The Association of Professional Employees of the Basque Country Lanartea conducted this survey for the first time, in which it collected the responses of 245 people. He has published a report with quantitative data.

31% say they pay little

40% of the respondents have as their sole or main source of income the artistic activity or the work derived from it. On the contrary, for 52.2% artistic activity accounts for half or less of the annual income. Taking into account all the income of the participants, i.e. those from artistic activity and other income, in 2023 the average was EUR 27,870. The highest figures have been given by those involved in translation and bertsolarism: EUR 355,000 and EUR 31.336 respectively. The least entries have been music and illustration/comic, with 22.948 and 22.917 respectively.

To calculate the wage, if you disregard artistic activity, the average annual wage is EUR 12,073, i.e. EUR 1,027,5 per month. The two activities with the highest revenue from artistic work are the audiovisual and performing arts. Among those who have received the least are Bertsolarism and music.

The average gross annual expenditure for creative and interpretative works is EUR 5,698. The most cited sources of expenditure are: Quotas for Social Security Self-employed, Labour Infrastructures and Labour Supplies.

Taking into account revenue and expenditure, the average annual net profit is EUR 6,375. The number of creators exclusively in Basque is lower: EUR 4,717. On the contrary, the average net income for work in Basque and Spanish is 9,672 euros.

The participants were asked if their work was well paid. 39.2% say they get paid enough, while 31.8% say they get paid little or nothing.

Tired and concerned about unstable jobs

33.8% of respondents answered yes to the question of whether they had intended to leave artistic work in the last year. In the case of professionals engaged in artistic activity, the percentage has increased to 42.7%. Asked about the reasons why they would stop doing so, the main reasons are fatigue, excessive administrative pressure, harsh conditions, lack of money and instability, affected mental health and poor acceptance of work.

They have been asked about the concerns for the next three years and the three most mentioned concerns are: the instability of work, seeing that artists are not recognized as workers, and the fear of getting sick physically or mentally.

Call to EiTB

They ask the public institutions, the people involved in the grass-roots initiative and the public authorities what they would be asking for. The report sets out the five main requirements:

-That artists see themselves once and for all workers.

- Given the peculiarity of the work of Basque artist, agriculture,

granting a special status similar to that of fishing and other sectors.

- To consolidate the channels that facilitate the integration and promotion of Basque cultural proposals. That EITB play an active role in this work of socialisation and promotion.

- Policy for the specific defence of culture in Basque

launching of public works.

- Effort in the few cultural proposals that move the multitudes

And instead of concentrating almost all the money, caring for the ecosystem, which is small.

So it doesn't break any more.

- The preference for culture.

Measures proposed by Lanartea

The association has put forward a number of proposals to improve the living and working conditions of artists and to respond to the demands they have made in the survey. Six specific requests have been made:

-Develop the law of culture created in Euskera, with all economic and legal support.

-Put the working conditions of creators and interpreters at the centre and use language as a transversal line, as well as the gender factor is used.

- Start the debate as soon as possible on the measures to be taken by EITB to promote Basque culture.

- To establish in the media, in the cultural programming of the public institutions and in the promotion and support lines minimum quotas for culture in Basque and to create a control structure that ensures proper compliance with the quotas.

- Establishment of the Etxebarru Institute (Autonomous Agency).

- Agree, together with the guides on good practice for artists, on the minimum good practices that public institutions should have in their relations with artists.