Musicians are being asked to play at peripheral Olympic events for free 'for the exposure'.LondonJazz has run the full text of an engagement letter to participating musicians (which he says has appeared elsewhere in the public domain). It has to be read to be believed.
This is simply unacceptable and I feel we should withdraw our participation.
Sign the petition:
https://www.change.org/petitions/locog-ensure-the-payment-of-arts-practitioners-performing-for-olympic-events
Peter Bacon at The Jazz Breakfast doesn't mince his words on the subject, either. Read him here.
The ISM has a further platform for support: http://www.ism.org/news/article/pay_our_musicians
The short message is that it's vital to make a stance now about the attitude towards musicians of this huge and powerful organisation, because it pushes performers not to the status of liveried servants, 18th-century style (and there's plenty of that elsewhere), but to that of slaves. And if the Olympics get away with it, others will think they have carte blanche to follow suit.
