Finance Ministry to Aid Musicians Through Pandemic

On Wednesday, Israel Katz, the Finance Minister of Israel, gathered with a couple of artists from the music industry. This get-together was set up to talk about the aid that will be provided to the industry in light of the hit that it has taken from the outbreak of coronavirus. This was announced in a press release on Sunday. 

While meeting with the artists, the Minister stated that plans have been made to assist them. He said that a joint team will be established for this purpose, which will consist of representatives of the artists and members of his own staff. 

It was outlined by Katz that the team will focus on various issues related to the incomes of the artists. The attorney representing the artists is Inbar Nacht. He is the chair of the Nacht Family Foundation and owns the MEI LAW firm. 

The meeting with the Finance Minister was attended by numerous singers such as Marina Maximillian-Blumin, Kobi Oz, Omri Glickman, Ishay Ribo, and Micha Shitrit. The CEO of Nacht Family Foundation, Nachman Rosenberg, and producer, Nitzan Zeira were also present at the gathering. 

The Minister ordered the formation of the joint working team. He said that it must include government representatives that belong to the Budget Department, Culture Ministry, and the Minister’s office. 

It was decided that the representatives of the artists will present the problems faced by their clients and the government representatives will cooperate accordingly. This team will work on reviewing compensation for private copyright and assist in building a strategic assistance package. This will be incorporated in the budget for 2021. 

The office of the Culture Minister is currently working to ensure that a special supportive regulation is passed. It has been designed to provide compensation for those recordings that were made under the Copyright Law of Israel. Thus, the meeting took place soon after the Nacht Foundation contacted Hili Tropper, the Culture Minister. 

The CEO of Nacht Foundation, Nachman Rosenberg, also spoke on the occasion. He said that there are a large number of individuals who are associated with the music industry of Israel. He discussed how the coronavirus pandemic had caused a loss to the entire industry and the artists as well. 

He expressed hope of finding someone in the government who could come to the rescue of these artists. Rosenberg explained that the music industry had become the target of economic distress since the coronavirus outbreak. He said that the music of Israel is not a luxury but, a national asset that requires cultivation and protection. 

Ever since the coronavirus crisis has hit the country, the Family Foundation of Marius and Inbar Nacht has taken multiple steps to support the fields of art and culture. 

As of now, they are providing assistance to the struggling music industry of Israel. For this reason, they have developed a series of projects. The most recent project that they pursued was Tzav HaShaa’s recording. It involved over 700 professionals from the industry along with 80 artists.