Finnish television and music

An insight into the television network and music in Finland

Finnish television and music

Finland has a vast range of television networks broadcasting different kinds of shows.The success of the Finnish music is based on system of the music schools giving all wishing possibility to learn playing musical instruments covering the whole country.

Finland is one of Europe's most advanced countries in terms of digital broadcasting: analogue terrestrial signals were switched off in 2007 and cable television transmissions have also been fully digitised since 2008. Finland is now turning to second generation digital terrestrial television (DVB-T2). However, these changes have not radically altered the balance in the broadcasting market, where the main players remain the public group YLE (YLE TV1, YLE TV2, YLE Teema/YLE FEM the Swedish language channel), the Finnish private media group Sanoma (Nelonen, JIM, LIV) and Swedish Group Bonnier (MTV3, Sub and Nordic CMore pay-TV channels).

Music is a popular hobby in Finland . In Finland almost each Finn at some stage of his life plays a musical instrument or sings in a choir. Children and young people have the opportunity to receive musical education at municipal music schools. The network of which covers almost the whole country. Amateur choirs for adults are often found at universities and big companies.

The success of Finnish rock music is based on the school system giving everyone the chance to learn a musical instrument. At music schools pupils also participate in ensembles and orchestras. Finland is a country known for its heavy rock. Irrespective of weather and season heavy metal groups usually make it into the top 10 on the music charts. This popularity of heavy music speaks both for the propensity of Finns to be melancholy, the gloom of the Finnish woods and the long, cold and dark winter.

Finnish light music shouldn’t be overlooked. It became known abroad from the beginning of the 2000s when such groups as The Rasmus, HIM and Nightwish had successful concert tours.

The Finnish Music Quarterly (in English)  has been a showcase for Finnish musical culture since 1985. It addresses all aspects of the Finnish music scene and keeps track of what is happening in Finland. Its theme issues have been devoted to various genres of Finnish music from classical to jazz, folk and popular music and cover such topics as education, the numerous Finnish summer festivals, and the crossover between music and other arts.

Readers of the magazines will find information about Finnish music past, present and future in articles ranging from archaic poetry or medieval chant to the meeting of music with state-of-the-art technology. The magazine also carries news items and reviews of major new Finnish discs and books.

Further reading

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