Posted on 16 August 2010
The Musicians Union has recently claimed that professional musicians are being "emotionally blackmailed" into working for free at charitable and fundraising events.
John Smith, General Secretary of the Musicians' Union (MU), appeared on Radio 4′s Today programme last week regarding a motion that the MU is putting to the TUC Congress in September.
The motion argues that musicians should not have to work for free at charity events, but instead should be given the choice over whether or not to donate their fee.
David Sulkin, Chief Executive of the Musicians Benevolent Fund says 'Musicians are often thought of as rich super-stars or people with an artistic vocation unrelated to the normal economic pressures of life. The fact is that most musicians struggle to make ends meet. So it's ironic that they're often expected to give their services free for charity fundraisers.
The Musicians Benevolent Fund recommends that all musicians should be offered the full fee for a charity event and then asked if they would, without pressure, consider donating all or part of their fee to the good cause.'
The motion will also raise the problem of internships which do not pay a decent rate. You can read the full text of the motion on the Musicians' Union website.