ArtsPay

The government has accepted the Culture, Media & Sport Select Committee’s recommendation on establishing a working group to explore issues around fair pay for creators and performers in the music industry.

The follow-up report by the committee was published in January, more than two years after it first began an inquiry into the economics of streaming.

Ministers have now agreed to the establishment of a working group to focus on fair renumeration for artists whose music is played on audio streaming services, as recommended by the committee, Music Week reported.

Chair of the CMS Select Committee Dame Caroline Dinenage said the creation of the working group “is a welcome step towards addressing the frustrations of musicians and songwriters whose pay falls far short of a fair level given their central role in the success of the music streaming industry. 

“The government must now make sure the group is more than a talking shop and leads to concrete change so the talented creators and performers we have in this country are properly rewarded for their creativity,” she added.

“The committee will be keeping a close eye on progress and also looking more widely at artist and creator remuneration to ensure everyone who works in our creative industries can share in its successes.”

The working group will be composed of representatives and experts from across the music sector and will “explore and develop industry-led actions that support fair remuneration for existing and future music creators as part of a successful and globally competitive music industry”, said former Culture Secretary John Whittingdale.

“While terms in new contracts are increasingly creator-friendly, those benefits are often not extended to creators still signed to older contracts, many of whom are paid at substantially lower royalty rates than their modern counterparts,” he wrote.

“The government wants to see a thriving music industry that delivers sustained growth in an increasingly competitive global music market alongside fair renumeration for existing and future creators. 

“We believe that these aims are complementary and that reasonable action can be taken by industry to address creators’ concerns around remuneration.” 

But Sophie Jones, Interim CEO of the BPI, expressed concerns that the working group will “disincentivise investment” in the UK’s music sector “at a time when labels are fighting hard to grow exports and protect the rights of artists in the era of AI”.

She said the effort seemed to be “at odds with the government’s ambition to grow the UK's world leading creative industries by an extra £50bn by 2030”.

“Numerous studies have demonstrated that streaming has benefited consumers and artists alike, with record labels paying more to artists than ever before,” she said.

Union workers at the British Museum have announced further strike dates over the Easter holidays, as part of widespread industrial action.

Thousands of members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union will strike in April in a “significant escalation” of the ongoing dispute over pay, pensions, redundancy terms and job security.

Staff at the British Library will take two weeks of action, between 3 April and 16 April, while staff at the British Museum will strike for seven days from 6 April to 12 April.

The dates fall in the middle of the Easter holidays, when local families as well as thousands of tourists will be hoping to visit the museum, which attracts more than six million visitors annually.

The planned strike follows upheaval at the museum last month. More than 100 staff members staged a walkout on 1 February, resulting in the last-minute closure of the museum.

A further strike from 13 February to 19 February, during half term, resulted in the cancellation of scheduled activities and the disruption or closure of services including the box office and information desk.
 

Creative Scotland is seeking to address the inconsistency in rates of pay for freelancers across its funding programmes.

Although it does not set rates of pay itself, Scotland's arts funding body said it wants to ensure that industry-standard rates are equitably and consistently applied.

Alastair Evans, Interim Director, Strategy at Creative Scotland said: “Creative Scotland is committed, through any activities we support, to ensure that artists and professionals working in the creative sector are paid fairly with appropriate terms and conditions and employment opportunities.”

Research to identify key priorities for change is being carried out by consultancy practice Culture Radar and Edinburgh’s Queen Margaret University.

They are currently seeking 'sector representatives' who have either made or been included in Creative Scotland funding applications, to contribute online to rates of pay consultations between 27 February - 2 March 2023. 

Evans added: “We encourage as many people as possible working across the industry to contribute to this important piece of work.

“This research will help to create the conditions for more meaningful and sustainable opportunities to work across, and progress through, the sector.”

Bectu has published new pay guidance for professionals working on UK touring theatre productions.

The union guidance outlines new recommended rates agreed in consultation with its theatre touring branch. It follows the launch of Bectu's Guide to good practices on touring productions, published last October.

The rates apply to professionals working in all posts and grades – excluding those recognised by Equity or the Musicians’ Union – covering roles in lighting, sound, wardrobe, wigs, props, puppetry, chaperones, automaton and stage. 

Many of the union’s members have their minimum rates determined by Bectu’s agreements with the Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre, but staff on touring productions have increasingly been employed on buyout contracts, which don’t offer additional payments for overtime and Sunday shifts.

In the absence of agreed minimum rates with UK Theatre or other employers, the new guidance is designed to provide confidence and clarity to Bectu members negotiating rates for touring productions.

Employers do not have to pay the recommended rates, but Bectu is encouraging members to use them as a basis for negotiation.

“It’s no secret that low pay is one of the core issues driving the chronic skills shortage in the UK theatre sector. We cannot expect people to remain for ‘the love of the job’ when there are better pay and conditions elsewhere,” said Helen Ryan, Assistant National Secretary of Bectu.

“Our members working in touring theatre are highly skilled professionals and it is right that they are compensated fairly for their time and talents.”

The new rates do not apply to work done in the Commercial West End theatre sector, where Equity is currently supporting performers and stage managers demanding a 17% pay rise.