MU reacts to "work for nothing" call

[EnemyoftheStoat]

Sorry to bring up the O and Q words, but has anyone else seen this or other references to it? :

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/olympics/olympic-news/olympic-musicians-told-work-for-free-7639875.html

Maybe they should tell the RMT to work for no pay as well?

(Strikes me that many people think our orchestras and other ensembles do music when not doing their "real job". Who was that ignorant politician (yes, that Venn diagram's interesting!) who a few years back posed that question?)

BWS all,

Stoatfoe

[MrGongGong]

Well it's hardly proper "work" is it

[Tony Halstead]

It's certainly 'proper' ( and very hard) work to play 1st horn in e.g. Bach Cantata 79 or Haydn's 'Maria Theresia' symphony, almost blowing your eyeballs out in the process... Not for the faint-hearted!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

It makes me really angry when people ask musicians to play for nothing. Few musicians are well-paid in the first place.
I am asked to play from time to time, and my usual response if "How much?"
Fortunately, I do not rely on performance for my income, but others do, so I would be doing them a disservice by undercutting them.

[teamsaint]

don't most" live" acts normally just mime along to a CD these days anyway?

Orchestras could save a LOT of time and money by joining the 21st century and employing this kind of modern technique. !!

[MrGongGong]

don't most" live" acts normally just mime along to a CD these days anyway?

Orchestras could save a LOT of time and money by joining the 21st century and employing this kind of modern technique. !!

You mean like the Orchestra of the Age of Vanilli ?

[salymap]

It's certainly 'proper' ( and very hard) work to play 1st horn in e.g. Bach Cantata 79 or Haydn's 'Maria Theresia' symphony, almost blowing your eyeballs out in the process... Not for the faint-hearted!

There, there Waldhorn, we all know what hard work it is. What a good job Hornspieler seems to be absent.
He might be tempted to put it more strongly.

[MrGongGong]

Just to clarify

My "proper" work was a JOKE
I've never done anything other than been a freelance musician
so very used to the "so what do you do for your job then ?" comments

[Tony Halstead]

[Serial_Apologist]

Do yoy manage to balance a pint on your head while blowing your eyeballs out?

[ahinton]

don't most" live" acts normally just mime along to a CD these days anyway?

Orchestras could save a LOT of time and money by joining the 21st century and employing this kind of modern technique. !!

Ah, maybe so, but who'd have played on the CD recording in the first place, then?(!).

Seriously, if this report is true and complete, it's an utter disgrace. OK, performing musicians are not the only working people who have to put in a lot of extra work to their performances, but they do nevertheless have to do it (it's called practice); the worst aspect of this is the expectation that other participants in thes eevents are expected to be paid while the performers do it for "exposure". How much "exposure" might an individual orchestral player expect to derive from his/her participation in such events anyway?(!). The entire thing is so absurd that it seems to have been announced almost two weeks late...

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Such "ideas" ("Music is fun, so it's a pleasure and a privilege to be allowed to do, so why should somebody be paid to do something they enjoy???") are endemic in
philistine UK "culture": ask any Head of Music in any school in the country and they'll tell you that the Head gets all friendly when they need help on a PR exercise (a nice, but not too long, performance by some of the students, perhaps?) but less easy-going when it comes to paying for Music, Stands, Tuition, Overtime ...

I once knew the owner of a Guest House on the South Coast, who loved his work and really wanted to make his guests feel welcome. One Christmas he asked me if I could organize some teenage students to play to the guests for about an hour, and was appalled ("beyond belief!") that, as they were giving up time from their jobs, they would require payment.
"But, don't they love playing? Isn't it a pleasure to perform?"
I replied that, just as he "loved" running his business but wouldn't offer free rooms to demonstrate this fact, so young adults should at least be allowed their losses to be met. He shook his head, saddened at the venality of young people today.

I wouldn't be surprised if people started expecting Musicians to pay them for the privilege of attending their concerts!

[amateur51]

Such "ideas" ("Music is fun, so it's a pleasure and a privilege to be allowed to do, so why should somebody be paid to do something they enjoy???") are endemic in
philistine UK "culture": ask any Head of Music in any school in the country and they'll tell you that the Head gets all friendly when they need help on a PR exercise (a nice, but not too long, performance by some of the students, perhaps?) but less easy-going when it comes to paying for Music, Stands, Tuition, Overtime ...

I once knew the owner of a Guest House on the South Coast, who loved his work and really wanted to make his guests feel welcome. One Christmas he asked me if I could organize some teenage students to play to the guests for about an hour, and was appalled ("beyond belief!") that, as they were giving up time from their jobs, they would require payment.
"But, don't they love playing? Isn't it a pleasure to perform?"
I replied that, just as he "loved" running his business but wouldn't offer free rooms to demonstrate this fact, so young adults should at least be allowed their losses to be met. He shook his head, saddened at the venality of young people today.

I wouldn't be surprised if people started expecting Musicians to pay them for the privilege of attending their concerts!

Two friends used a local hall for the secular service and celebration after their wedding. Before we tucked into the victuals we were entertained to a 'live' performance of Dvorak's American string quartet. Everyone I spoke to after said what a brilliant idea it had been, many saying they'd never been to a 'proper concert' before.

The quartet was paid, of course, and the couple reckoned that it was great value. The quartet also stayed behind for the lash-up