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London
Musicians' Association
240
Commissioners Rd. W., Unit G, LONDON ON. N6J 1Y1
lma@execulink.com
- phone/fax: (519) 685-2540 - website: www.londonmusicians.com
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Mr
Scott Jackson
Station Manager
Rogers Television London
800 York Street
P0 Box 5800
London, Ontario N6A 5B1
November 21, 2000
Dear
Scott:
Thank you for your letter of October 29, 2000. My colleagues
and I regret that budget limitations you face are a roadblock
preventing a possible agreement between Rogers and the London
Musicians Association. Over the last number of weeks, I have
heard from a good number of our members who informed me that
the "Daytime" show had solicited them to play without
pay on the program. While I am sure your offer of "contra"
advertising in the form of "exposure" in lieu of
payment to the artists is made with the best of intentions,
our members are "Professionals" in the true sense
of the word, that is, they are good enough to command a fee.
Amateur musicians, on the other hand, would not expect a payment
and would be more approachable when asked to play without
pay. If one wishes to have professional quality musical talent,
one must be expected to pay that talent the going rate. The
argument that exposure is a good thing is rebutted with the
old saying "a professional musician is likely to die
of exposure." Years ago when I played without pay on
a Rogers- 13 taping, all the exposure I received never helped
me get a gig. Consequently, I have refused to play on any
television station without receiving the guarantee of a payment.
In confidence, I must tell you that most professional musicians
feel insulted when asked to work for free unless a charitable
cause is the beneficiary.
Public
access not for profit cable stations must operate under a
Promise of Performance that requires local community programming.
Surely, your bosses in Toronto know that it costs money to
operate a cable station and I openly wonder why is it that
the budget limitations you describe preclude paying professional
musicians a fee for their services? Do such restrictions apply
to your lawyers, accountants, and electricians? Do they all
work for exposure?
The
music profession is not unlike any other profession in that
it costs money for services rendered. Over the years, the
steadfast refusal of London Cable 13 to agree to pay professional
musicians for services when rendered has been an irritant
to our members who try and make a living from their chosen
profession.
Hopefully
one day there will be a change of heart on the part of Rogers
management regarding payment for on-air performances by our
membership. My door is always open and I am ready, willing,
and, with your blessing, able to try and convince your superiors
that the current situation merits discussion and a change
for the better. In my work, I am always faced with having
to educate potential employers about the conditions facing
the working musician and I feel like if my message of dignity
and respect for working musicians is not being heard, then
I need to make a better arguement in order to improve the
lives of those I represent.
Yours Sincerely,
Jeremy
M Price.
Acting Secretary Treasurer
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