The ALMBC supports the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance’s (MEAA) call for the Australian music industry to deal with the few predatory booking agencies leaving gigging musicians unpaid or underpaid.
MEAA’s most recent survey of musicians found that more than half earn less than $15,000 a year in an industry where non-payment, underpayment and broken contracts remain widespread. MEAA Musicians Director Paul Davies has called for an industry code of conduct and enforceable minimum standards, including a musicians’ minimum fee.
The ALMBC focusses on best practice, transparency and equity in live music and always pays the minimum fees, as developed by the Musicians Union of Australia.
The report also shines a light on broader concerns about corporate consolidation in the live music sector. Artists and small business are increasingly at a disadvantage when negotiating with a network of larger, integrated businesses, often owned by one entity.
These findings are consistent with what ALMBC members have been raising for years. An industry that generates record ticket revenue while its performers earn poverty wages is a sector in structural crisis. Meaningful reform is long overdue.
The ALMBC will continue to advocate for fair and transparent contracting standards that protect both venues and the artists they work with.
