A music union has a target set on the popular South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival next month in Austin.
The Union of Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW) put out a petition that says South By Southwest needs to pay more money for the independent musicians that play during the festival. Several artists have already signed the petition.
But they're not talking about the big main-name headliners who can demand up to six figures. These are the independent bands and solo musicians who make up the bulk of the 6 night festival schedule.
Right now, those musicians get $250 for a group, and $100 for solo artist. Or they can have free admission to the rest of the festival. Compensation for these artists has not changed in over a decade, according to reports.
The union says the festival is also increasing the application fees to play the festival without raising the pay. It wants $750 for all independent performers as well as the wrist band for the rest of the show.
“The cost of touring, and the overall cost of living, have soared over the past decade, but SXSW has continued to offer the same disrespectful deal to artists,” UMAW co-founder and Downtown Boys guitarist Joey La Neve DeFrancesco wrote in a statement to Pitchfork. “The festival has continued to grow, and openly brags about the hundreds of millions of dollars it generates for Austin. Yet the artists who are the backbone of the festival continue to be mistreated.”
SXSW is owned by the Penske Media Corporation, and is the publisher of Rolling Stone, Billboard, and Variety.
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