Why Fair Trade Music?
The current situation in most live music clubs is Inequitable, unsustainable, and inhibits good music-making.
Inequitable.
Many people don't realize that most live music venues
- provide zero wage guarantees to musicians
- require that musicians pay support personnel out of pocket
- do little to no advertising or promotion
- rely heavily, if not exclusively, on musicians to bring them customers
Unsustainable
The stereotypical "Musician Lifestyle" practically defines unsustainability.
Financial factors force many musicians to
- Leave the profession before they reach their potential
- Tour constantly, performing rarely, if ever, in Portland
Inhibits good music-making
Good music, like any art, requires substantial preparation.
Between jobs and promotion, musicians have very little time to prepare.
Instead of focusing on their craft, musicians are expected to:
- be responsible for bringing a vast majority of the fans -- the club's customers
- do most of the advertising on their own time, at their own expense.
- perform for zero guarantees
- guarantee wages for other support personnel, e.g. sound, door, etc.
- Work other jobs in order to make a living
Ultimately, fans rarely get to hear musicians at their best.
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