New Music Organizing Caucus (NMOC) is a community of music workers who work in the contemporary, classical music-adjacent creative world of “new music.” We exist to advocate for decent working conditions and fair wages, provide support against discriminatory practices, share skills and knowledge, and fight for diversity, equity and inclusion in our field. We are allied with Music Workers Alliance, Union of Musicians and Allied Workers, New Music Equity Action, Sing In Solidarity, Workers Arts Project, Local 802 AFM, and DANC.
During the summer of 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and the protests in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, NMOC came together to begin long-overdue conversations about race, class, access, and privilege in the new music world. Our goal is to use our collective power to address these systemic inequalities inherent in our field and create a more just, kind, and honest way of making music together. We are just getting started. Join us!
During the summer of 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and the protests in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, NMOC came together to begin long-overdue conversations about race, class, access, and privilege in the new music world. Our goal is to use our collective power to address these systemic inequalities inherent in our field and create a more just, kind, and honest way of making music together. We are just getting started. Join us!
New Music Organizing Caucus proudly supports and adopts the We Have Voice Collective Code of Conduct. www.wehavevoice.org
Real Music Wages Data
We can all benefit from knowing the going rates of payment across our field. Inspired by crowdsourced spreadsheets created by DANC, baristas, museum workers, and adjunct professors, we have created this anonymous and open source spreadsheet with the following objectives:
- transparency within our field
- equal pay rates
- encourage presenters and ensembles to pay a living wage to their contracted artists
We acknowledge that many musicians create their own work in addition to being a part of ensembles and freelancing. For the purposes of this survey, we're focusing specifically on artists hired as independent contractors to rehearse/perform in a performance or production for which they are NOT the generative artist.
- transparency within our field
- equal pay rates
- encourage presenters and ensembles to pay a living wage to their contracted artists
We acknowledge that many musicians create their own work in addition to being a part of ensembles and freelancing. For the purposes of this survey, we're focusing specifically on artists hired as independent contractors to rehearse/perform in a performance or production for which they are NOT the generative artist.
Community Care Circle
The primary purpose of these meetings is to create a community space inside of our caucus, to build each other up, and to reject the notion of neoliberal individualism that too often we are encouraged to follow as freelance artists. Organizing the labor of artists presents different challenges than organizing in a corporate setting: our bosses change every day, there is less oversight for being underpaid, and we are conditioned to function as individuals, not together as a workforce.
Our tactics must adjust accordingly, and we came to the conclusion that a community space should be created to foster a collective sense of solidarity within our circles. These meetings are not meant to function as a substitute for therapy, rather, as we get to know each other better, we can feel renewed in our sense of purpose as an organization, and become energized as we affirm that we are not struggling alone.
Our tactics must adjust accordingly, and we came to the conclusion that a community space should be created to foster a collective sense of solidarity within our circles. These meetings are not meant to function as a substitute for therapy, rather, as we get to know each other better, we can feel renewed in our sense of purpose as an organization, and become energized as we affirm that we are not struggling alone.
