Collecting the evidence to advocate for positive change.
Today, 23 February 2023, First Music Contact (FMC) and Theatre Forum launch a national Pay and Conditions Survey of the Music and Performing Arts Industries. The survey will ensure an evidence-based overview of pay and conditions within these areas of the arts sector, documenting the lived experience of musicians, artists, arts workers, makers, and creative professionals. Living in a data driven society, it is fundamental to demonstrate research and analysis to ensure advocacy with impact for the sector.
“First Music Contact encourage all musicians, labels, publishers, independent promoters, all professionals working in the music industry and music sector, to have their voices heard through this survey. It is fully anonymised and is vital to the gathering of up-to-date information. We are a sector which has gone unmeasured for too long and this baseline will allow us and our colleagues and peers to make the case for increased support for our sector. The time is also ripe to feed into the Basic Income for the Arts pilot scheme and work to make sure it becomes a reality for our entire sector after the pilot concludes.” Angela Dorgan, CEO, First Music Contact
FMC and Theatre Forum, along with the AIST and other resource organisations within the sector, are working collaboratively to campaign for sustainable careers for those who work in arts and culture. If artists, musicians, and workers are to continue to make and present the art that nourishes individuals and communities across the nation, and showcase Ireland on the world stage, then fair and just conditions must be cultivated to enable professionals to make a living and support themselves and their families through their artistic work.
“If artists are to have the opportunity to make the art that enriches our lives, then we must systematically collect the evidence, present the case, and take responsibility for cultivating the conditions that allow artists, musicians, and creative practitioners to support themselves through their art. Evidence from the sector is vital to support the strategic priority of investment in the arts set out in the National Development Plan 2018–2027, make the case for the roll-out of the Basic Income for the Arts pilot scheme, and maintain and increase Arts Council and Local Authority funding to enrich life in all our communities.” Anna Walsh, Director, Theatre Forum
Financial, social, and structural barriers remain an impediment for the sector in terms of the development of sustainable careers, the retention of talent, skills and experience, in particular post pandemic, and to the future of the sector, in terms of attracting high calibre entrants. Both FMC and Theatre Forum firmly believe that a general overhaul of pay and conditions is urgently required, to ensure that minimum acceptable standards, such as the national living wage, are implemented. At the very least, such improvements would form the foundations of a viable working life for musicians, music professionals, performing artists and workers, as well as the wider arts sector.
This Pay and Conditions Survey is being carried out to ensure that up to date, empirical evidence is gathered, which will then shape solutions-based advocacy. The data will be used to make the case for re-developing the sector’s employment frameworks, addressing precarity in work and lack of parity in pay.
The Pay and Conditions Survey is now open and will run until Thursday March 16. All are encouraged to have their say.
Music Industry Surveys at https://www.firstmusiccontact.com/pay-conditions-survey
Performing Arts Surveys at www.theatreforum.ie
Once the anonymised survey results have been collated and analysed, findings will be widely shared and discussed with all arts and culture sector stakeholders who wish to engage, to advocate for positive change.
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