The Swiss music business is in the midst of fateful weeks. On 8 March, Switzerland will vote on the so-called halving referendum, which aims to limit the broadcasting licence fee to 200 Swiss francs per year. The impact on the public broadcaster SRG would be disastrous. The substantial withdrawal of resources from journalism would have existential consequences far beyond the music industry.
Negative White and Sound Business therefore strongly recommend rejecting the referendum.
At the same time, the initiative also reveals some sore points. The fact that the local music industry, in particular, and the cultural sector in general, are so heavily dependent on the SRG cannot be a sustainable situation. This means that if the initiative is rejected, as the latest poll results suggest, the music industry must not simply sit back and relax—on the contrary, it must act. All stakeholders are called upon to find sustainable solutions to provide Swiss music with secure and diverse platforms.
Janosch Troehler
But it’s not just fateful weeks that lie ahead of us, but also intense ones. The Swiss Music Awards (19 March) and m4music (20-21 March) are taking place in the same week.
The m4music published the conference programme this week. Negative White will be on site throughout the festival. So if you’re interested in a casual chat, feel free to reply to this newsletter by email.
We will not be attending the Swiss Music Awards, but today, we have a brief critical look at gender distribution here in the newsletter.
Headlines
Zürich Openair cancels 2026 edition
Zürich Openair will not take place this year, citing schedule changes of international festivals as the main reason. ZOA writes: „Due to schedule changes for international festivals at the end of August and the resulting changes in the planning basis, it would not have been possible to hold Zürich Openair at the usual high quality.“
However, neither my colleague Julian Riegel nor I have been able to determine exactly what that means. In his newsletter, Julian suggests that a lack of sponsors could be a major factor. The Zurich Pride Festival was also cancelled for precisely this reason. You can read his assessment here (written in German).
GDS.FM revealed winners of 2025 awards
On 21 February, alternative radio station GDS.FM awarded artists in multiple categories with prizes based on public and jury votes. View the full list of winners here.
Best Song
- Public: A Domani by Fjälla
- Jury: Adrian by Malummí
Best Album
- Public: I Love You, I Leave You by Dino Brandão
- Jury: Meh als Null & Eis by Melodiesinfonie & OG Florin
Best EP
- Public: State of Mind by Anna Rey
- Jury: Imagine People As Adolescent Birds by Aino Salto
Swiss Male Awards
The Swiss Music Awards have been presented every year since 2008. Depending on the category, the decisive factors are jury votes, public voting and, above all, sales and streaming figures. It is not without reason that the „concrete blocks“ are often referred to as the „Swiss Mainstream Awards“. The awards are mainly dedicated to commercial success.
Over the years, the awards have seen numerous changes and special prizes. In 2015, for example, gender-separated categories were introduced, such as ‘Best Female Solo Act’. However, this separation was rejected again after 2024.
After only 23% of all Grammys were awarded to women this year, we took a closer look at the track record of the Swiss Music Awards. And unfortunately, it doesn’t look very promising.