Fair pay chain table proposals Freelance Classical Musicians: respond now!

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The chain table Freelance Classical Musicians of fairPACCT hereby presents its fair pay proposals and requests a response from all interested parties: preferably by Wednesday, November 1, 2023 and no later than Wednesday, November 15. Please use the form below to do so. This is a report starting rates with outcomes of instrument development and a rate tool. Feedback by fairPACCT and the chain table based on the responses received will be done by December 1.

Reporting and pricing tool

The chain table’s proposals are based on research and development by Bureau KNYFE. On behalf of and in close cooperation with the chain table, KNYFE made an analysis of the various professional practices within which freelance classical musicians operate. Thus, seven categories are described, namely:

Orchestra or choir, more than 16 people
Ensemble or choir, between 8 and 16 people
Chamber music, 8 people or less
Accompaniment of choir or soloist in orchestral form
Performing as a soloist with choir or orchestra
Performing as a soloist or duo
Studio recordings

The report further describes fair practice in the context of this profession. In order to arrive at fair rates, a comparison was made with thirteen adjacent collective bargaining agreements. Relevant HBO salary scales were taken as a starting point and translated with a zzp surcharge into an hourly starting rate. In addition, a survey was conducted among the profession about the average time spent on (generally) paid and non-paid activities within the various professional practices. Weighting factors were determined for various more or less aggravating aspects of the distinguished professional practices. These ingredients were incorporated into a calculation tool that indicates for each professional practice what fair rate should apply, per hour and for the entire activity. The findings of the chain table can help in an exploratory national reckoning. But because collective figures are lacking, and professional practice has many variations, the gap cannot be translated exactly into a national deficit for fair pay. However, it can be said that a large proportion of freelance musicians with an HBO degree are working below the minimum wage level.

For consultation:

Final Report Starting Rates Chain Table Freelance Classical Musicians (Outcomes Instrument Development Fair Practice for Freelance Classical Musicians), KNYFE, October 2023.

Calculating tool fair pay for Freelance Classical Musicians

Letter of presentation

The participants of the chain table Freelance Classical Musicians recognize and acknowledge the results of the report and instruments that KNYFE has produced in its assignment. The table sees its concerns about too little fair pay confirmed and values making it clear to third parties that there are also major concerns in the implementation, safeguarding and especially affordability of the developed standards. To provide further interpretation and context to KNYFE’s report, the chain table prepared a letter of offer. The letter is also a call to the sector to provide inspiring responses and examples.

To be noted:

Response of the Chain Table Freelance Classical Musicians to the Final Report on Starting Rates.

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Download the entry form here*:

Fill-in form

* Please e-mail the completion form back to fairpacct@platformacct.nl preferably by Nov. 1 and no later than Nov. 15.

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Read on about what preceded:

Brief history

After an exploration, the Council for Culture and the Social and Economic Council released the advisory report “Passion Valued” in 2017. The earning power of workers in the cultural and creative sector lags behind, they noted. The councils called for the development of guidelines for reasonable compensation. Based on this, a Labor Market Agenda appeared in 2017 with three spearheads: structural social dialogue, strengthening earning capacity, improving working conditions. Also, the Fair Practice Code emerged with three principles: fair pay, fair share, fair chain.

Outline of professional practice

The classical music sector has two collective bargaining agreements, that for Dutch orchestras (also for remplacants) and recently also for music ensembles. The latter collective agreement is in a growth phase and cannot yet be paid for by most ensembles. The Chain Table’s target group moves into the extensive “free” circuit outside these collective bargaining areas. Freelance classical musicians are encountered in all sorts of places in society. At large and small events, choral and orchestral performances in the professional circuit and (as a professional accompanist in) the amateur circuit, private concerts and corporate performances. In your home, in the nursing home or the theater, in the concert hall or the church around the corner.

Music is in the capillaries of our society and has an enormous impact on well-being, welfare and prosperity. Expressed in terms of remuneration, appreciation for these professionals lags behind professions of comparable (social) importance. Think of healthcare and education. This is not about feelings but numbers. However, a good substantiation of a rate that does justice to their work was never available. This is where the chain table freelance classical musicians has now made great strides.

Specific preliminary research

All in all, this is one of the five cultural subsectors where the situation is most worrisome financially and for which a concretization of the fair pay principle was considered necessary in any case. Following an earlier preliminary study in 2020, Bureau HTH therefore presented in February 2021, commissioned by Platform ACCT, the preliminary study ‘Better Terms and Conditions of Employment in the Cultural and Creative Sector. A Proposal for Follow-up Steps 2021-2024.’ For freelance musicians, this included the following practice tools: Calculate and show what performances/concerts cost and benefit all parties. Also outline the cost of payment to all musicians according to collective bargaining agreements, e.g. the collective bargaining agreement for music ensembles. Develop (as a start) as simple a fee guideline as possible, e.g. a simple daily rate, rate per performance/concert, etc. Bureau HTH further suggests a solidarity fund between musicians.

Program fairPACCT and composition Chain Table from 2022 onward

The three-year program fairPACCT of Platfom ACCT started in 2021 with the help of OCW grant to concretize fair pay. The Chain Table Freelance Classical Musicians started in June 2022 and is composed of a total of 14 (representatives of) musicians, impresarios, ensembles, festivals and venues. Participating musician representatives are the Kunstenbond, Platform voor Freelance Musici and FNV Media & Cultuur. No good representation was found on the part of work providers/clients in the sector. With an appeal to personal authority and expertise, directors and programmers were selected and invited to participate in the Chain Table. Program manager fairPACCT Noud van de Rhee chaired the table.

At its inception, the chain table drafted an ambition document and formulated its objective as follows:

gain an understanding of the various common professional practices within the profession and the time commitment for each type of activity;
mirror the remuneration of this effort to the income of comparable college graduates;
and distilling from this a guideline for fair pay.

Learn more

Completion form (You can mail the completion form back preferably before November 1 and no later than November 15 to fairpacct@platformacct.nl)

FairPACCT chain table Freelance Classical Musicians (read more under the heading ‘current’ or ‘about the table’)

Future/Employment/Appointments/Revenue