Ketentafel Freelance Classical Musicians conducts survey on hours spent by musicians

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The Freelance Classical Musicians chain table is conducting research into the hours spent by musicians in the subsector. The research should eventually help develop a fee guideline. Chain table participants Lonneke van Straalen and Danna Paternotte, both working at rebel collective Pynarello and both violinists, talk more about the process:

A fee guideline ahead

As a working group of Pynarello, we are involved in the chain table Freelance Classical Musicians. In this, we actually have a double role, namely as work providers and as freelance musicians. Pynarello’s working group consists of six musicians, 4 of whom are freelancers.

We like to think about fair fees and, above all, strive for a common and clear roadmap to achieve this. For example, a clear fee guideline could help workers and employers/clients, just as is used in the visual arts sector. The first steps to develop a guideline have been taken.

“The first steps to develop a guideline have been taken”

Calling freelance musicians: what does professional practice look like?

On behalf of the chain table, a call was made to freelance classical musicians to write down their hours spent for the month of March in an hours table. The table takes into account the following activities: rehearsing, performing, travel time, set-up time, waiting time, administration, training and education, commissioning, marketing and promotion, concept development of performance, maintenance of instrument and keeping up instrumental skills. This reveals what the professional practice of freelance classical musicians looks like. How much time actually goes into concerts and performances?

And: what fee should be paid in return to achieve fair pay? Several, relevant collective bargaining agreements are currently being analyzed for this purpose.

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