What are the Festival’s sources of income?
The Festival receives no assistance from public funds whatsoever. In 2008 for instance, the major part of its income came from ticket sales (50% of total receipts). Sponsorship (16%), income from bars, restaurants and the merchandising boutiques (34%) made up the rest of the Festival’s receipts.
What were the financial results for the last 10 years?
Over the past ten years, the cumulative profit of the Paléo Arts & Spectacles association amounted to CHF 3 706 503.-. It should be noted that financial results (income from bonds and investments) represented some CHF 1 866 768.- of these profits. The cumulative profit of the Festival alone was therefore CHF 1 839 745.-. Remember, all profits made by the association are reinvested in the pursuit of its mission.
The average annual result of the Festival (excluding financial products) over this ten year period amounted to CHF 183 975.-.Over the same ten years, two editions of Paléo made a loss and eight made a profit. It should be noted that for the period covering the last five years, (2005-2009) was very positive for the Festival (average net annual profit for the Festival of CHF 291 954.-).
Does Paléo pay taxes?
Paléo Arts & Spectacles, as an association involved in economic activity, pays its taxes. Over the same ten year period, the association paid a total of CHF 4 130 483.-, in taxes, including tax on profits and capital of CHF 965 631.- and CHF 3 166 853.- in income tax deducted at source (PAYE). On average, the association pays over CHF 400 000.- in different taxes, excluding VAT.
Does Paléo receive public funding?
Paléo receives no public subsidy, but pays for all the services provided by the municipal and cantonal authorities necessary to the organisation of the Festival (apart from the municipal police in Nyon). Over the past ten years, these expenses amounted to CHF 4 105 097.-. This means that Paléo pays in average each year more than CHF 400 000.- for such services, to the municipality of Nyon (about 55%) and the Canton of Vaud (about 45%).
What are Paléo's other activities?
For many years, the Paléo has been involved in other activities whose principal function is to provide work - mostly administrative - for its full-time staff during the winter period. This is still the case, although the tendency over the last few years has been to concentrate more and more on purely musical activities.
The Paléo Association does, however, possess a majority interest in the following companies: Opus One SA (concert organization), Disque Service and Paléo Records (sale of records and musical instruments), and Belino SA (wine merchants and importers). Although Paléo only rents the ground on which the festival is organised, the festival's principal buildings, on the other hand, - storage hangers, technical facilities, workshops and part of the office space - are owned by SI Lasse, a real estate subsidiary created to maintain the infrastructures necessary for the smooth running of the Festival.
Does Paléo own the Festival site?
Paléo is only the tenant of the Festival site. This site, covering an area of 84 hectares of agricultural land, is situated on land under the responsibility of five different village councils (Nyon, Duillier, Grens, Signy-Avenex, Trélex) and belongs to a dozen different landowners and farmers.
If the Festival makes a profit, how is it used?
Paléo Arts & Spectacles is a non profit-making cultural organisation. This implies that any profit is automatically reinvested in order to promote the association's goals, such as the development of cultural, musical and artistic activities. Paléo Arts & Spectacles was also instrumental in the setting up of the CMA Foundation (Chanson and Contemporary Music), which provides support for musical creation in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. The foundation still receives regular support from the association. In 2008 Paléo created Equiléo, a foundation whose goal is to provide financial support for social and cultural activities and action in the field of prevention. It has also been possible to provide assistance to local and regional clubs and associations in order to promote a variety of cultural projects. Finally, profits may be used to improve the festival's artistic content, to optimise the Festival’s organisational know-how and may also be invested in a contingency fund to cover costs incurred because of bad weather or onerous infrastructure expenses.
