Apocalyptica awarded the Vantaa Business of the year 2006

Original Finnish text: www.yrittajat.fi

Apocalyptica, band of three cellists and a drummer that has gained world fame by playing rock music, has been named the Vantaa Business of the year 2006, along with Eicca Production Oy that's in its background. Apocalyptica has sold 2,4 million records.

- The band has taken Finland and Vantaa to the world in an excellent manner. In addition, the performing artists are small businessmen who also realize a new form of action in which the financial and copyright issues of the band are run by their own company, elaborates Tapani Makinen, the CEO of Vantaan Yrittajat.

Eicca Production Oy, established in the year 2000 in Vantaa, runs the financial and copyright issues of Apocalyptica along with technical things, such as the money received from the record sells and the video production. The business employs a changing number of people depending on the season, around ten at most. The model comes from Sweden, where, for example, the copyright income has been fundable already in the end of the 70's. Eino "Eicca" Toppinen, who received the award with Paavo Lotjonen, wishes that we'd take the same direction.

- Musicians receive their income depending on the season from the copyright and not from any special action of work. Therefore it would be a remarkable improvement, if the copyright was classed as capital income and if you could fund the income and spread it to several years. At the same time the copyright should be taxed in a fixed percent, for example a 25 percent artist tax and not as income tax, Toppinen says.

Toppinen also demands more support from the state for music export, because the current support doesn't encourage the musicians to go abroad. He believes, that even a million euro investment would have remarkable results. Also Saveltajat ja Sanoittajat Elvis RY, an organization of music makers have suggested a change in the taxing system and raising the export support. At the same time the association has acknowledged, that copyright income is excluded when calculating earnings-based unemployment and social security support.

The Vantaa Business of the year 2006 award was given in the Awards fest of Kauniainen, Espoo and Vantaa businessmen in Kauniainen.