Membership Benefits
SOLIDARITY: STOPPING THE RACE TO THE BOTTOM
When we keep undercutting our colleagues, eventually our pay becomes so low that we can no longer consider ourselves professional musicians. One might think that a $100 gig, about 45 miles away, comes out to $40 per hour, but when driving time, expenses, and self-employment taxes are factored in, it comes out to about $7 an hour (before any practice time and instrument costs are added!) And by the way, minimum wage in Florida is $8.25 per hour. Chances are, after expenses are figured in, the $100-a-gig musician is working for all-but-free. As we lower our standards, our audiences do too, and we help to ruin the artistic culture in South Florida. Nothing will change if no one takes action, but together we have the power to make a difference. Solutions to the Race to the Bottom are collective, not individual. Yes, we can make a difference if we work together!
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