Musician Issues
Breaking Down The Elizabeth Rowe Complaint
Fri, Jul 7, 2018
by Drew McManus
Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) principal flute Elizabeth Rowe is suing her employer “to recover over $200,000 in unpaid wages unequal to the pay of a comparable male musician.” We’re going to examine the bulk of her complaint on a point by point basis. It would be surprising to see the suit go to trial but
There’s A Reason Why You Pay Musicians
Fri, Jun 6, 2018
by Drew McManus
The 6/27/2018 edition of the Boston Globe published an article by Malcom Gay that reports on what appears to be a sizeable purge of the all-volunteer Tanglewood Festival Chorus. Orchestra chorus’ have always occupied a peculiar stakeholder position inside the larger orchestra field. In many orchestras, chorus musicians are unpaid volunteers, which stands in stark
You Mean You Haven’t Pivoted From Comps To Influencer Marketing Yet?
Tue, Jun 6, 2018
by Drew McManus
If you have any interest in driving down comps while filling up full price seats, there are two articles you simply must read. The first is from violinist Holly Mulcahy* in a Neo Classical post from 6/15/2018 where she talks about the vast untapped potential influencer marketing can have on improving meaningful audience development activities.
Top-Tier Musician Compensation 2018
Fri, May 5, 2018
by Drew McManus
It’s time to revisit base musician compensation levels at the top eight highest paying orchestras. For a number of these orchestras, the 2017/18 season marks the end of their existing collective bargaining agreement (CBA) and they have yet to ratify a new contract. In each of those instances, the outcomes will have a large impact
Time To Tame The Wild West Of Equal Pay