As part of my responsibilities as a board member for Baroque Band (a period instrument group here in Chicago), I recently drafted an addendum to our bylaws that provide for the creation of an official contingency operating fund; colloquially known as a rainy day fund. In this instance, it’s a sign of growth combined with a strong desire to be as self reliant as possible; meaning, we’d rather borrow from ourselves than a line of credit during expected lulls in cash flow.
Finance
Collateral Damage
Yesterday’s post about the American Federation of Musicians and Employers’ Pension Fund (AFM-EPF) $1.75 million pension obligation settlement with the Philadelphia Orchestra Association (POA) generated some intriguing feedback. In particular, one comment stands out in that it brings up some relevant issues regarding how all of this may impact other orchestras that are part of the Fund.
Debt Is Only The Beginning
The 4/25/2012 edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer published an article by Peter Dobrin that reports the dispute between the Philadelphia Orchestra Association (POA) and the American Federation of Musicians and Employers’ Pension Fund (AFM-EPF) has officially come to a close. For those unaware, the AFM-EPF had been screaming bloody murder that the POA owed as much as $35 million for exiting from the fund. Consequently, it came as a bit of a surprise to learn that AFM-EFP ended up settling for $1.75 million.
How Much Is That Fiddle In The Window?
There’s a fascinating report from the Future of Music Coalition called Artist Revenue Streams (ARS), which they describe as “a multi-stage research project to assess whether and how musicians’ revenue streams are changing in this new music landscape.” They recently released an installment which focuses on an orchestra musician’s income/expense structure during the period 2000-2011 and the results are intriguing.
Economics And Negotiations: Not Always Cut And Dry
One of the ongoing challenges related to examining orchestra negotiation issues is taking something with a relatively large number of dynamic variables and editing it down to point where you don’t need intimate knowledge of multiple components in order to identify and understand the related issues. Some topics are better suited to this than others while some are stubbornly immune. Case in point, the recent unemployment benefit negotiation brouhaha in Richmond, VA.