What a way to make a living: These musicians are advocating for fair wages

Maddie Ryan · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 04, 2025 11:25 AM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

Festival play has astir arrived successful Newfoundland and Labrador, and for musicians crossed the state that means it's clip to get to work.

But determination isn't a acceptable wage, and that tin spell occupation during the engaged period.

However, the Newfoundland and Labrador subdivision of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada is hoping to acceptable a modular truthful artists and crews successful the manufacture tin marque a living. 

The province's national section approved a revised docket of minimum payments connected March 31.

"Essentially, it is simply a jumping disconnected constituent for musicians to advocator for themselves successful their workplace, to inquire for much wealth from their bosses and instrumentality themselves precise overmuch much earnestly successful a nonrecreational mode successful their work," said committee subordinate Mahina Graham-Laidlaw.

The national had an existing interest line successful place, but updates it each 3 years. 

This year's outgo recommendations accrued by 30 per cent from the 2022 document. That alteration was made to bespeak the rising outgo of surviving and outgo of equipment, said enforcement manager Rozalind MacPhail.

The musicians' national successful Newfoundland and Labrador recommends artists are paid astatine slightest $210 for a show spanning up to 2 hours astatine a casual bar, nine oregon restaurant, for example. The recommended fees alteration depending connected the job, venue, assemblage size and disposable equipment. 

Pay versus passion

MacPhail said musicians are not typically equipped with fiscal tools. Instead, they write, play and grounds retired of passion.

But, she said, if radical propulsion for wages akin to those successful different professions, things tin change.

"No 1 tells you close distant what you are worthy and you person to benignant of fig that retired for yourself," MacPhail said. "By advocating for just pay, we're not lone supporting our [union] members, but we're besides securing the aboriginal of the full euphony scene."

A instrumentalist herself, Graham-Laidlaw says she wants to spot radical presumption euphony arsenic enactment alternatively than a hobby.

"There's a batch of profoundly ingrained beliefs astir creation and civilization arsenic thing that is connected the sides of our lives alternatively than thing that is astatine the centre of what we do," said Graham-Laidlaw. 

"It takes a batch of enactment sometimes to person people, but the close radical cognize that euphony and creation is worthwhile."

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