Musicians’ financial and labor struggles have continued in 2024. So here in their own words, Local Spins provides its annual Labor Day column exploring the plight of these artists.
Veteran Working Musicians With Something to Say: Their Labor Day lament at Local Spins.
For years, Local Spins has marked Labor Day with its “State of the Union” commentary on the plight of working musicians who continue to create their art and perform despite financial obstacles, long hours and the music scene’s ever-changing and arduous labyrinth.
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So for Labor Day 2024, we asked a few notable West Michigan artists to assess the current challenges of making a living as a musician by asking them three key questions. Here are their responses.
Leave your own comments below and, if you’re a music lover, support your favorite bands and solo artists by buying their music and their merch, purchasing tickets to their shows and giving them a hearty pat on the back for keeping Michigan’s music scene alive and robust.
Brian Vander Ark (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
1. What’s the biggest obstacle facing working musicians in 2024 and what are the possible solutions? “The biggest obstacle is the rising costs of touring. We took a $10,000 loss on the West Coast tour we are on. Seattle to Los Angeles. Hotels are too expensive, so one solution we’ve found is Airbnb, half the price of four hotel rooms. But everyone has to REALLY enjoy spending time together. (We do.)”
2. In your view, has musicians’ pay kept pace with inflation or provided working musicians with a living wage? “Hahahahaha. But seriously, the system is rigged against the artist. It’s the nature of our business. The creative ones will always find a way to sustain a life in music. I do public speaking to pay the bills. But no, this is not an easy living to make, and the living wage is worse than ever.” (Editor’s Note: To keep pace with inflation, a musician who was typically paid $100 for a gig in 1970 should be paid at least $810 for that same performance in 2024.)
3. What can fans/music listeners and venues/promoters do to improve the lot of musicians? “The best thing fans can do is go to the live shows. Buying merch helps somewhat, but much of the time the money taken in from merch goes right back into manufacturing more merch. Plus, many places charge you a fee to sell merch! Ridiculous. But the one thing we have are ticket sales.”
For more about The Verve Pipe: https://www.thevervepipe.com/
Robin Connell (Photo/Kendra Petersen-Kamp)
1. What’s the biggest obstacle facing working musicians in 2024 and what are the possible solutions? “Biggest problem: low wages, no benefits. Solution: higher wages, and steady employment (including in some cases as an employee rather than independent contractor). Organize. I have been in the musicians’ union most of my life. The personal benefits have been minimal, but have included gigs requiring union membership (at significantly higher wages), a personal loan at low interest, health insurance and clients finding me through the union directory. Those benefits were eroded away over the last 40 years as musicians’ jobs became automated (synths, computers) weakening unions and membership. In recent years, I continue my union membership primarily in support of the GR Symphony, although I still occasionally get gigs via the union, too. I do wonder if the current trend towards “Labor” in our country will catch on with young musicians today. It requires looking past one’s immediate needs and fulfillment, but history has shown that organized labor has the potential for benefits that individuals in direct competition rarely obtain.”
2. In your view, has musicians’ pay kept pace with inflation or provided working musicians with a living wage? “Unsustainable for 40 years and worse now.”
3. What can fans/music listeners and venues/promoters do to improve the lot of musicians? “Show up and financially support (musicians).”
For more about Robin Connell: http://robinconnell.com/
Seth Bernard (Photo/Anna Sink)
1. What’s the biggest obstacle facing working musicians in 2024 and what are the possible solutions? “One of our biggest obstacles, like most working class people, is not getting paid a living wage, and the cost of living quickly rising so much higher than the revenue we generate. One key solution to this on the micro and macro scale is working class solidarity. The more working class people are squeezed, the more important it is for us to organize and work together with our common goals and interests in mind. We are counting on other working class people to stand in solidarity with us. People have the power, and when we work together, we make change.”
2. In your view, has musicians’ pay kept pace with inflation or provided working musicians with a living wage? “No it has not, not even close.”
3. What can fans/music listeners and venues/promoters do to improve the lot of musicians? “Music lovers need to take direct action and interrupt systems of extraction that treat musicians as expendable. Intervene with your hearts and your dollars. Pay for tickets, buy the merch, give it as gifts, support the Kickstarters and the Patreons, show musicians that you value what they add to our communities and our society. Spend more of your hard-earned money supporting musicians who know your kids’ names at venues owned by locals as you would on going to a big concert at a big corporate venue. Don’t ask to be on your friend’s guest list, bring a friend and pay. Stop squeezing musicians because you can. Pay more because you know you should. Beyond that we can organize with lawmakers to make the big players play fair and reform the extractive aspects of the music industry. We can build new models that render the old ones obsolete. We can resist corporate musical monoculture and support our local music farmers. And we can show the people around us what it looks like to be a music supporter.”
For more about Seth Bernard: https://samuelsethbernard.com/
For more about the Sept. 20-22 Earthwork Harvest Gathering that he hosts: https://earthworkharvestgathering.com/
Jon Hayes and Serita Crowley: Serita’s Black Rose (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
1. What’s the biggest obstacle facing working musicians in 2024 and what are the possible solutions? “A big one would be getting a better payout from online streaming services. A record can generally cost an independent artist $10,000-$30,000 or more to self-produce, depending on the artist. What financial incentive do artists have to make a record that no one will buy, even if it is promoted heavily and is of top quality? Records are now used as calling cards to book live shows, which is where most artists earn their income nowadays. As an independent recording artist, you have to hustle 10 times harder than you would playing cover songs at a local venue, and the payout is often way less. Playing locally has much less expense than traveling the world when you start adding up the cost of food, gas, hotels, etc. You’re lucky to break even on a national tour. It pushes really great artists and musicians to stay in their hometown to settle for local cover gigs just to make a mediocre living to make ends meet. The downside is that you’ll be chasing your tail with no end in sight and your earning potential will be limited. It’s hard to gain any financial traction with original music. Streaming services like Spotify have obliterated the ability to sell records. I think a general average for 1 million streams has a payout of roughly $4,000 from Spotify. If you were able to sell a digital download of a song for just $1, that would be $1 million in revenue to the artist, minus fees. But what incentive do consumers have to pay for songs when they can listen for free? As Jack Stratton from Vulfpeck said in a TV interview, to quote Steve Jordan “If Whole Foods came out with a $10–month subscription to food, it would be a popular product as well.” How would that business structure work any different when you get unlimited songs for $10 a month? The bottom line is that streaming services have robbed our ability to sell records, and the massive profits certainly are not going back to the artists who incurred the expense for making those records. I don’t know what the solution would be to tame this wild beast of online streaming that’s been unleashed, but we certainly are not going back to how record sales used to support artists. Obviously the controlling interest is taking advantage of the market. All I can say, is buy a ticket, throw a tip in the tip jar, buy some merch, support musicians!”
2. In your view, has musicians’ pay kept pace with inflation or provided working musicians with a living wage? “The short answer is: No way! Most musicians’ pay has been deflating for decades, even for many top-tier elite musicians playing big shows. Musician pay and their potential earnings are all over the spectrum. For working musicians who play cover song gigs at local venues like bars, restaurants, clubs, and breweries, etc., many venues are still paying professional musicians $100 or less per person per gig, and there will always be someone to accept those gigs. I recently was asked to perform at a local venue in Grand Rapids on a Friday night in peak summer season for three hours, and the only compensation would be free drinks. That is an insulting offer from a for-profit business, considering what I’ve done in my career. I’ve spoken with a lot of older musicians over the years who gigged back in the ’70s who say they would regularly earn $100 or more per person per night. Many had house gigs at these types of venues and performed several nights a week and were able to make a decent living as a musician. $100 in 1975 is equivalent to the same buying power as about $600 today. Try paying your bills to live independently on $100 a day in 2024. It’s difficult.”
3. What can fans/music listeners and venues/promoters do to improve the lot of musicians? “Please consider spending $20, $30 or $50 for a ticketed show at a great-sounding venue like a theater or listening room to see your favorite local or touring artists. Great-sounding rooms offer a much better sonic listening experience that is more immersive to the listener and to the performer. Often bar and restaurant environments can be obnoxiously loud and noisy with terrible acoustics where music is often in the background as secondary. If you are willing to spend $50 or $100 on food and drinks, then why not spend $20 or $30 on a ticket in a space that is more music centric in the foreground? If you saw a great show, tip as if you paid for a ticket. Making music takes enormous amounts of work, time, expense and talent; it is not free. Please remember this the next time you listen to your favorite song with your free streaming service. Supporting gestures and kinds words can go a long ways as well. As for music venues, understand why we are there. We want to have a good time so everyone else can have a good time to. Help us thrive with vibe. Work together with your musicians to help create a supportive musical culture surrounding your venue. When booking a musician or band, please be as transparent as possible and provide information about the needs and expectations of the gig along with what is provided. Please provide details when asked about specifics. Never assume that all musicians should be expected to accept whatever conditions are handed to them when they arrive at the gig. Ask for, or offer a contract and pay a deposit, and be willing to put in the work to make the person you are hiring feel comfortable and respected. Please don’t just cancel a gig without any concern to the loss in wages for the musicians while expecting them to reschedule another date only to be cancelled again. We lose other offers because of this, often very lucrative ones. When promoting a musical act, be sure to spell their name correctly and promote them appropriately. Please do not assume that it is OK to take online images freely to use them. Ask the artist if you need promo material. Warmly greet us at the venue each time we perform. We are there to help create a vibe for people to have a good time. Show that you care we are there. If you have employed staff available to help, offer to help load equipment. Maybe provide a cart if possible. Provide loading access and parking. Offer us a water and ask if we need anything. Provide some basic amenities if possible, like a sitting stool, fan, rug, etc.
Provide proper cover from the sun if the gig is outdoors. If raining or storming, offer a weather contingency plan to move indoors. Ask for feedback from each performer on how the venue can improve to make the experience better all around. Offering a free meal is a gesture of appreciation and is a perk many musicians rely on to help curb costs.”
For more about Serita’s Black Rose: https://www.seritasblackrose.com/
A REQUEST FROM LOCAL SPINS: Like musicians, Local Spins depends on financial support from music lovers — from fans to venues to festivals to promoters — to continue showcasing Michigan’s robust scene. But the truth is, while all musicians, bands, venues, festivals, promoters and readers benefit from the unique and integral service that Local Spins provides, very few of them have actually supported this publication financially, whether through advertising, sponsorships or donations. Huge kudos and gratitude to those that have, from readers who make monthly contributions through Press Patron to longtime advertisers such as The Intersection, Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill, The Pinnacle Center, Alliance Beverage, Shagbark Music & Arts Festival, Dan Terry and the West Michigan Songwriter’s Festival, Midtown, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, Kalamazoo State Theatre, St. Cecilia Music Center, Salt of the Earth, Live Nation/GLC Live and others, because without your undying support, Local Spins would never survive and continue to showcase the region’s music scene. On Labor Day, please consider supporting our work through Press Patron here. Any donation you make is vital to continuing our mission. Thank you.
Check out previous Labor Day columns and more musician comments online here.
Copyright 2024, Spins on Music LLC
