It's been pissing me off for a few days so I'm going to have to jus get it out there.
A band - Black Bird Hum - were asked play at the Sydney Night Noodle Markets. They were told that they wouldn't get paid to play, but they should because of the exposure they would get. As any right thinking professional would, the band declined and put it out to the world that Fairfax (who own and run the Nigh Noodle Markets) would do such a thing as to ask a band to play for free.
Black Bird Hum declined the offer, which they received via an agent representing Fairfax. “We’re flattered to be on the radar of a company with an annual ‘Total Group Revenue of $1,867.2 million‘ (FY2016),” the band wrote on Facebook.
“We have, however, decided to decline the invitation to perform at the event on account of you deciding not to pay us.” The band noted how they have been paid for all of their upcoming tour dates, much like those who would’ve worked on Fairfax’s event.
“We’re guessing that the sound tech who ran the PA on the night was paid; as were the graphic designers and marketing companies that did the event website, promo and marketing material; and the companies that supplied the lighting, tables, chairs and umbrellas; and the cleaners,” they wrote.
But despite a Fairfax representative insisting to Crikey that they will “look at how we are engaging with everyone to ensure we are showing RESPECT”, they apparently still haven’t quite grasped the message.
In an article published earlier this week in The Advocate, a Tasmanian paper printed by Fairfax Regional Media, musicians are taken to task for their ungrateful entitlement, i.e. expecting to be paid for performing live.
And so things just got a bit more nasty. If you go to the Advocate, you will find one Elanor Watt writing:
The real question is, how strong is your passion and what are you willing to do to achieve your goals.
I assume most musicians love making and performing music, it is not one of those jobs that you simply decide to do as you don’t have any other choice, it is considerably passion related much like writing or sports.
If someone was really passionate about getting their music out there, and enjoyed performing then they would take up any opportunity given to them, especially if it means expanding their audiences, drawing in a larger fan base, because we have all seen the movies, anything can happen.
The next issue is worth. Some bands have explicitly implied taking the previous approach insists that artists, well some, do not need to be paid. Are they not worth payment, are the countless hours put into practicing not worth payment.
I consider this issue similar to one that many other people face.
The trade industry for example. My grandmother told me she worked for several years training to be a hairdresser, she was the one who paid for cutting people’s hair, cleaning up, like any employee, but she was paying to do this, to further her skills.
The same goes for university students, yes we pay to learn but we are churning out word after word, some people go on to write thesis’ and contribute to academic literature which is all unpaid.
These people all share the same desire to pursue their goals. They all do this to get ahead, musicians should be no different.In response to these comments, the argument they make completely rules out many other people who are in a similar situation as mentioned previously.
The band seems ungrateful to a potentially amazing opportunity that has been given to them. Dismissing events like this makes me wonder where this band will be in several years time, if they consistently have in their heads they are too good to be even approached for an unpaid gig, what has made them so entitled.
Hundreds of people would be honoured to play at such an event that draws in thousands of people, but hey. obviously royalties are more important to some people.
And so she goes. Where do you start? If a band played a live set at the Night Noodle Markets, clearly it's situation where the corporation is hiring a band to play. If they don't want to pay for it, they should say it's open mic and invite people who want to play for "exposure". Watch all the crazies come out of the woodwork with their banjos and ukuleles and glockenspiels. Of course, they won't do that because they want to ensure a certain standard of entertainment - which is kind of why they would have to pay for the band. It's just a standard business transaction.
If you have a stage with lights and a PA, and you have crew running around already, it's understandable that it's no big leap to think you can make it better by having a band. Except as the band point out, the lights and the stage and the audio techs are paid. Why on earth wouldn't Fairfax pay for the band? What possible reason could there be but outright disrespect for band musicians? Well, let's look at it in some more detail.
Fairfax are doing all these Night Noodle Market numbers in order to transition out of just being a print media company. I also know for a fact that they keep their budgets tight and hardly raise them year after year but expect more from their suppliers every year; I know that they charge a shit ton of money for these stall holders to participate; I know this results in stupendous prices when you go to the Night Noodle Markets. In that context, it surprises me none whatsoever that they don't want to pay musicians. They don't want to pay because it comes out of their margin - that's it. It's not profound; it's not some kind misunderstanding; it's not really difficult to understand.
Fairfax have conjured up an event where they charge stall holders money in exchange for providing an event space. They spend a portion of that money and squeeze out as much as possible from the production company so that they provide infrastructure such as power, lighting, staging, audio and assorted decorations. And the rest of it is their margin. It's a business, so you wouldn't do it if you didn't have a margin. The question then follows, if you're willing to have the infrastructure of a band performance and pay for it, why the hell wouldn't you want to pay for the band?
It really goes to the core of what Fairfax thinks is its content. Presumably they think it's the food and therefore not the band playing music. What really is staggering is that the people who produce this event think the band should come free in exchange for 'exposure', because that would suit Fairfax just fine. All this says is that Fairfax doesn't want to spend the money because it's greedy. There's nothing excusable about it or anything that can be misconstrued as a misunderstanding.
You know what's really crazy about all this? They've always been happy to pay some DJ in the past. Yes, a fucking DJ. Don't let anybody fool you that the Fairfax corporation has any "RESPECT" for musicians, or content.
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