Performers demand their fair share
“PERFORMERS DEMAND THEIR FAIR SHARE OF REVENUES
Online music services have transformed the music industry, but performing artists are not getting their proportionate share from revenues.
Modern legislation gives performing artists the right to authorise the making available of their performances on the Internet or other networks, and to be remunerated for such use.
The remuneration of performing artists for such use of their contribution should be fair, proportional to its value and in balance with other contributors. A 50 – 50 sharing of online revenues with record producers certainly meets these criteria.
Currently, this is far from being the case. The share performing artists receive from online uses is neither fair, nor proportional to its value, nor balanced with other contributors. […]
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End of the Rome Opera House conflict
On the 25 November 2014, during a full session, Rome Opera House staff approved by 97% the agreement signed two days earlier between theatre management and unions which cancels the decision at the beginning of October to dismiss the institution’s 182 musicians and choir members.
This agreement is first of all the result of the work and commitment of Italian unions and musicians which must be applauded here. It also owes a lot to intense international mobilisation which took the opera house administration and the political decision-makers concerned by surprise, in the face of the unanimous disapproval of the music world. FIM is pleased to have been able to contribute, with its members, towards solving this crisis. […]
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FIM campaign against cultural vandalism in the music sector
FIM is launching an international week of mobilisation to show the opposition of the music sector and all publics to the policies of relinquishment, budgetary asphyxiation or pure and simple destruction of orchestras, choirs and opera houses.
The dismissal of all artists employed by the Rome Opera House has sparked a significant wave of protest at European and global levels. Whereas this crisis has not yet been resolved, orchestras are under pressure in several other countries. With its member organisations in 60 countries, FIM intends to vigorously denounce this situation which is a cause for major concern.
In order to impede the cultural vandalism to which symphony and opera orchestras, choirs and opera theatres are being subjected, musicians and their unions are, along with all professionals in the music sector and all publics, being called upon to sign the FIM appeal. […]
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Musicians Union of Liberia | Campaign against Ebola virus
The Musicians Union of Liberia (MULIB) is undertaking a joint prevention campaign with local public and private partners against the Ebola virus.
The artists involved organise visits to communities in order to raise their awareness about prevention and how to take care of Ebola-affected persons.
A song in English and other local vernaculars of Liberia has been specially composed for The Save Liberia campaign.
In Liberia, music plays an important role for the dissemination of information, all the more so since illiteracy is widespread throughout the country.
We kindly encourage you to watch this video and share it on social networks.
Catalan orchestras at the cutting edge against child labour
The Barcelona Symphony Orchestra dedicated its concerts on the 17, 18 and 19 October 2014, directed by Emmanuel Krivine, to the “Music against child labour” international campaign.
A short video on the campaign (with subtitles in Catalan) was shown prior to the concert and an announcement made outlining its aims, which emphasized cooperation between AMPOS and FIM.
A note was included in the concert programme and 2,300 red cards distributed among the audience.
Next 27 November, the Gran Teatre de la Ópera del Liceu de Barcelona will be dedicating another concert to the campaign, with Beethoven’s 9th symphony under the direction of Josep Pons. […]
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More about the Rome Opera crisis
Following a two and a half hour long meeting, the Board of Directors of the Rome Opera House, chaired by the City Mayor [see photo], decided on 2 October 2014 to dismiss the institution’s 182 orchestra musicians and choir members, at the same time laying the blame on union representatives, guilty in their eyes of not having subscribed to the management’s and city’s cost-cutting plan.
Although the plan had actually been accepted by the majority of staff, management justifies its decision by the fact that a certain number of musicians opposed it, insinuating in addition –without the slightest proof– that the hasty departure of conductor Ricardo Muti was apparently attributable to the musicians who had dared come out on strike to denounce the deterioration in their working conditions. […]
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Rome Opera crisis: IAEA issues an open letter
OPEN LETTER TO THE BOARD OF THE ROME OPERA THEATRE, THE MUNICIPALITY OF ROME AND THE GOVERNMENT OF ITALY
The three International Federations representing workers in the Arts and Entertainment sector call upon the Board of the Rome Opera Theatre to reverse its decision to dismiss all orchestra musicians and choir members
The International Federation of Musicians (FIM), the International Federation of Actors (FIA), UNI — Media, Entertainment & Arts (UNI-MEI) and their member organisations in more than 120 countries were incredibly shocked to learn about the decision of the Board of the Rome Opera to terminate the contracts of all the orchestra musicians and choir members of this institution, in a disgraceful act of cultural vandalism. […]
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