Should music artists form unions ?

[keyshawn]

Hey,

Recently, I had a revelation. Noticing that some musicians [i.e. http://www.zeropaid.com/news/article.../09112003i.php]
desire the independence from the RIAA.
Yet, many has been possibly hesitant to speak out against the RIAA or to free themselves from their record label; for a variety of reasons.
An union of various musicians could possibly be the solution to dissolve the RIAA and to create a 'group' that would actually represent the artists' rights fairly.
The idea of unions has been prevalent for about 100 years in the U.S.A. and still is used in many occupations and industries today.
The organization & mobilization of workers representing workers and their rights can be a solution to those professionals in the music industry.
Not only artists and songwriters, but those behind-the-scenes in audio engineering could possibly join as well.
Can a tried and true idea of unions be the catalyst that ultimately evolves the music industry from the status quo into a future with a free market for musicians to partake in that compromises artists' freedom and capitalism ?


Thanks,
Keyshawn

[shawners]

Unions would take more money from the artist, have to pay dues. And what, the artist are some how joining the union for fair wages ? They all pretty much make millions, and when their contract expires, form their own recording label like so many others=)

[Lamourlady]

well, to me it's the same thing as an artist creating their own record label......only they become as greedy and monstrous as their former employers.
a union is there to protect the workers from, well sucky situations, where they are being exploited or wronged, by an employer.
who exactly would this union be protecting the artists from, if the riaa is dissolved?
do u mean from us evil file-sharers?
seems this "union" would eventually just become the next "industry".
i guess, to me, the only real solution is for each artist to have their own web-site and take control of all that is them.
if they don't have the funds, then they could form a company of their own with investors and share-holders.
maybe for newer, more independents, just starting out....some sort of organization could be formed.

actually, if i could remember, someone came here and posted something about how we could all actually own the rights to all songs......sort of becoming shareholders, if u will.
all in theory, of course.
anyone remember that????

[aqlo]

That's essentially what the RIAA is group negotiations and no it doesn't work unless the thugs are in the government. When the racketeers move over to the union they stop being good.

The artists need to stop being accessories to conspiracy to jack CD prices and make their own labels and control their own residuals for commercial use.

[jonnymnemonic]

A union could be very beneficial for them. Some artists already DO have a union - actors do, screenwriters do, and that's why you see actors and screenwriters having good quality benefits and good pay. Also, look at baseball players and their union. THEIR payscale and number of benefits has certainly improved since they formed their union.

But, if musicians form their own union and achieve what the baseball players did, you could expect the price of their music to go WAY up, just as the prices for baseball tickets has skyrocketed. All the extra money would have to come from somewhere, and it'd be from the consumers, just as it works with the baseball players union, actors union and screenwriters union (actors' and screenwriters' benefits and salaries are built into movie ticket and movie rental prices).
.
Still, from their point of view, why *wouldn't* they want to form a union? Guaranteed benefits, fat(ter) paychecks. If it means live show ticket prices or song prices go up to cover it, well, that's how things work.

Personally, I'd rather they *didn't* unionize, since I'm a cheapskate. ;)

[jonnymnemonic]

The RIAA is kinda like the union rep for the LABELS, which isn't at all the same thing as a union for musicians. A musicians union could force ALL labels to guarantee those they sign specific rates and benefits. The labels who didn't comply would not be able to sign any musicians.

[tMoD]

Musicians need a union to protect them from exploitation by the record labels. Prices can only go up so far before people refuse to pay, which happens to be the current situation or at least part of the reason for the current situation. Anyway, prices needn't go up, the proportion of the the revenue taken by the labels can just as easily go down thereby leaving a fairer share for the musicians. A musician's union could also be good for the listener in that the union might well try to wrest radio away from the stranglehold of the majors so that all of its members' music could be heard.

[rastilin]

Considering how much they make off every cd right now I doubt the cost of cd's will change that much, this could seriously thrash the RIAA though.

[jonnymnemonic]

Don't underestimate the willingness of the consumer to pay out the yingyang. Baseball stadiums are still packing em in with zero probs, despite $7 hotdogs, $6 beers, and the fact that it now costs three digits to take the family to ONE GAME, with crappy seats. And those prices have evolved almost totally because of the baseball players' union.

Maybe baseball games are more popular/desireable to the average person than seeing live performances by musicians, but I wouldn't bet on that. Of course, the baseball players' union IS the most powerful (and profitable) union ever formed. But I could see a musicians' union eclipsing even them if they functioned as a cohesive whole in similar fashon. Baseball players control the baseball industry, and they KNOW they do, and they know they do it by presenting a united front on important issues (especially as regards moolah). If a musicians' union were to fully reproduce that level of cohesiveness, god help us all. ;)

[method77]

Artists already have unions. Here are some from the US.

Also don't post polls and questions before you do a little search on the topic.

[Omyn]

Hell yes they should.

Tired of seeing executives who just sit on their ass all day and make millions of dollars.

[shawners]

If they form their own recording label, they can sign bands to them and take money away from other artist. I heard eminem made 10 million off of 50 cent. and the company its parent too made sum money too. So their is a big pyramid scheme for music industry.
If everyones competeing to sale more albums, how come the prices arent competitive?

[shawners]

You ever watch Vh1 behind the music and other bio's of artist. Aerosmith made great songs, but if he wants to sing some of them, he still has to pay royalties to the manager and label for playing his songs. And that if they make colaberations, they get 25 percent, thats to split with all four members. Artist get screwed and yet if they leave, their work sometimes stays with them or cant perform them due to the label owning it all.