Stop The Artist Exploitation
A Guide. Part 1
In this glorious new year we are about to have — I know it will be incredible and you have to trust me because I read the tarot cards (☺) — I want to do a big call out, an invocation, a ‘this needs to change’ yawp! Artists should no longer be exploited. Ever.
First however, I need to explain some things. Doing gigs and work and things for free in the early years is part of the process. As a very wise dyke told me years ago in New York, “you’ve got to pay your dues, man”. Not only that, but those early years are the proving ground.
Many people like to imagine themselves as artists but it takes vision, commitment and sometimes deep goddamn will or as I like to say, ‘pulling it out of your vagina’ to truly know that you have something special to give and create and that you have what it takes to stand behind it.
Whether it be paint on canvas, poetry, trapeze, uke strumming, wild performance art or those more technical creations ( digital artists and their ilk also deserve to not be exploited). But once you have performed to that almost empty room and yet still made someone cry or edited that terrible film loop and oh that one and that one and given it your peculiar perfection and your all, you deserve to be respected and fucking compensated.
I will admit that as a show producer I was not often able to pay folks what they were worth or even at all. But admission to my shows was cheap and sometimes, free and I too am one of those who is struggling. We created something all together. Still and yet, I love that now I am able to pay the musicians who come and play at my nights. Some of them have been surprised that they get paid. It is one of the great joys of my life to be able to say, “yes, this $50 bucks is for you and you get a grilled cheese too”.
This is our artist reality but shame on Those big companies, and there are many of them, who reserve the smallest budget for artists and performers. I was a talent agent for a big event where the budget for performers was less than the tablecloths. Seriously. Enough already. Basta! I am ready to start a big damn fight and I hope y’all will join me.
Said.
I posted that statement recently about the issue of artists being exploited. In response to that statement a few folks commented that they have never worked for free and those who do — devalue the market.
To a certain extent they are right. Not only is legitimate payment for services of the artistic kind challenged when there are so many willing to work for free but it also devalues the content. There is so much out there but little of it is any good. This is a problem.
But these two responders were a writer and a photographer, two artistic expressions that are also, potentially, marketable skills. For many of those other artistic endeavors, demanding payment from the onset, or ever, is just not possible. Who the fuck pays poets?! Well, Paul-Corman Roberts does in conjunction with the lake Merritt Hotel for this amazing Event.
But that is one event amongst thousands. Performance art, expressive painting and even hula hooping are often expressions that require prancing upon a stage a few times gratis before demanding a fee or a stipend or a grant. It is unfortunately, part of the process.
A second refutation of those comments is that many avant garde creations can only exist if folks lend their visions and talents for free. Few fund the avant garde and those who create these products often do so at a personal financial loss. They do it because it is needed, because it is important. And culture desperately requires these innovators and dedicated supporters to keep us progressing and having platforms for our non status-quo expressions.
So I will not join this new movement that emphatically states that no artists should ever work for free but I will fight against the exploitation that is far too rampant these days.
My first point of order in this battle is to create a simple questionnaire. One that can be used by burgeoning artists and also by those who book them, (venues included) as a guide as to what information you should provide and be provided with. It is fairly standard and I didn’t magically come up with it. Anyone who has been doing this awhile has learned the same lesson I have — ask questions before you say, “yes” to a gig.
Here you go:
Dear Producer of Said Event,
I am honored to have been invited to participate in your event. Before I confirm, I would like to know a few things.
* Will I be paid for this event? How much and when? (it seems so duh, but I have had to ask this question many times).
- What are the details of the space? For instance; Is there a stage?
- Address and transportation, ( is parking possible? Or in the case of traveling, will I be compensated for my travel expenses?)
- Is there a green room/? Storage space?
- Is there a guest list and how many people can I put on it?
- Do I receive any drink tickets?
- What is the call time? When do I perform? (as a producer I have also made mistakes with this. Call times will usually be an hour before the event. Most promoters/ producers love to know that everyone is actually there and we, of course, like to have some folks in the room when the doors open. However, I have performed at shows where I was told that the call time was 7pm and I didn’t end up performing until 1am. In situations like that I much prefer to not spend my entire night there, especially if I am not getting paid.)
- Will this be recorded or filmed?
Thank you so much for your interest. Attached is a short bio, a photo and a link to my website.
All the best, Artist.
This is a basic break down and you can edit out my little asides and keep this as an email document for all those situations where it applies. And please do create your own. If we all become more savvy about how we navigate our needs in this strange climate of performing and expressing than we might change just a little bit of this environment of exploitation whether it be intended or merely ignorant.
Because ultimately, this is not just about compensation. I love performing. Even though that 5 minutes before I get up on stage always makes me profoundly anxious, short of breath, having to pee and internally asking why the fuck do I do this?, I love it. All of that is worth it because I then get to have That Moment. The one where I am up on that stage and the audience, those faces and souls are so with me — like tender butterflies fluttering in my metaphorical hand — that I can take them on an adventure, guide them and hold them close. Intimate. Precious. Transcendant.
It is a fleeting moment, infinitely ephemeral.
And awesome.
It takes a lot of work, soul wrenching and practice to make those moments happen. And so, though there are times when I am perfectly happy to perform for free, I do not want my time and my energy to be abused. I do not want this magical stuff to be taken for granted. Mine or anyone else’s — ever again.
