History
Since its foundation in 1996, PETZI advocates for the social and political appreciation of non-profit music venues and festivals. In 2001, the PETZI ticketing and agenda service was created with the aim of promoting the events organised by PETZI members and offering concert-lovers an alternative ticketing service.
2003: Establishment of a Swiss-German committee joining the committee for French-speaking Switzerland and taking the PETZI network to a national level. The first PETZI Cup, a football tournament between members, is held – an event that is still organised today.
2004: Introduction of the PETZI Pass, allowing members free entry to other members' events. Since 2004, PETZI has a subsidy contract with the Federal Social Insurance Office in accordance with Article 7 Paragraph 1 of the Child and Youth Promotion Act (LEEJ/KFJG/LPAG).
2007: Restructuration of the association into two regional committees (Romandie and German-speaking Switzerland) and a national committee.
2008: Conduction of the first data collection among members.
2012: Introduction of a volunteering certificate, developed in collaboration with SAJV/CSAJ and Bénévolat Vaud, and organisation of the “Assises des musiques actuelles du Canton de Vaud” in Vevey, in collaboration with FCMA, State of Vaud and City of Vevey.
2013: Together with SMPA, the SCA and Safer Clubbing, PETZI co-founds PromoterSuisse, enhancing collaboration among music organizers.
2014: PETZI joins Live DMA, strengthening our international presence. The first comprehensive data collection, comparable at national and international level, was completed.
2016: Celebration of PETZI’s 20th anniversary with the “First conference on contemporary music - the social, cultural and economic importance of music clubs and festivals in Switzerland”, organised in Bern.
2017: Organisation of the first nationwide Open Club Day in collaboration with SBCK/CBSC.
2018: Launch of a new website, organisation of the first European Open Club Day coordinated by Live DMA, and tackling fraudulent ticketing by joining the Ticket Check campaign by the Fédération romande des consommateurs.
2019: Development of the Diversity Roadmap by PETZI, Helvetiarockt, We Can Dance iT, sensability, Flirt don't hurt! and the equality offices of the cities of Bern and Zurich. PETZI participates in Live DMA's “Music is not noise” working group.
2020: Advocacy for the cultural sector, creation of protection plans, and establishment of the PETZI Community Fund. PETZI becomes part of the core group of the Taskforce Culture.
2021: Continued pandemic response efforts, organisation of a series of professional meetings on occupational health in collaboration with artos, Sonart and FCMA, improvement of the Ticketing service through a transformation project.
2022: Continued advocacy and launch of the “Safe Spaces Culture” project. A “Youth Culture Specialist Group” is set up in collaboration with DOJ/AFAJ. The study “Analyse des dispositifs de soutien aux musiques actuelles en Suisse romande : Cartographie et propositions d'instruments innovants”, conducted by PETZI and the FCMA, is completed and published.
Emerging from the pandemic, PETZI remains committed to supporting the contemporary music ecosystem with initiatives like the campaign “Enjoy LIVE Music - support your local scene”. Following the study “Analyse des dispositifs de soutien aux musiques actuelles en Suisse romande : Cartographie et propositions d'instruments innovants”, PETZI and FCMA organise the first “Symposium romand des musiques actuelles”, hosted by the city of Yverdon-les-Bains in 2023.
PETZI continues to address important issues in the live music scene such as sustainability, inclusion and sexualised violence. It also continues to defend the interests of its members by participating in political processes such as the Culture Dispatch as well as in the elaboration of legislation within the cultural and youth sector.