Fair Pay In Music: Independent Artist Working Conditions at Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association

March 22, 2024

Michelle Conceison, Recording Industry Professor at Middle Tennessee State University, presented on a paper at the MEIEA Conference. This paper summarizes results from a multi-phase research initiative led by Whippoorwill Arts and a collective of organizations, music industry professionals and researchers, to study the economics of live performance with a focus on the livelihood and working conditions of musicians. It highlights recommendations Whippoorwill recently published about Ethical Pay and Professional Protections for working musicians, and expands on several key findings raised in the Whippoorwill study. Some concepts examined in this paper include music as a social good, an expanded perspective on the scope and scale of the music industry landscape, an analysis of common challenges independent artists face, and exploration of why union organizing and collective bargaining has not been a consistently effective solution for performing artists.