Is there such thing as a sustainable career in music?
Live musicians suffer from low pay, casual work contracts and insecure careers, and these problems are being exacerbated by poor industry practices, reports Charles Umney.
As recorded music revenues decline, live music is increasing in economic importance. But working conditions in the sector are a problem. Live musicians frequently suffer from low pay, casualised work contracts, and unpredictable and insecure careers. These concerns have serious knock-on effects. They skew opportunities towards those from affluent backgrounds, who can tolerate periods of deep career uncertainty. And poor quality labour markets fatally undermine the recurrent policy objective of using the ‘creative industries’ as a catalyst for regeneration in post-industrial urban areas.
My research examined labour markets for live jazz musicians in London and Paris. It became clear that these problems are exacerbated by poor industry practices... Keep reading on LSE Business Review
As recorded music revenues decline, live music is increasing in economic importance. But working conditions in the sector are a problem. Live musicians frequently suffer from low pay, casualised work contracts, and unpredictable and insecure careers. These concerns have serious knock-on effects. They skew opportunities towards those from affluent backgrounds, who can tolerate periods of deep career uncertainty. And poor quality labour markets fatally undermine the recurrent policy objective of using the ‘creative industries’ as a catalyst for regeneration in post-industrial urban areas.
My research examined labour markets for live jazz musicians in London and Paris. It became clear that these problems are exacerbated by poor industry practices... Keep reading on LSE Business Review