All this week, news stories have been highlighting the precarious financial situation of many artists, at least those who labor for low (or sometimes no) pay. First Salon.com reported that music streaming sites like Pandora and Spotify are reducing the royalties paid out to classical and jazz musicians. Then writer Daphne Carr addressed the problem of unpaid gigs in the classical music world. And finally, actor Ian McKellen called for a living wage for stage actors.
We have listed these stories, and others, below as a way of drawing attention to a pervasive problem in the arts that is, for a variety of reasons, getting worse. The Internet has enabled the sharing of music and videos on an epic scale, but also reduced (or, in some cases, obliterated) the percentage of sales artists once received for their creative work.
Here, prominent actor Ian McKellen argues that actors deserve the same economic recognition as other low-paid workers:
Sir Ian McKellen calls for a living wage for actors [The Independent]
Writer Daphne Carr describes how musicians can avoid the trap of agreeing to play for free:
Why 'don't play for free' is not enough [NewMusic Box]
How the Internet revolution enabled video and other content creation but swept away paychecks:
'The People's Platform,' by Astra Taylor [The New York Times]
© 2024 Classicalite All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
