Nelonen Media’s music manager tells Iltalehte why they have decided to leave Lauri Tähkä’s music off their radio playlists.
Lauri Tähkä was convicted of a sexual crime on Friday. Esko Tuovinen
Artiste Lauri Tähkän51, has made Nelonen Media make a tough decision. On Friday, the Court of Appeal of Turku sentenced the person known as Lauri Tähka Jarkko Suon from being forced into a sexual act.
Nelonen Media’s music manager Jussi Mäntysaari tells Iltalehti that Tähkä’s songs will no longer be played on the company’s radio channels for the time being.
– In Nelonen’s team, we did not make such a decision on light grounds or lightly, but we thought about the matter throughout the fall, when we knew that the Court of Appeal’s decision was approaching. Nelonen’s musical lines are not meant to be judgments one way or the other, but as always, we thought primarily of our listeners, Mäntysaari commented by email.
– Those [Tähkän biisejä] however, only a few were played earlier in the fall, because during this year his popularity in listener surveys has clearly decreased. It could be due to trend changes or upheavals, hard to say. The study only measures people’s feelings about individual songs, not the reasons behind the feelings, he emphasizes.
Lauri Tähkä’s farewell concert was organized in Helsinki in September. Mikko Räsänen
Iltalehti asked Mäntysaari if Nelonen Media intends to make a similar decision for other convicted artists as well. For example, a shooting star Jari Sillanpää was once convicted of several different crimes, such as drunk driving, the crime of using narcotics and spreading an image offensive to sexual indecency.
Mäntysaari answers the question by stating that the music of Nelonen’s channels is based on music studies.
– When we study music next year, we will find out whether the listeners are affected by the artist’s judgments or the publicity they receive. So whether people want to hear Tähkä’s music or not, the music manager emphasizes.
– We are also thinking about the presenters, for whom the artist’s verdict or the publicity the matter has received might cause unpleasant feelings right now when the matter is also on the media. The purpose of broadcast radios is generally to provide light-hearted entertainment in the background of people’s everyday lives. The voice of Tähkä fans and all other Suomimusa fans will be heard again in the next music survey, so we will listen to their concerns in that form, he concludes.
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Lauri Tähkä’s music can no longer be heard, at least on Nelonen’s radio channels. Sonja Saarinen
Tahka was sentenced to 70 days of suspended imprisonment. The punishment would have been three months, but it was mitigated by the negative publicity caused by Tähka. The probationary period ends on December 12, 2026. In addition, Tähkä was ordered to compensate his victim 4,200 euros for suffering and temporary inconvenience. In addition, Tähkä must compensate his victim’s legal costs for approximately 13,000 euros.
Tähkä can appeal the decision to the Supreme Court, if the Supreme Court grants leave to appeal.
Lauri Tähkä’s most famous songs include, among others Bride, Burning and Burning water. The artist’s farewell concert was held at Bolt Arena in Helsinki on Saturday, September 7.