Finland – According to a story in the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, Finnish broadcaster YLE is unable to pay for the songwriters of this year’s track, Monsters, to travel to Lisbon. Most delegations always give accreditation passes and travel costs to the songwriters, but Linnea and Joy Deb have been told there are no spaces for them this year as part of the Finnish delegation.
YLE television producer Anssi Autio said,
“We already pay for so many and it’s not entirely up to us to decide who to include in the delegation. I want to emphasise that we would very much have liked to have them with us. Songwriters should be there more than managers and PR agents, absolutely, who are also still necessary. But this is also a collaboration with the record company and Saara’s team. Therefore, we must take them into account when we decide who should be included in the delegation.”
Linnea Deb said
“It is really sad. Imagine a film festival without the director or screenwriter there. It was important in Finland, but now they have catapulted us out. I feel it is so sad that composers have zero weight in a competition based on just our work. It is skewed. We probably will not work with YLE again.”
There has been no comment from Saara Aalto or her record company as yet on the matter.
The Eurovision Times 
……this is really sad and beyond words. In 1981 the composers were filmed together with the artists in the postcard to give them a place in the spotlight. In 1983 the names of composers were told by the presenter at the announcement of the song. ….
No SONGcontest without them………
This whole project is sad beyond words. The song is still the strongest part. Everything else YLE, Warner Music Finland snd Saara Aalto managed to fuck up.
YLE and Warner Finland have officially now thrown the towel in the ring. What a bunch of sad loosers!
You are building a momentum in odds again. Her and Eleni are the absolute disposable ones of the bookers this year.
Meaning?
I have no idea :p ask the bookers.
FIN still bubbling under…
YLE makes NDR look professional …
ERT too
They make probably every broadcaster look highly professional at this point.
YLE’s producer hasn’t got a clue about ESC and it shows. He is very arrogant and now woken up to the harsh realities of ESC. In UMK the whole script was based on assumption that they are selecting winning entry. No wonder Krista looked embarrassed most of the time. Miss Aalto obviously is more interested about her entourage than about her success in competition. It’s shameful that they are humiliating Debs this way.
Total waste of resources and time of professionals.
Very rude…how come a TV channel can’t afford plane tickets for 2?🤔
Of course they do, but at the same time it’s reported that Miss Aalto’s personal team is much bigger than usually. It seems that she wants to take her hangarounds with her.
She needs to downsize then
Princess needs her court around to feel like a star.
Promoting is not YLE’s or Warner Finland’s strong points. Debs’ did Heroes, for me it means that it would be very clever move ti have them in the press conferences.
Remember, Saara broke up with Simon Cowell to launch her international career. Well launched so far. Simon must be laughing his arse off.
CyBC has not been sending a commentator the last couple of years :p
That’s totally rude coming from YLE or any broadcaster.
LOL!This is close to ERT’s low.They should do it the ERT way.It pays only for the tickets and hotel of its employees.The singer/songwriters,stage directors,backing vocalists etc have to find their own funding i suppose through the record company.
Messy affair, I see. :(
Awful ways to handle things. Me no likes…
They made a large portion of this song and now they can’t come? Lol that’s just wrong