Whippoorwill Arts Musician’s Research and Equitable Pay Guidelines and Professional Protections

The Center for Music Ecosystems is delighted to be working with Whippoorwill Arts and 4A Arts, to explore research, best practices and strategies related to artist equitable pay guidelines and professional protections for non-salaried, working musicians.

What is it?

Delivered in collaboration with 4AArts, the American Alliance for Artists and Audiences, this project aims to support meaningful investment in working musicians and help transform the music ecosystem to be more equitable.

 
 

The work is being delivered in three parts:

  1. Defining a narrative for music as a social good

  2. A gap analysis related to the current state of the US commercial music economy and the impact – both positive and negative – on musicians, and

  3. The development of an equitable and fair performance pay framework for musicians – a ‘framework for the future’.

 

Who is involved

 
 
 

What is the goal

The focus of this work is to inform advocacy and program development for Whippoorwill Arts and possibly other musician allies, with data and suggestions relevant to local and state jurisdictions.

What are the ways in which collective effort can support & increase musicians’ financial stability and well‑being, nurture their creativity, and together serve the social good? In this project, the Center will call on leading music employment lawyers, six independent working musicians from diverse backgrounds, as well as members of its International Advisory Network.

What will it deliver

The resulting equitable pay guidelines will be used by Whippoorwill Arts in their advocacy efforts around the world, and will be published in Summer 2023.

For more information about the project contact Hilary Perkins, Co-Founder and CEO of Whippoorwill Arts, or Angharad Cooper, Head of Projects at the Center for Music Ecosystems.

 

Downloads

Recommendations for Live Performance Pay and Professional Protections For Working Musicians

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