ArtsPay

Artists across the UK are being invited to take part in a survey intended to gain a better understanding of how they earn their money.

Commissioned by DACS (Design and Artists Copyright Society), the independent study will be conducted by the Centre for Regulation of the Creative Economy (CREATe), University of Glasgow.

The work follows a 2010 study that found artists' earnings averaged around £10,000 a year.

Christian Zimmerman, DACS's Chief Executive, said: “With the effects of Brexit, the pandemic, cuts to arts funding and the challenges posed by AI, it is more important than ever that DACS campaigns for stronger intellectual property protection, for policies that better support artists’ livelihoods, and for the arts to be a secure career prospect. 

"We need to build a clear and comprehensive picture of artists’ earnings today and how they are generating income in order to understand the challenges artists face in sustaining their practice. We want to hear from artists at all stages of their careers and from all disciplines.”

The survey, accessible here, is open from March to Sunday, 7 April. CREATe will publish a report on it in late 2024.

Musicians from London Chamber Orchestra (LCO) walked out of a rehearsal on 7 February ahead of a performance in protest over unpaid wages.

Around half the players, who are all freelance, took action after voicing objections to five months of overdue payments, according to a report in The Observer. A subsequent performance by LCO at Cadogan Hall went ahead after other musicians were brought in to cover.

Jocelyn Lightfoot, the ensemble's Managing Director, said the issue arose after Barclays Bank froze LCO's account “with no prior warning". The action was part of Barclays' anti-crime measures.

Lightfoot said: “We kept the musicians informed during this period that their payment would go out as soon as the account was reopened, but as the timeline of the reopening was further delayed many times, it was difficult to provide musicians with a clear timeframe.

"We understand the monumental strain on this body of freelancers whose opportunities to work have been reduced and jeopardised due to sweeping cuts to orchestral funding.”

She confirmed that the payments have since been made.

A Barclays Bank spokesperson said: “We take the protection of our customers’ funds and data extremely seriously.

“As part of our ongoing responsibility to help prevent financial crime and to meet our regulatory responsibilities, we are required to ensure we hold up-to-date information regarding our customers’ accounts. Customers are also required to inform the bank in a timely manner of any change to their legal status relating to their business, charity or trust.”

Barclay’s anti-crime measures are understood to have affected other organisations, including the classical music venue, St John’s Smith Square, Surrey-based Clockwork Charitable Trust and the Ogmore Valley Male Voice Choir.

A code of practice to provide clarity over methods of calculating and reporting revenues from music streaming has been published.

Music Week reports that the voluntary code, published by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), has been developed and agreed by 12 music industry bodies representing music creators, record labels, publishers, digital service providers, distributors and collecting societies. 

Those to have signed up include Association of Independent Music, the British Phonographic Industry, the Independent Society of Musicians, the Musicians’ Union and PRS For Music.

The IPO will have oversight of the code and its implementation and will convene meetings of signatory organisations every six months to consider how the code is working, with a formal review in 2026.

"The Code is intended to act as a stimulus for companies and organisations to provide ever better communications with each other and with music makers," the IPO said. 

"It seeks to create a race to the top by driving up standards and encouraging parties to be transparent.  

"For the avoidance of doubt, any failure to abide by this Code shall not constitute a breach of any legislation or any relevant contracts, including licensing, recording, publishing and distribution agreements, which are regulated by their own terms."

A survey commissioned by the Broadcasting, Entertainment, Communications and Theatre Union (Bectu) suggests that industrial disputes in the US are having a significant adverse effect on the UK’s film and TV workforce.

The union questioned nearly 4,000 freelance film and TV workers in this country about the impact strike action by American writers and actors has had on their employment, finances and mental health.

Three-quarters of the survey respondents reported currently not working, and 80% said their employment had been directly impacted by the US industrial disputes.

Over a third of participants said that they are struggling to pay household bills, rent or mortgages, while 90% said that they were worried about their financial security, 

Nearly a quarter said they did not see themselves working in the industry in five years' time.

Commenting on the survey results, the head of Bectu, Philippa Childs, said, “Much of the rhetoric surrounding the US dispute is about the actors, but as our survey shows, the impact on crew and other film and TV workers is severe and cannot be underestimated.

“This is a workforce that has already faced incredible hardship throughout and following the pandemic and has now been hit by a second crisis in just a few years. 

“Many of our members have been laid off from productions under ‘force majeure’ clauses with little notice or pay, and with 6 in 10 respondents telling us they are struggling with their mental health, it’s clear the impact also extends beyond financial insecurity.

“For too long, we have seen a pattern of engaging crew where they are picked up and dropped again with little notice, protection or reassurances about future employment. They are often the first to suffer and the hardest hit when production is impacted.

“The government is vocal about the huge cultural and economic value of the creative industries; it must put its money where its mouth is and look after those who work in the sector. Likewise, urgent industry collaboration and commitment from employers to support the freelance workforce is critical if we want to UK to remain a cultural hub.”