
This article was last updated on January 17, 2025
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Emerging pop artists are not paid enough for performances
Dutch emerging pop musicians are structurally paid too little for their performances and often even have to invest money in them, according to research by Erasmus University. That has to change, according to musicians, bookers, managers and programmers of pop venues who participated in the ‘Fair Pop Pilot’.
The survey was last fall. For a few months, musicians who performed at eight music venues were paid according to the ‘fair pay’ principle on a trial basis. This is a guideline that the music industry itself drew up a number of years ago and which is in line with a minimum wage or average income. The amount of the compensation depends on the stage of the musician’s career.
High hall costs
To achieve fair pay, all participating artists had to have at least 35 percent added to their wages. In some cases this even rose to 72 percent.
“This is partly because the costs of halls have become very high,” says Rita Zipora. She is chair of the research and board member of BAM! Pop authors, the largest association of interests for Dutch artists, songwriters and producers of pop music. “Pop venues have become professionalized and now have to spend much more money on technology, staff, safety, etc. But the budget for programming has not grown. This leaves little for the artist.”
Not all pop musicians were included in the study, says Zipora. “Real beginners and big names were left out. We made a distinction between two categories. Artists in phase 1 have been around for a while and have a team around them. Phase 2 artists already have quite a few fans and can support many small halls are sold out. In both groups you see that they cannot cover the costs, let alone pay themselves.”
The pilot allowed me to play some shows for a decent fee.
Zoe Livay
Recognizable, says singer Zoë Livay. She has already been the support act for the popular band Racoon and has a few million streams on Spotify. “Playing live costs a lot of money, which is quite shocking. Last summer I was able to play at several festivals. I was very happy with that, but it cost my management and me a lot of money. Fortunately, I do things on the side, such as modeling and play in a theater play. Otherwise none of this would have been feasible. The pilot allowed me to play a number of shows for a decent fee.”
Many of her colleagues agree with her, the research shows. 83 percent of respondents from the Dutch music industry believe that ‘fair pay’ should become structural.
This also includes the parties that usually pay the artists for their performances: the music venues. Jolanda Beyer is director of the Patronaat music venue in Haarlem and was also involved in the research. Patronaat has a large hall that can accommodate almost a thousand people, but also two smaller halls with a capacity of 130 and 350 people.
“In those smaller venues, paying musicians decently is not structurally feasible. Music venues live on catering turnover, which is simply insufficient in small venues. We have been saying for years that more money should go to the makers. Research agency Berenschot a few years ago It has been calculated that 9 million euros per year are needed to pay pop musicians fairly. You can actually say that the performing musicians now cough up that 9 million annually themselves.”
So different parties want change, but how? “This can be done, for example, by asking a small surcharge per ticket or a voluntary donation from the public,” says Beyer. “That amount can then be placed in a general pot, from which affiliated venues can then pay performing artists. Major artists and the government could also contribute to this. We are also in discussions with commercial sponsors. The only way it will work is is joint.”
Good ideas, says Zoë Livay. “If you love music a lot, you might be willing to pay a few euros extra for an emerging artist. I grant it to my fellow musicians who may not be as far along in their careers. It’s just difficult.”
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