Musician Issues

The Difference Between Per-Service and Salary-Based Musicians

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Following yesterday’s article that referenced per-service and salary-based musician employment, a number of readers reached out asking about the difference. To that end, I’m certainly guilty of assuming too much from time to time and this is decidedly one of those issues that can be very confusing if you aren’t already familiar with the distinction. What’s A Service? Within the context of professional orchestras, a service typically consists of one rehearsal …

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Upcoming Stress Tests For Musician Governance

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“Never let a good crisis go to waste” is one of those quotes that comes as a razor-sharp double-edged sword. It’s been crossing my mind as of late with regard to some of the larger challenges orchestra musicians are likely to face in Covid era negotiations. First off, there are going to be no shortage of legitimate reasons why budgets will be stressed but history is full of examples where executive …

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#TubaFTW

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We are awash in a sea of self-produced content, and that’s a good thing. At the same time, there’s no denying that musicians who aren’t accustomed to this format are discovering that getting a quality audio track takes more than having a good microphone. And I certainly shouldn’t say this is a lesson only musicians are learning, plenty of arts admins are learning the same lesson as they navigate the same …

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The Risks And Rewards Of Exposure

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Just a quick post today pointing out a terrific piece from Joe Patti on the topic of artists being asked to provide services for exposure to support pandemic efforts. Unlike most conversations on this topic, Patti’s article isn’t espousing one notion over another, rather, he takes the time to provide specific instances over the last few weeks that span the full range of scenarios that may qualify as exploitation to those …

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AFM-EPF Drops the Hammer

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Adaptistration People 173

While it comes as no surprise, the recent announcement from the American Federation of Musicians and Employers’ Pension Fund (AFM-EPF) heralding massive cuts to member benefits is sure to bring more than its fair share of angst among AFM members who are part of the plan. While the plan has to be approved by the US Treasury Department before it goes into effect, the 1/7/2020 edition of The New York Times …

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