{"id":1009,"date":"2021-11-18T19:21:20","date_gmt":"2021-11-18T18:21:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/drvenneforeningen.dk.linux182.unoeuro-server.com\/2021\/11\/18\/velbesoegt-generalforsamling\/"},"modified":"2024-11-24T12:08:02","modified_gmt":"2024-11-24T11:08:02","slug":"velbesoegt-generalforsamling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drvenneforeningen.dk\/en\/velbesoegt-generalforsamling\/","title":{"rendered":"Well-attended general meeting"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Studio 2 in DR-Byen was the setting for the well-attended general meeting<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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More than 160 of the association's members made their way to DR-Byen for the association's general meeting on Monday 25 October. This was roughly the same number as in 2019. Last year, the general meeting had to be cancelled due to the Corona restrictions.<\/p>\n

The mood was full of anticipation after the involuntary break and at the prospect of an extraordinary music programme following the formal part of the afternoon. Traditionally, two scholarships are awarded - one to a musician and one to a singer as the Friends' Association recognises their work. But since no scholarships were awarded last year, there were double the number this year thanks to the faithful members who paid their dues despite the crisis and the lack of concerts.<\/p>\n

This theme characterised the board's report to the general meeting. In his speech, Mogens Rubinstein, Chairman of the Friends, emphasised that the crisis and the cancelled concerts had not diminished the need to support the choirs and orchestra - on the contrary.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Fewer members after Corona<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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- We don't have as many members as before the crisis. 1200 compared to 2100 in 2019. Like all providers of cultural activities, the Friends have experienced slow progress after the lockdowns. In addition, some - not many - have chosen not to renew their membership. Some of them have written to the association that they don't think they've gotten their money's worth over the past year and a half,\" said Mogens Rubinstein and continued:<\/p>\n

- They all got the same answer. That they have joined an association whose purpose is to support DR's choir and orchestra. Financially and in terms of attitude. It says so in our statutes. That purpose is at least as important now as it was before and during Corona. The purpose is not to get cheap access to music in DR-Byen. We get that, but that's not the purpose of the association. And it's not for several very good reasons.<\/p>\n

One of them was explained in detail in the report. The Danish tax authorities had informed the Friends that VAT would have to be paid on the membership fee, and retroactively at that. This would mean a significant cut in the ability to fulfil the provisions of the articles of association to support the choir and orchestra as well as the individual musicians and singers. The reasoning was that there is VAT on income from members of an organisation if they receive a quid pro quo <\/em>for the membership fee. We're talking hundreds of thousands of kroner.<\/p>\n

With the help of the accountant, we managed to convince SKAT that after the separation of ticket sales etc. between DR and Venneforeningen, the membership fees are used exclusively for support that is not subject to VAT. The bill for the past ended up being just over DKK 20,000, while no VAT will be payable on the membership fee in the future.<\/p>\n

- An annoying hassle over a couple of years, but with a happy ending for us - and art, as Mogens Rubinstein called the process<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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DR has raised the ticket price<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Some members had also complained about the rising prices of tickets for rehearsals. The chairman said that according to the National Audit Office, DR is not allowed to sell tickets at a price lower than what it costs to have guards, cleaning and the like - plus a publicly determined profit:<\/p>\n

- In other words, we have become DR's customers when it comes to ticket sales. And since DR is bound by the rule that the public sector is not allowed to sell below cost, we are somewhat powerless against ticket price increases. On top of that, both DR and Venneforeningen are forced to use an external provider for ticket management - which has only made things worse. Ticket management has become more expensive. There have been large increases in fees. Both for DR and for us. And since the fee is the same for both them and us, the relative increase in the total price of hearing the music and singing for us is extra high, because the ticket prices are cheaper in Venneforeningen than for the concerts themselves.<\/p>\n

- I've also seen complaints about the high fees for other concerts and events that have nothing to do with DR or us.<\/p>\n

- That doesn't mean that we don't constantly try to influence DR to sell the tickets as cheaply as possible to us and to pressurise the ticket management company to lower the fee price.<\/p>\n

In the past, members have complained about problems getting tickets to rehearsals because they sold out quickly.<\/p>\n

This problem does not exist this season and can therefore be seen as a single uplifting moment in the otherwise sad fact that there are fewer members and thus fewer membership fees, but the board was pleased in the report that - also due to the slow start after the crisis - there were more offers than ever for access to the actual concerts at a very affordable ticket price. Offers that the Friends have been able to pass on to their members.<\/p>\n

The increased attention to DR's pricing from the Danish National Audit Office has also led to very steep increases in the price of renting DR's premises, such as DR-Byen's Studio 2, where the general meeting took place. The Friends of DR cannot justify spending so much money on room hire, money that could have been spent on art.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Need to find a new framework for the general meeting<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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- Therefore, please be prepared that today will be the last time we can sit here in Huset for our general meeting, which we have announced to DR. The board will immediately start looking for the next best venue for the Friends' activities. Where we end up remains to be seen, but we promise that the music and singing from DR's ensembles will follow us next year as well,\" said Mogens Rubinstein in the board's oral report and ended with this encouragement:<\/p>\n

- As I said, it is crucial for our ability to support the choir and orchestra that we get as many members as possible. And we currently have room for and need more. So we urge you - our loyal members - to spread the good news wherever you go. In your family, among friends, neighbours and at work. It's just a few clicks or a call to the Friends' phone and you're a member. And together we can do more.<\/p>\n

Only a few of those present commented on the report. The main criticism was that it would not be possible to pay for the rent in DR-Byen. But there were also calls to do something about DR's Ticket Service Centre, e.g. that you were placed in worse seats for rehearsals if you only ordered a single ticket than if two or more people ordered together.<\/p>\n

The board promised to continue working on the issues raised. Both the report and the accounts were approved with applause from the assembly and the current board was re-elected. The membership fee will remain unchanged for the current season.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Studio 2 in DR-Byen was the setting for the well-attended general meeting More than 160 of the association's members made their way to DR-Byen for the association's general meeting on Monday 25 October. This was roughly the same number as in 2019. Last year, the general meeting had to be cancelled due to the Corona restrictions. The mood was full of anticipation after the involuntary break and...<\/p>","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":1010,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"indlaegs_forfatter":[144],"class_list":["post-1009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ikke-kategoriseret","indlaegs_forfatter-mogensrubinstein"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drvenneforeningen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1009","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drvenneforeningen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drvenneforeningen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drvenneforeningen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drvenneforeningen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1009"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/drvenneforeningen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1009\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20216,"href":"https:\/\/drvenneforeningen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1009\/revisions\/20216"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drvenneforeningen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1010"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drvenneforeningen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drvenneforeningen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1009"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drvenneforeningen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1009"},{"taxonomy":"indlaegs_forfatter","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drvenneforeningen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/indlaegs_forfatter?post=1009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}