The Australian Music Industry Network (AMIN) has partnered with Australia’s major contemporary music bodies to launch the national Live Music Pay Survey.
An in-depth survey on live music remuneration, its aim is to discover the disparity in pay, superannuation and costs in the Australian music industry and to work towards developing a formalised pay structure.
The Live Music Pay Survey aims to understand the dynamics of performer income, the conditions under which artists are paid and whether additional costs such as travel, parking, accommodation or rehearsals are taken into account. It will also look at what percentage of artists have superannuation, income protection insurance or public liability insurance.
The survey will be distributed to over 100,000 live music performers and will collect data on the artist’s experience, including current average rates of pay for bands and individuals, annual income derived from live performance, the ratio of live performance income to other income for artists, agreement types between artists, venues and bookers and contributing factors to these agreements, and more.
Participating organisations include APRA AMCOS, MEAA, Music Australia, Sounds Australia, Association of Artist Managers, Association of Australian Independent Record Labels, AMRAP, MusicNSW, Music Victoria, Music NT, Music SA, WAM, QMusic, Music Tasmania and MusicACT.
The survey results will assist AMIN and partnering organisations to:
- Create audience-focused campaigns on the value of live music
- Implement industry campaigns to stamp out ‘good exposure’ gigs
- Investigate the potential for an industry-supported award rate for live performance
- Assess the commission structures of booking agents, promoters and artist managers and develop best-practice templates
- Make a case for better support for live music funding and investment
- Work with banks and insurance companies to create accessible products and services for musicians
- Work with industry to improve artist conditions
- Take steps toward securing superannuation for musicians
There are major prizes on offer, including: $1,000 cash prize, a home studio recording package from RODE Microphones, and a 12-month Performers Liability Insurance Policy from AON.
The survey is open until 13 November.
