Dear New Orleans Musicians and Cultural Performers, it’s true, Musicians [have continually been] left out [wage growths]…

I had a very honest conversation regarding the State of New Orleans’ cultural economy and its being flatlined for easily the last 20+ years. See a snippet below, along with a link to the story.

From the article: One important New Orleans sector not benefiting from the tight labor market, however, is musical performers.

The price of hiring one of New Orleans top high school bands, for example, has hardly changed in at least a decade, said Brice Miller, founder of The New Orleans Music Company, which is a booking agent for musicians.

He said one of the better known high school marching bands will charge about $2,300 to perform in a parade, though other schools might charge less than half that.

“No organization is saying, we’re going to up your pay because of inflation or pandemic losses, they’re looking for the cheapest entertainment,” said Miller.

He said that is true also for the professional musicians who play gigs on Frenchmen Street, where the booking rates for bands like his Twisted Dixie ensemble still typically are comprised of a $5 door charge, 20% of the bar, plus tips.

“The impacts of inflation on the live venue and entertainment business are being passed down to the performers, who are considered the bottom of the food chain instead of the caviar,” said Miller.

I SAID WHAT I SAID!

See link to full story here: https://www.nola.com/news/business/article_a57ea098-8dc2-11ec-ba41-5f54e524bcf5.html