Estonia/ 8.1 Support to artists and other creative workers  

8.1.2 Special artists funds

Provisions in the Act on Creative Artists and Creative Artists' Unions generates state subsidies for artists unions (see also chapter 8.1.3), and includes a framework for guaranteed income support and social and health insurance for freelance artists.

The current legislation on Pensions Related to Term of Service (1992) grants musicians, actors, and other performing employees of concert organisations the right to retire after 20-25 years of professional activity, but does not introduce any specific pensions fund for this purpose.

Compensation is paid from the state budget to authors of books borrowed from public libraries in amounts based on the frequency of borrowing. A non-governmental organisation, the Association of Estonian Authors (Eesti Autorite Ühing) has been granted the right of representing composers and songwriters in collecting and distributing the levies for public performance of music. As to the vehicles and mediums for private recording of music and audiovisual materials, a levy of 3% of the net value of recordings and 6% of that of blank cassettes, disks etc. is collected and redistributed between representatives of authors, performers, and cultural industries (see also chapter 5.1.7).

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