Petition to pay the musicians at the London Olympics

[mrBun]

This was posted originally by Jim Cohen on the Steel Guitar forum... I figure there are few musicians here who might consider helping out our brothers and sisters in Blighty.
I watched the British Prime minister on our news today talking up the anticipated boost to the UK economy that the Olympics would bring. Anyway Jim's post follows;


"As many of you already know, the organizers of the London summer Olympics have decided that the musicians they engage to play for various events at the Olympic games should all work for... FREE. They believe that musicians should be willing to work for the 'exposure', and not worry about things like paying for rent, food, healthcare, etc. Clearly, they are not asking caterers, security guards, managers, or thousands of other workers to 'donate' their services to the Olympics. This is utterly disrespectful and devaluing of the work of musicians and the years of dedicated learning and practice that is required to create this art.

That's why I created a petition to the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG). I hope to get at least 10,000 signatures, if not more.

Will you please support musicians everywhere who refuse to play "for the exposure" by signing this petition?

Click here:

http://signon.org/sign/pay-the-music...p&r_by=1678850

Also, if you are on Facebook or other social media and would post the link on your page, it would really help spread the word faster.

Thank you.

Jim"

[mrBun]

"Hi,

This is Jim Cohen; I started the petition that you recently signed to encourage the London Olympics organizing committee to reverse its insulting policy of not paying musicians who perform at the summer olympics. THANK YOU for signing the petition!

In just 2 days we have reached almost 200 signatures and it is gratifying to see them coming in from all over the world.

Now, it's important to know that the London Olympics begin in just THREE WEEKS (July 27) so time is quite short to circulate our petition. Remember that the Olympics are seriously BIG BUSINESS and they won't be impressed by a petition signed by 200 people, so we have to get equally serious about taking our petition VIRAL. Therefore, I am writing to urge you to please do two things today:

1. If you have a Facebook or other social media account, PLEASE post the petition on your page, with a short note urging your friends to both sign the petition, AND to re-post it on THEIR Facebook/social media pages. That's the only way to get EXPONENTIAL growth in our rate of signatures. I can't stress enough how important this is in getting us from hundreds to thousands of signatures in the few remaining weeks left. Here's the link to the petition again: http://signon.org/sign/pay-the-music...ailing_id=4882

2. Please send a personal email to your friends and acquaintances, whether they be musicians or not, asking them to please join you in standing up for fair treatment for musicians (I personally sent out such a note to about 100 friends/acquaintances and several of you signed the petition directly due to that email; thank you!) Send your friends the above link to the petition with a request that they sign it and spread it, both by social media and via their own emails. Again, it is only through the power of this repetition that we can achieve an impressive roster of signers that will hopefully make a difference to the olympic organizers.

Finally, it is always best to present a petition physically (a printed out copy) and in person to the people to whom it is addressed. As I am based in the USA, that would be difficult (and expensive!) for me to do personally. However, I do note that several of our signers are from the UK, including London, and so I'm asking whether any of you can help us, firstly, identify the person or at least the proper office address (both street address and email address) of the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games. Additionally, please let me know if you would be personally willing to hand-deliver it to them if we get the proper address. And if it should prove difficult to find the right address, a great fallback option is to deliver it to the Media in London and hopefully get some coverage for our cause. You can use the automated email function here on SignOn to get in touch with me and let me know if you can help in any of these really important ways.

Many thanks once again for your support for working musicians everywhere!

Kind regards,

Jim Cohen"

[ludashoeless]

signed

[bossking7]

Originally Posted by ludashoeless

signed

Me too.

[Rolling Estonian]

What events are these musicians doing? I mean the opening and closing ceremonies? Or is it bands playing all over the place at various events? Do they get tickets and entry?

I'm all for people being duly compensated but this doesn't really make sense. Is he going to be there? He's in the U.S.

If someone can bottom line this for me I'd appreciate it, otherwise, if you don't want to play for free don't play.

M

[soulman969]

Done. In all the bands I've ever worked with we've gotten more exposure and future bookings from paying gigs than we ever did playing gratis. The more entertainers who are willing to play for free the fewer paying gigs there will be for everyone.

[String Tree]

If they have play for free, they are under no obligation to to show-up (let alone on time!), play anywhere near their best or, turn down.

~ ST

[telefunken]

I'm not being a jerk................but....................why are they playing if they are not getting paid? Just don't do it, or just show up(late) and screw up.

[imsilly]

I bet whoever came up with the idea of not paying musicians who perform at the Olympics is getting paid for coming up with that stupid idea.

As a Londoner I can personally say I'm not very happy about the Olympics. Basically it's just one big corporate circle jerk. We Londoners have to foot the bill and we have no say in what is happening and we won't get anything other then a few derelict stadiums in compensation. While big multinationals get to advertise their business to billions at our expense.

I think the least we should get is some work for local musicians at a time when things are pretty rough.

[cowboytwang]

Originally Posted by mrBun

"Hi,

This is Jim Cohen; I started the petition that you recently signed to encourage the London Olympics organizing committee to reverse its insulting policy of not paying musicians who perform at the summer olympics. THANK YOU for signing the petition!

In just 2 days we have reached almost 200 signatures and it is gratifying to see them coming in from all over the world.

Now, it's important to know that the London Olympics begin in just THREE WEEKS (July 27) so time is quite short to circulate our petition. Remember that the Olympics are seriously BIG BUSINESS and they won't be impressed by a petition signed by 200 people, so we have to get equally serious about taking our petition VIRAL. Therefore, I am writing to urge you to please do two things today:

1. If you have a Facebook or other social media account, PLEASE post the petition on your page, with a short note urging your friends to both sign the petition, AND to re-post it on THEIR Facebook/social media pages. That's the only way to get EXPONENTIAL growth in our rate of signatures. I can't stress enough how important this is in getting us from hundreds to thousands of signatures in the few remaining weeks left. Here's the link to the petition again: http://signon.org/sign/pay-the-music...ailing_id=4882

2. Please send a personal email to your friends and acquaintances, whether they be musicians or not, asking them to please join you in standing up for fair treatment for musicians (I personally sent out such a note to about 100 friends/acquaintances and several of you signed the petition directly due to that email; thank you!) Send your friends the above link to the petition with a request that they sign it and spread it, both by social media and via their own emails. Again, it is only through the power of this repetition that we can achieve an impressive roster of signers that will hopefully make a difference to the olympic organizers.

Finally, it is always best to present a petition physically (a printed out copy) and in person to the people to whom it is addressed. As I am based in the USA, that would be difficult (and expensive!) for me to do personally. However, I do note that several of our signers are from the UK, including London, and so I'm asking whether any of you can help us, firstly, identify the person or at least the proper office address (both street address and email address) of the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games. Additionally, please let me know if you would be personally willing to hand-deliver it to them if we get the proper address. And if it should prove difficult to find the right address, a great fallback option is to deliver it to the Media in London and hopefully get some coverage for our cause. You can use the automated email function here on SignOn to get in touch with me and let me know if you can help in any of these really important ways.

Many thanks once again for your support for working musicians everywhere!

Kind regards,

Jim Cohen"

Signed it, posted it to 4500 Facebook friends, and emailed it to 2300 musicians on my email list.

Originally Posted by Rolling Estonian

What events are these musicians doing? I mean the opening and closing ceremonies? Or is it bands playing all over the place at various events? Do they get tickets and entry?

I'm all for people being duly compensated but this doesn't really make sense. Is he going to be there? He's in the U.S.

If someone can bottom line this for me I'd appreciate it, otherwise, if you don't want to play for free don't play.

M

Not one bit of that matters or is even the point. The Olympic committee is asking musicians to play for free. Did they ask the construction companies to build the facilities for free, are they asking all the Hotels to board everyone for free, are they having the security company work for free, are they letting everyone one into all the events for free?????

[Nick JD]

Who will pay the 70,000 volunteers?

Where's their petition? Precious, greedy bloody musicians - don't like it, don't play.

And who's Jim Cohen?

[cowboytwang]

Originally Posted by Nick JD

Who will pay the 70,000 volunteers?

Where's their petition? Precious, greedy bloody musicians - don't like it, don't play.

And who's Jim Cohen?

and those volunteers have spent years and years of endless hours rehearsing "Ticket Please"?

I wonder if NBC and BBC are doing the filming and broadcasting for free, or if the Royal Mint is just donation all the medals. The first place medals have over $500 worth of metal content, I'm sure they wouldn't mind making those for free.

[PeterUK]

I've looked into this and quite frankly the whole story has developed into an urban myth.

At first I thought "Outrageous" but after investigation I understand that this is the situation.

The organisers want to provide entertainment in the Olympic Village and create a fun, cosmopolitan atmosphere for the competing athletes. There is no budget for entertainment and musicians; both professional and amateur have been invited to "entertain". No musician, neither professional nor otherwise will be shackled and cuffed and forced to perform.

There will be thousands of volunteers providing a range of support services and for their services I understand that these people will be given some compensation such as concessionary travel to and from the games. Many will get nothing and are indeed true volunteers. Doing it for the experience.

Some professional services - such as security, particularly as there is a real terrorist threat at the games - will be paid for, and I'm personally glad services like security will be delivered as a professionally paid for service.

Technicians for sound systems are also being paid for which is generally the norm at all most levels of musical performance, i.e. the sound guy normally gets paid.

So back to the Olympic Village. To encourage musicians to pay - knowing that there is no budget - the organisers have offered to provide a stage (or various stages) for up to 80 unsigned bands to perform for the exposure. Many unsigned bands are doing this anyway to create a fan base, gain the experience and have prestigious events on their CV. Bands are being invited - once again, I have found no evidence that any musician will be forced or threatened to perform - on the full understanding that it is for the exposure and experience. I'm guessing, but I suspect that any band who has agreed to play is doing it with eyes (and ears) wide open. Once again, there are no reports that any musician will be forced to play against their will.

Just in case your unclear, I will not be signing the silly petition and quite frankly those who have had probably expect lots of music related spam to hit your Inbox in the near future.

Peter

[Tonetele]

mrBun, I agree with you in principle. The musicians chosen will be almost exclusively British and will most likely be the likes of Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney, Brian May et.al. who don't need the money. Having said that, all orchestral musicians, and others, should be paid for their worth. So, I'll vote for your cause. It's a funny thing but in the old "British Empire" scheme of things, all Royal command performances is considered the highest honour. I'ts that mentality, such as the recent Queen's Diamond Jubilee. I'm not saying I support such a system, but I understand it. This is not a royal situation, so , yes, all musicians, backing singers etc. should be paid.

[Nick JD]

Originally Posted by PeterUK

I've looked into this and quite frankly the whole story has developed into an urban myth.

At first I thought "Outrageous" but after investigation I understand that this is the situation.

The organisers want to provide entertainment in the Olympic Village and create a fun, cosmopolitan atmosphere for the competing athletes. There is no budget for entertainment and musicians; both professional and amateur have been invited to "entertain". No musician, neither professional nor otherwise will be shackled and cuffed and forced to perform.

There will be thousands of volunteers providing a range of support services and for their services I understand that these people will be given some compensation such as concessionary travel to and from the games. Many will get nothing and are indeed true volunteers. Doing it for the experience.

Some professional services - such as security, particularly as there is a real terrorist threat at the games - will be paid for, and I'm personally glad services like security will be delivered as a professionally paid for service.

Technicians for sound systems are also being paid for which is generally the norm at all most levels of musical performance, i.e. the sound guy normally gets paid.

So back to the Olympic Village. To encourage musicians to pay - knowing that there is no budget - the organisers have offered to provide a stage (or various stages) for up to 80 unsigned bands to perform for the exposure. Many unsigned bands are doing this anyway to create a fan base, gain the experience and have prestigious events on their CV. Bands are being invited - once again, I have found no evidence that any musician will be forced or threatened to perform - on the full understanding that it is for the exposure and experience. I'm guessing, but I suspect that any band who has agreed to play is doing it with eyes (and ears) wide open. Once again, there are no reports that any musician will be forced to play against their will.

Just in case your unclear, I will not be signing the silly petition and quite frankly those who have had probably expect lots of music related spam to hit your Inbox in the near future.

Peter

Thanks, Pete. That's more the Olympic sprit I'd like to hear. I'd play if I was there - the Sydney Olympics were great because people were doing it for free - I got to see this first hand, and it's rare in this day and age where no one wants to do anything unless they can get something for it.

Pay it forward, bitches.

[PeterUK]

Originally Posted by Nick JD

Thanks, Pete. That's more the Olympic sprit I'd like to hear. I'd play if I was there - the Sydney Olympics were great because people were doing it for free - I got to see this first hand, and it's rare in this day and age where no one wants to do anything unless they can get something for it.

Pay it forward, bitches.

I'd love to play but annoyingly I'm waiting for a date for surgery on my elbow so it's painful to play at the moment.

I'd also volunteer. In English volunteer means "an unpaid worker or helper" and I wouldn't expect to get paid. But that's me.

Peter

[Brother Rob]

Originally Posted by String Tree

If they have play for free, they are under no obligation to to show-up (let alone on time!), play anywhere near their best or, turn down.

~ ST

...because clearly the more you are paid, the harder and better you should work.

If you guys feel so strongly about this I am sure you could send a few bucks to struggling musicians in London. But that might take a little more effort and dedication than signing some on-line petition.

[Big John Studd]

I'm admittedly not up on all the details on the London Olympics, but I was in Atlanta for the Olympics in 1996 and there were more bands playing downtown than one of those big music festivals (eg. Bonnaroo)...Travis Tritt, BB King, Don Walser, etc. all the way down to local bar bands. The stages were HUGE with pro light and sound and the whole deal and were sponsored by major corporations. You had Budweiser, AT&T, Coca-Cola and so forth each trying to outdo the other with their stages, entertainment, etc. Honestly the whole thing was one of the grandest things I have ever seen and a really great time. I would be surprised if

1. the musicians in Atlanta in 1996 were not paid to perform, and
2. corporations are not gearing up for the same kind of thing in London.

[klasaine]

I was paid when I played at the L.A. 1984 Olympics (outdoor fest in Westwood Village playing surf music).

*I believe that was the most profitable Olympic games in history(?).

If a food server gets paid - I get paid. And F' off if it's not gonna be that way.

[earoach]

Originally Posted by Nick JD

Thanks, Pete. That's more the Olympic sprit I'd like to hear. I'd play if I was there - the Sydney Olympics were great because people were doing it for free - I got to see this first hand, and it's rare in this day and age where no one wants to do anything unless they can get something for it.

Pay it forward, bitches.

Holy crap, if they don't want to play for FREE, THAN DON'T PLAY! Crap, just like in America here, everyone has their hand out. Really, it is that simple, if you need cash, don't agree to "volunteer", than get your knickers in a wad when you realize, "oh, that means no money" What a crock...and no, i won't sign that silly petition. Let the petition organizers do some fund raising. Sheesh!