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"MUSICIAN NEED TO BE PAID TOO "
Oleh Andrea Vicari
Musisi, Professor of Jazz Piano at Trinity College Of Music
Link :
Music Crown
Music Room Artikel : " Musicians angry over playing for free at the London 2012 Olympics "
Author : GREG JOHNSON
July 5,2012
A new Facebook
group, MusiciansAgainst Playing For Free At The Olympics, has been created to draw
attention to the growing outrage among some musicians at what they believe to
be unfair treatment at this summer’s London 2012 Olympic Games.
Created by
player Ashley Slater, the group’s description reads: “Musicians are being asked
to play at peripheral Olympic events for free ‘for the exposure’. This is
simply unacceptable and I feel we should withdraw our participation.”
Andrea Vicari,
professor of jazz piano at Trinity college of music, has also waded into the
debate.
Group members
have called for musicians to stage walk outs at non-paying events, sign
petitions and contact their MPs over the situation.
Anonline petition has been set up at change.org, which the group are
encouraging musicians to sign.
Some users
have also uploaded correspondence received from the London Organising Committee
of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) over their complaints. The email
below from Rob Clarke, Head of Reward, Policy & OD was copied to the group
by musician Keith McNicoll, and states LOCOG’s position on matters:
“Within LOCOG
our Policy has been established for some time and remains unchanged. Our
agreement with the Musicians Union is that whilst we will not be paying
volunteers, amateur musicians, or headline acts, all other professional
musicians will be paid.
“We stand by
that commitment, and are not aware of any official authorised approaches made
to professional musicians asking them to perform for free.
“However,
given the rapid pace, growth and complexity of our organisation and the many
partners we work with, we know that we won’t always get it right.
“We have
consistently said that if any instances of professional musicians being asked
to perform for free are brought to our attention, and they are genuine
approaches from LOCOG, then we will make sure they are in line with our
commitments.”
The email was
later followed by examples of approaches received by some group members to play
at LOCOG events for no payment other than the “chance to showcase [their]
talents to the worlds press.”
Anger at the
situation has spread to the letters pages of the national press.
The Musicroom
blog reported on this controversial issue in April in an article entitled Topay or not to pay? Should musicians be paid for Olympic celebrations?
Commentsleft on the article summed up feelings on both sides of the debate:
“The plumbers,
builders etc are being paid – there’s no reason why the musicians shouldn’t be
too.”
“Free
publicity? I can just see a record label talent agent sitting there going: “WOW
listen to that third horn player from the right in the seventeenth row! I’ve
got to get that guy on my label!” Aren’t the caterers getting free publicity?
The airlines? The security? They should all work for free as well, then.”
Other comments
were more supportive for LOCOG’s stance.
“Most of the
musicians I know actually have brains of their own with which to do their OWN
thinking. If they want to perform for free that is up to them. I am a musician,
and I have chosen to play for free on the odd occasion – usually if I get paid
for it in other ways – such as getting exposure that I may not get the chance
to get any other way. I don’t want or need some collective telling me how I can
and cannot spend my time. I say negotiate your own contract.”
On the
Musicroom Facebook, one poster argued that event headliners, such as Duran
Duran and Snow Patrol, could well see their income from music and ticket sales
increase after performing at Olympic events.
Although true,
the point perhaps overlooks the heart of the debate which revolves around
professional musicians who make their living away from the profits and glamour
of the music industry’s extremely narrow summit.
In fact, as
part of their agreement with the Musician’s Union, referenced in Rob Clarke’s email above, LOCOG
are not obliged to pay their headliners, presumably due to the established
success of such acts and their ability to fully exploit the commercial
potential of their appearances during the games.
Would a
professional steel pan group really gain exposure through Olympic events equal
to what they would normally be paid to perform elsewhere?
TheJazz Breakfast blog has been posting about the Facebook group too,
suggesting that, if successful, it “could be the start of something really big
– and it doesn’t need to stop after the Games are over – musicians get a raw
deal whether there is this sporting brouhaha going on or not.”
They also
highlighted comments by jazz guitaristPhil Robson who actually believes the Olympics have harmed musicians
in the UK.
He has said:
“I don’t think any of this can be compared to ‘sitting in’ in a pub for free
when you are 15 to gain experience. Yeah sure, we all did that. This is the
Olympic games! Half the venues in the country fell apart over the last couple
of years due to all their funding being pulled in order to subsidise this.
“Forgot to
mention that the Olympics has put me & most of my colleagues out of work
anyway for it’s duration as pretty much everything will ground to a halt for it
in London & I prob can’t get in or out of town anyway from where I live in
Kent.”
The
Incorporated Society Of Musicians (ISM) is also running a poll to gauge theopinions of musicians.
Just last week
photographers rallied against exploitative contracts issued by The Stone Roses, a situation that bears similarities to
the Olympic controversy.
What do you
think of the Olympic pay issue for musicians? Do players deserve to be paid
just as the builders, caterers and other London 2012 staff will be for their
labour?
Join the
debate and leave your thoughts in a comment there.
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