On Jan 29, 2005, at 6:48 PM, Aaron Sherber wrote:
>> Adequate according to whom? The musicians who played presumably felt >> adequately compensated, or they wouldn't have done the job. >> > >According to the Italian musicians guild, and the French musicians >guild, and the AFM.
Okay, but I'm not sure I accept the right of those groups to define "adequate". You can say they weren't paid to scale, which is something quite different.
You don't accept the right of a group who stands to get screwed royally (musicians) by a large company to collectively negotiate fair wages and working conditions??!!
Most independent contractors already have problems negotiating fair (read: adequate) wages, and musicians are even more likely to get the short end of the stick. I am the first one to admit that musicians are only TOO willing to accept inadequate wages and conditions, but their willingness to be screwed does not make it right when some employer is making big bucks off of them.
>The union can be negotiated with in cases of new or
>troubled productions, but you can be sure that once this Sinfonia
>machine gets common use, EVERYONE will want to use it at the expense of
>show quality.
Well, this gets at something which I think is true, unfortunately: While I have been talking from my point of view, as a performer who would like nothing better than to be able to afford a full orchestra for all performances, there are also those who are just looking to make a buck, regardless of quality. Yes, not everyone will see the Sinfonia as a stopgap, and some people are eagerly looking to it as a cheaper way of putting on shows, forever. And I also understand, reluctantly, that since the union has no way of judging intent, they have to act as though everyone is a mercenary at heart. But this can make it very difficult for those of us who are not.
And this is at the heart of one of the biggest problems with the AFM, and many other unions as well. The leader of the band, who is a union member and ostensibly the representative of his sidemen, is in a conflict of interest when he talks to the client. He needs the keep the band's interest at heart, but the client's needs (and his own need as a leader to seal the deal) put him on the opposite side of the negotiating table. There have to be limits to a completely free market (at least, in the world <I> want to live in!)
Christopher
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