More about the Eurovision song selection scandal are revealed on Ynet. Over 20 artists signed the letter against Keren Peles' song selection for Eurovision, first reported on Ynet, and now it turns out that beyond music, "it's a battle over money, a lot of money," according to one creator.
Sources involved say having your song chosen for the Eurovision Song Contest amounts to an income of hundreds of thousands of shekels a year, assuming the song is indeed successful. "If an Israeli song is successful at Eurovision, it amounts to an income of NIS 200,000-300,000 ($56,000-$84,000) a year just from royalties, and maybe even more," a composer who participated in producing songs for Eurovision told Ynet. "If the song is also successful abroad this amount swells to even more," he added.
Another source also confirms that these are large sums. "Writing a song for Eurovision has very great business potential. You are exposed to many types of audiences, and European countries can play your song even if you don't win. This is a very big financial opportunity for the creators, all of course if the song is successful," according to the source.
One of the creators interviewed by Ynet described the differences between success and failure through the case of songwriter Doron Medalie. "When he wrote Toy, which won Eurovision, it's clear that this was income on a crazy scale that is unknown in Israel. But the same Medley was involved in writing the song 'Made of Stars' performed by Hovi Star, which reached 14th place. Is this also income of hundreds of thousands? The answer is no. Absolutely not."
The storm surrounding the song began after the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation announced last weekend that Keren Peles' song had been chosen to represent Israel at Eurovision 2025. However, on Saturday night, a letter from the creators demanding the decision be overturned was revealed on Ynet, claiming that it was a conflict of interest since there is a business connection between Peles and the production of The Next Star for Eurovision, the reality show that chooses Israel's contestant to the song contest.
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Toy performed by Netta Barzilai, makes hundreds of thousands of shekels a year for Doron Medalie after it won Eurovision
(Photo: AP)
According to the creators, Teddy Production manages Peles in her performances (which was denied by sources close to Teddy Productions) and, in addition, Peles and Yuval Raphael, the Israeli singer for Eurovision, are represented by the same manager.
Over 20 artists signed the letter against Peles. Among the signatories' demands are the cancellation of the selection of Peles' song, the disclosure of the committee's protocols, the establishment of a new committee or a transparent process for selecting a song, and the severing of ties between "The Next Star" and Eurovision.
The letter was also sent to Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, as first published on Ynet, who himself demanded a check of whether there were any conflicts of interest, and also demanded to reveal the considerations that led to the choice. At the same time, the letter is also addressed to Culture Minister Miki Zohar, who has not yet officially commented.
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Yuval Raphael will represent Israel at the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland
(Photo: Screenshot, courtesy of Keshet)
The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, known as Kan, rejected the claims in a statement in response to the letter.
"We strongly reject the claims. "The committee for selecting the song that will represent Israel at Eurovision is composed largely of senior music editors from the corporation, senior television and production personnel from Kan, and a public representative, who are not affiliated with any private production company. The committee is closely supervised by the corporation's deputy legal advisor throughout all of its decisions and meetings."
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"This year, the winning song was chosen unanimously by all companies and members of the committee and the matter speaks for itself about the significance of the judging panel's appearance on the committee," Kan said. "Over the years, there have been quite a few creators and performers who have represented Israel more than once, even in consecutive years. Israel's successes in the competition in recent years (winning first, third and fifth place) prove above all the professionalism of the team. The voter and the quality of his choice."