Cape Town musicians push for fair pay and contracts
Cape Town musicians push for fair pay, contracts and basic protections in live music industry
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Cape Town musicians are backing a petition calling for fair pay, written contracts and basic protections, as part of a new campaign targeting working conditions in the city’s live music industry.
The petition forms part of the WE DON’T PLAY! campaign led by the Ad Hoc Committee for Organising Musicians (AHCOM), which is seeking support for a set of minimum standards developed by working performers.
Musician Sanelisiwe “Sane” Singaphi said current practices leave many artists struggling to make a living.
“Getting a drink or a meal is not payment. What if I need to feed a family? I can’t take that home,” she said.
“It’s very limiting. We need financial exchange like any other service provider. Payment should be the norm, and the arts should be respected the same way.”
The campaign says conditions in the live music sector are “unsustainable and often exploitative”, with musicians frequently working without contracts, facing unclear payment structures and covering costs that reduce their earnings.
At the centre of the petition is a document titled Our Conditions of Work, which calls for written agreements, payment within seven days, transparency around ticket and bar sales, and clear responsibility for event costs.
It also calls for an end to practices such as paying artists in “drinks, alcohol, or exposure” instead of money, and sets out minimum standards for venues, including access to water, meals during long shifts and secure storage for equipment.
“For too long, musicians have had to accept the terms of work offered to them by venues and promoters, with no recourse when those terms are not honoured,” the campaign states.
AHCOM spokesperson Stanley Sibande said the campaign has not yet actively engaged venues and promoters, as the current focus is on building a collective base among musicians and raising public awareness.
Sibande said the issues faced by musicians are widespread and structural rather than isolated incidents.
“I’ve faced issues with payment timeliness not being honoured, agreed fees being reneged on, venues extending performance times beyond what was agreed, and a lack of facilities for safe storage of equipment,” he said.
The campaign will run for a month and culminate in a public launch event at Guga’sthebe in Langa on May 16.
“We hope these conditions become a benchmark and a good-faith basis for discussion with promoters,” Sibande said.