Spanish citizens turning 18 this year are to receive a €400 cultural voucher to spend on any kind of live cultural experience, such as a concert, or cultural product, such as vinyl and digital music.

The Youth Cultural Bonus has been introduced by the Spanish government with the hope of giving the country's struggling cultural and creative sectors a much-needed boost following the COVID-19 pandemic. The new scheme should see around 500,000 Spanish teenagers receive a voucher, and they will have one year to spend it. It will be put on a virtual card, which can then be used via a smartphone.

The government has stipulated that a maximum of €200 of each person's voucher can be spent on live experiences of some form, such as gigs and festivals, while another €100 is available to spent on physical products, like CD and vinyl. A further €100 is for digital products, such as music available across various digital formats.

Officially introduced late last week, the Spanish government said the scheme has been introduced to "promote loyalty that generates the habit of consuming cultural products in young people so that, as adults, they continue to consume cultural products regularly."

In introducing the Youth Cultural Bonus, the Spanish government has followed a similar scheme set up during the pandemic in France (May 2021, for €300), and before the pandemic in Italy (September 2016, for €500).