Music Gigs: Wages and Offers

Prologue and Disclaimer: Some of the terms I use in the previously-published article below (based on a 2015, Facebook "Note") may seem a bit harsh, but I am using the language to make a point to emphasize the principle that a worker – even a musician – is worthy of his pay, and to draw comparison/contrast with what many today would consider to be a crime: refusal to pay so-called “minimum wage.” Musicians are by and large independent contractors; they do not therefore fall under the category of “employees” to whom must be paid wages.

INTRODUCTION

The Law of Supply and Demand, in French, which is my second language, is called la loi de l'offre et de la demande." In that language, the verb "demander" often has the sense of "to ask" rather than that of the English verb "demand" which always sounds like an imperative, like the related verb "command."
As for the French "offre" we see the English root of our word "offer," which in this Law is appropriately represented by "supply." The whole concept of supply, and demand, therefore, presents a volitional quality; pricing is determined by how valuable a product or service is to the market, and no one is forced to pay more than that valuation.

Minimum Wage and Compensation for Musical Art

Current Minimum Wage laws in Seattle [at the time of this writing, in 2015] are set at $10 (for the smallest companies) or $11 per hour. During the next several years, these legislated wage rates may rise to $15 per hour, but for ease of calculation, we'll leave the rate at $10; it will be a simply matter to multiply totals by a factor of 1.5 to obtain the higher costs.

Did you know that employers who violate the minimum wage laws may face criminal charges, high monetary penalties (fines), and possible prison sentences for repeat offenders?

Hypothetical: A budding composer may figure on approximately 320 hours of studio time, to produce the music for a hypothetical feature film. More experienced composers may work faster, and some may require even more time, but this seems to be a reasonable estimate.

NOTE: This figure does not include the additional time required for mixing, mastering, nor that of setting up and booking recording sessions of any live orchestra musicians, choir, and solo artists. Nor does it involve any overtime; no more than 8-hours per day, or 40-hours per week, are spent in the composer's studio. - If you're shaking your head now, recall that at the outset I said this was a hypothetical calculation, to establish a few parameters. - This 320 hour estimate is merely the time the composer-orchestrator will need in order to create, in his studio, the musical score (and perhaps a MIDI mockup) for the picture.

So, what is 320 hours of solid, creative work in his studio worth, at Seattle's lowest current minimum wage level of $10 per hour? Do the math!

$10 x 320 = $3,200.

When I first wrote this article in 2015, Seattle's minimum wage was due to increase to $15 in a few years, at which time the same minimum-wage composer's work for a similar film would have been worth how much? Do the math again!

$15 x 320 = $4,800

Supply and Demand?

Have you ever been asked to do work for what amounts to, when considering the time invested, something less than minimum wage for an hourly employee? How did you respond?

I propose this tactic: Ask the person - producer, director, developer - who approached you about producing the music, ask her/him how they feel about the minimum wage in their state (or how they feel about Seattle's approach to minimum wage). Interestingly, nearly everyone who has approached me about doing such work has been in favor of an increased minimum wage, and some are very out-spoken about it.

If they reply yes, present your figures based on the amount of time you will be spending in your studio. If they don't agree, or say they will shop around for a 'cheaper composer' remind them that it would be illegal for an employer to secretly hire workers who are willing to work for less than that minimum wage, and what consequences such an employer would suffer (See above).

Besides, isn't the worker who agrees to work under such conditions making himself a willing partner in the ‘crime’, an accomplice?

For all intents and purposes, there is little difference between the hourly wage earner, and the hypothetical contractor, unless we go with a free market approach on all sides. Whenever that happens, we can bring "supply and demand" into the negotiations once more. In the meantime, no one should be expected to agree to do work for any less than the equivalent of minimum wage and those who are undercutting that are acting like crooks, pure and simple.

Thought Food

Why do so many of those who are most vocal about increasing the legal minimum wage suddenly become tight-pursed when it comes to contracting professional artist-musicians to do work for them? Why do otherwise professional-caliber artists persist in agreeing to do work for sub-standard pay, then starve (or are forced to take on a non-musical “day job”) as a result? This is demeaning, and definitely not necessary today.

Gonna need a bigger viewpoint. There are alternatives, but (sigh), to each his own.

#classical-music

IMAGE CREDIT

Street musicians - trieste street, by antonio (commercial use allowed; download 18_02_20): https://flic.kr/p/A9wpH2