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At our TUC Congress 2010 Monday Fringe Musicians' Union General Secretary John Smith responded to the Unions21 YouGov research on 'What Workers Think'
MU members fall into different categories of worker depending on their employment status. Of our 30,000 members, 70% are self-employed, freelance or casual workers. Some are part-time musicians and have other jobs, others are members of orchestras and theatre companies or are full-time studio musicians. So we cover all bases. Their attitude to their work as musicians varies greatly depending on what genre they play and sector of the music industry they work in. However in general almost all musicians find their work fulfilling, exciting and motivating, this does not apply across the board however and some, mostly many theatre players, engage in other forms of musical activity to retain their sanity – I know two musicians who have played in the orchestra of the Phantom of the Opera since it first opened in the West-End.
Orchestral players are in general not well paid; salaries vary from around £23,000 to a few in the top orchestras that earn up to £50,000. So they have a continual feeling of being undervalued, particularly when their training is taken into account and when compared to ‘the professions’ – law, accountancy, etc. They almost all, because of the nature of their work, have a high level of collective values and know the value of collaborative team work. This applies to all musicians who work in orchestras, bands and other ensembles, whatever the genre, and is akin to the way that footballers and rugby players rely on colleagues and regard themselves as being part of a bigger whole. Musicians know that they have to practice their instruments at home in order to maintain their individual standard of musicianship and by and large they do not look upon this as a chore.
Everyday problems do exist and in particular orchestras are workplaces that are prone to bullying and psychological harassment, this can put an additional strain on the musician many of whom suffer to varying degrees from ‘performance anxiety’. They know that many of their peers (not all), judge them by their most recent performance, which can put an enormous amount of pressure on them. Then you have the problem of working with megalomaniac conductors. Artistic expression is often stifled by the conductor who dictates the speed, the level of volume and the nuances of individual passages of music. Professional musicians often find conductors patronising and condescending. They also have little time for their managers and administrators and often are frustrated by their inability to change work practices, artistic policy or direction. They would like more of a ‘voice’ at work.
The attitude of most members to the MU is good I think. Most full-time professional musicians rely on the Union’s collective agreements not just to set rates of pay, but also to control the transfer of their intellectual property rights to record companies, film producers and broadcasters. They know that we can enforce Health & Safety regulations and provide legal assistance when they have a problem. MU members also value the professional services that we provide – instrument insurance, public liability insurance, and general career advice. That is not to say that we don’t get detractors and critics. In the sphere of recorded music the MU has had to adapt and cope with a rapidly changing environment, our agreements have reflected this and have also had to account for the extreme damage that has been dome to the top end of the industry by digital and internet piracy and P2P file-sharing.
Music is a vocation – a lifetime commitment, and the vast majority of musicians enjoy their work and take great pride in bringing pleasure to the public. However at the end of the day they are workers and have the same day-to-day worries and expenses that other workers have. They also encounter similar frustrations and insecurities that other workers do. Because of the attitude of musicians to their union, the MU remains a strong independent organisation which as well as providing for traditional trade union services and benefits is a strong voice with in the music industry.
