The resource organisations First Music Contact (FMC) and Theatre Forum have launched a national Pay and Conditions Survey for the music and performing arts industries.

The survey will document the experiences of musicians, artists, arts workers, makers and creative professionals, and will be used to advocate for better conditions to ensure sustainable careers.

Launching the survey, Angela Dorgan, CEO of FMC, said:

First Music Contact encourage all musicians, labels, publishers, independent promoters, all professionals working in the music industry and music sector, to have their voices heard through this survey. It is fully anonymised and is vital to the gathering of up-to-date information.

She continued: ‘We are a sector which has gone unmeasured for too long and this baseline will allow us and our colleagues and peers to make the case for increased support for our sector. The time is also ripe to feed into the Basic Income for the Arts pilot scheme and work to make sure it becomes a reality for our entire sector after the pilot concludes.’

FMC and Theatre Forum say that financial, social and structural barriers remain an impediment for the sector and that a general overhaul of pay and conditions is urgently required.

According to the organisations, in a data-driven society it is essential to demonstrate research and analysis to ensure advocacy for the sector. The data will be used to make the case for re-developing the sector’s employment frameworks, addressing precarity in work and lack of parity in pay.

Anna Walsh, Director of Theatre Forum, added:

If artists are to have the opportunity to make the art that enriches our lives, then we must systematically collect the evidence, present the case, and take responsibility for cultivating the conditions that allow artists, musicians, and creative practitioners to support themselves through their art.

Evidence from the sector is vital to support the strategic priority of investment in the arts set out in the National Development Plan 2018–2027, make the case for the roll-out of the Basic Income for the Arts pilot scheme, and maintain and increase Arts Council and Local Authority funding to enrich life in all our communities.

The Pay and Conditions Survey is open now and will run until Thursday 16 March. It will take around 15 minutes to complete and you should have information about your 2022 income to hand when filling it in.

To complete the survey, visit www.firstmusiccontact.com/pay-conditions-survey.

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