Schaffhausen ties funded organisers to the associations' fee guidelines

In Schaffhausen, concert organisers funded by the city and canton now have to follow the professional associations' fee guidelines. According to the Schaffhauser AZ, a clause to that effect is part of every new service agreement taking effect in 2026 or 2027.¹ Those affected include the Jazzfestival, TapTab, the Haberhaus stage, Stars in Town and the Kulturtage. Noura Simoni-Abla, project lead for cultural funding, confirmed this.¹

For music, that means Sonart's fee recommendations: at least 600 francs and ideally 800 per person per evening.¹ Sonart calls the floor MinimumPay: the amount that just about covers social security contributions on top of living costs.² Both FairPay and MinimumPay include social security contributions of 12 per cent of earnings in total, among them AHV (the state pension), IV (disability insurance) and EO (income compensation), plus other insurance and holiday entitlement. Travel and other expenses are not included.²

The figures in the AZ show how far organisers are from that:¹

• TapTab: according to the person in charge of its finances, it currently pays an average of 300 francs per person per evening. By its own calculation, applying the guidelines in full would cost around 100'000 francs more per season, more than all its funding combined. The city and canton give the club 90'000 francs a year.
• Kammgarn: according to its head of programming, it already largely meets the 600-franc minimum.
• Band-Union: pays 300 francs to singer-songwriters, 400 to duos and 500 to bands per performance at the Street Music Nights, plus the collection. It has received 30'000 francs a year since 2025.
• Jazzfestival: has long paid 800 francs per person on the main stage, 600 on club stages and 400 for recurring concerts.

Not everyone gets more money. According to the AZ, the Kammgarn is set to receive a gradual increase in funding; TapTab, the Haberhaus and Band-Union are not.¹ What happens to an organiser who pays less has not been settled. Simoni-Abla expects there could be fewer concerts in Schaffhausen.¹ The AZ also notes that it is unclear whether newcomers should get the same as established professionals. Sonart explicitly aims its recommendations at established, self-employed musicians.² In January 2026, the cantonal government set itself the goal of revising its cultural funding strategy, including how to apply the fair pay guidelines, and of renewing twelve service agreements.³

What you can do now: the calculator on Sonart's website gives you the FairPay and MinimumPay for your gig. Sonart recommends using them in fee negotiations and in budgets for funding applications.² You are only recognised as self-employed if you have first registered with the AHV compensation office in your canton of residence.²