdal, 2002)

In a report produced by Østlandsforskning the estimated value of Norwegian music export is NOK 210 million (£19 million) additionally the created value of what is considered as creative industries, including music, film, literature, media and design when combined is twice the value of the Norwegian agriculture industry (Yngland,

2005).

14 6.0 Findings

What I found when looking at how the city of Tromsø and its battle with centralisation was that it has actually increased its population by 18% in the period between 1989 and 2000 (Tromsø City Council, 2001, 2004b). Additionally the projections for the future reveal a potentially booming economy. The cultural policy of the city in regards to culture and rock music is driven forth by a combination of politicians, existing institutions, local entrepreneurs and an active music scene.

The planning stages that has been initiated by the Tromsø City Council in collaboration with existing cultural institutions shows that politicians has discovered that rock music might hold a strong growth potential. All though the dimensions of the investment are of a smaller scale than that of Hultsfred, the willingness and the combined efforts within the city reveals a strong intention to prevent local talent to subject to centralisation and move i.e. to Oslo to pursue a career within the industry.

This essay has shown that not only does Norway experience centralisation from the regions but that Norway as a whole experience a flight of talent, not only from the performing side, but also from the managerial side. Most Norwegian artists that experience success internationally are signed to international labels, such as

Röyksopp (, UK), a-Ha (Warner, UK) and (Burning Heart,

Sweden). In Sweden they see revenue streams created by rock music coming back to the country, and they invest accordingly.

15 6.1 The EU Advantage

When questioned about European Union’s influence on regional development funds

Sif Vik (2006) explain that even though Norway isn’t a full member Tromsø has profited from funding through programmes such as i.e. Young in Europe.

As a member of the European Economic Agreement (EEA), Norway can be considered in some cases as equal partners in the EU but assumptions can be made as whether or not regions such as Northern Norway would benefit from a membership

(Sluiter, Wattiers, 1999).

But as Kragseth states in an article:

“The regions should point out to the Norwegian government that the rest of Europe is regionalising its cultural policies.” (Kragseth, 2006).

7.0 Conclusion

As this essay has shown, if rock culture is to be regarded as a potential business venture in the regions of Norway, such as Tromsø and the surrounding areas, focus needs to be collaborative effort between local businesses, local politicians and the government. But first and foremost a collaborative effort and an increased communication between the government and the Norwegian music industry.

16 In the end I found that regional policies concerning development of rock music is a question that has to be addressed on a national level. According to Jordan and

Weedon.

“The question is whether we see cultural politics as serious business or cultural politics as play.” (1995, p. 564)

As the Hultsfred case study show, to establish a sustainable and profitable rock culture in the regions of Northern Norway the risk averse-mentality of the Norwegian government need to evolve and acknowledge rock music as something of value. To avoid centralisation of performers and those who make performance possible, business minded entrepreneurs need resources to develop and reasons to stay.

Both on a national and a regional level in Norway there are symptoms that show a directional change, which is positive. But the appropriate dimensions of the investments and the efforts might not be large enough to achieve results equivalent to that of Hultsfred Rock City and the Swedish music industry.

“Up until recently culture was regarded as something that should be voluntary work.

That mentality is changing, but it takes time.” (Vik, 2006)

The government is starting to look towards the regions, but if they are to generate long-term profits it needs to look closer. Tromsø is regarded as a city of opportunity and prosperity (Giæver, 2005), but in order to stop the flight of talent from the region, rock music and culture in general needs to become more attractive both through

17 educational institutions as well as the local music industry. First and foremost for young people who can build on the existing institutions in order to create the much- needed infrastructure to support the growth that is symptomatic for the rest of the region.

“Shoot for the moon, and even if you miss, you will hit the stars” (ibid)

18 8.0 Bibliography

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