“Fair Pay to Play Campaign Kickoff Summary”

In spite of the beautiful Northwest autumn afternoon on Sunday October 26^th, about 50 musicians from the greater Portland area attended the Fair Pay for Play campaign kickoff meeting.

It was a chance for musicians to meet and talk with the committee of both union and non-union musicians who have been working on the design of the Fair Pay for Play approach.

Hosted by Illya Torres-Garner, the meeting began with a presentation by Alison Dennis who talked about the work the committee has done.  For the past 10 months the group has met to develop an approach.  They have surveyed both musicians and venue operators to put together a plan that is fair to both. 

Next both Dave Kahl and Ryan Hohman gave testimonials about some of the unacceptable situations they had experienced.  Dave, a veteran player with decades of experience, talked about the fact that musicians pay in the 70s has deteriorated considerably.  Where a musician could formerly support themselves through gigs alone, today this is not possible.  Ryan told us about a recent gig where his group attracted a good crowd at a venue with a cover charge.  Even though the club took in almost a hundred dollars at the door his group received only $3.00 (yes, that’s not a typo – three dollars!) after paying the clubs exorbitant club fee.

Next John Huckfeldt presented the 5 tier pay scale that they had formulated.  He selected several audience members and gave examples of what the minimum pay should be considering the size of the group and the tier level of the venue.  Also, there are additional components of the FPTP pay package regarding costs that venues have systematically relegated to musicians furthering the negative pressure on musician compensation.  These include venue House Fees, salaries for sound and door people and event promotion costs.  John also talked about various activities related to a venues involvement in the FPTP program including a community agreement, FPTP window stickers and promoting the venues that sign up for the program with victory parties (a FPTP event at their site to publicize their collaboration).

A discussion period of followed at this point with a lot of good questions about how the scale worked and various aspects of how the campaign was to be publicized and promoted.

Patrick Mongeau next took the mic and talked a bit about some of the problems musicians have because of years of being on the receiving end of disrespectful, unsympathetic venue operators.  Patrick inspired the group to give their self-esteem a wake up call by working together on this campaign.   Then he asked the group to cast a yay or nay vote on the details of the campaign including the adoption of the 5 tier pay scale.  There was unanimous support.

Finally Jake Pegg encouraged everyone to join Musicians Union Local 99.  This local has made a commitment to support the Fair Pay for Play campaign.  The human resources and support resources needed (facilities, food, utilities, etc.) costs money and union membership is vital to helping fund the project.

Fair Pay to Play Campaign

Please RSVP to Ross Lampert with your name, phone and email.

Musicians Union, Local 99 
Fair Pay to Play Campaign
 

LOCAL MUSICIANS CAMPAIGN FOR AN EQUITABLE WAGE
Average Annual Income for Portland Musicians is Well Below Poverty Level
 
 
The Fair Pay to Play campaign is a group of Portland musicians organized by the Portland Musicians Union to establish a fair and livable standard of pay for local club musicians.  There will be a campaign kickoff event featuring a presentation by local musicians about the issue of equitable pay in the Portland club scene.  All musicians are encouraged to attend.  Details are as follows:

Where: Musicians Union, Local 99
325 NE 20th. Ave
When: Sunday October 26th, 3PM
 

Musicians involved with the campaign will provide details about the work that the Fair Pay to Play Campaign has been doing, its future goals and information about how to get involved with the equitable pay movement.  The problem this campaign is addressing has been pervasive in our community in the past and it is well past time to address it.
 
“My band…headlined at [a local venue] last year. 245 people paid 7 dollars at the door. This means the [venue] grossed $1715. We were paid only $250,” said local musician, Levi Cecil.
 
Research indicates that many venues could and should offer equitable pay to the musicians who enhance both their establishments and their bottom line.  Most professional musicians, however, struggle to earn a living at their craft, most lack health insurance, and many have to work second or third jobs to pay the bills.
 
According to data we collected:
73.46% of Portland musicians feel that what they’re currently being paid is unfair.
On average, Portland musicians spend an additional 3.25 hours preparing for their show per hour of performing.
The average annual income for a Portland musician is $8721.44 - well below the federal poverty level of $10,400.00.
 
The Fair Pay to Play campaign is asking venue owners to partner with the campaign and agree to pay equitable wages to performers. There are five levels of participation, so every venue — from the large nightclub to the corner coffeehouse — can join at the level that suits its size and budget. Participation will earn the venue a Fair Pay to Play logo to proudly display in a visible location, promotional listings on the Fair Pay to Play website directory, and the reputation of hosting quality talent.
 
As the campaign builds, the public can support the right of working musicians to receive equitable wages by supporting those venues that have signed on and display the Fair Pay to Play logo.
 
“When a band performs for exposure,” according to local blues great Norman Sylvester, “they expose themselves to poverty.”

# # #
About The Musicians Union
 
The Musicians Union, Local 99 serves and represents professional musicians in Portland, Oregon and surrounding areas. We are affiliated with the American Federation of Musicians of the US and Canada (AFM).
Visit the Union online at www.afm99.org
Ross Lampert
Organizer
American Federation of Musicians
Local 99
503-235-8791 office
520-241-2022 cell
ross@afm99.org

New Radio Station

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Rob Brading, CEO
MetroEast Community Media
Phone: 503-667-8848 ext. 318
Fax: 503-667-7710
rob@metroeast.org
www.metroeast.org

    OR

Bruce Fife
President, AFM Local 99
Phone: 503-235-8791

METROEAST COMMUNITY MEDIA AND COALITION OF COMMUNITY GROUPS ACQUIRE RADIO LICENSE

GRESHAM, Ore., May 16, 2008-MetroEast Community Media, in collaboration with a coalition of community groups, received word this week that its application for a non-commercial educational (NCE) radio station has been approved by the Federal Communications Commission. With its transmitter located on Mt. Hood, the signal of the new station - 91.1 on the FM dial - will reach most of the East Metro area as well as much of Portland east of the Willamette.