Union Values
Wage Commitment
Our idea is to unionize the majority of Colorado musicians and music-workers to develop a collective based on financial solidarity, revolving around a $100/person minimum guarantee, with food/drinks when available ($500 min guarantee for bands exceeding five people). So if you play in a trio, you charge a minimum of $300 + food/drinks or above, a six-piece band, a minimum of $500 or above + food/drinks, all other negotiations begin from there. If a venue passes on the offer, the size and strength of our union will lower and potentially eliminate the chance of the venue finding a band willing to play below a living wage, thus raising all our incomes. When you show up to work as a stockbroker, or as a grocery- bagger, you are promised (through a federally mandated minimum wage) guaranteed compensation for the service you are selling, your labor. For whatever reason, society insists on streaming our sweat equity for free while increasing our rent, gas, groceries, etc in thie era of mass wage stagnation. Recognizing the guarantee as our first goal for making a living, we’ve identified local bars and small venues as our biggest syndicate, and thus our first target for improving work relations. Without a living wage guaranteed, neither is a future for the Colorado music scene.
System Of Emergency Communication
Our next goal is to provide a system of emergency communication through which our union can share emergency information relating to unemployment assistance, artist-relief/mutual-aid funds, state ordinances on gatherings, covid testing sites, etc.. The outbreak showed that while there were new resources for free-lance musicians to find financial relief, the speed of which said resources was distributed was devastating and ultimately unavailable to artists. The professional scope of our members varies dramatically, and therefore requires attention to different needs. Some of our members are up and coming DIY musicians in Fort Collins, some are internationally touring Denverites performing in household-name bands, scrambling to pay bills because of the pandemic. With a public website and discord communication thread, we can ensure meaningful emergency information is translated to our community with expediency.
Social Equality
The endless police killings of People Of Color in the U.S. has directed our leadership to ensure equality is mandated in our union and music-scenes. We will have yearly elections voting for a leadership committee with a mandated position reserved for a person of color and/or female-identified musician, We will also organize boycotts to any venues or bands unwilling to provide a welcoming music scene for marginalized folks, including the undocumented, the gender or sexually non-conforming, minority groups, the “less-talented”. etc.
Local and National Solidarity
Improvements can’t begin without local and national solidarity before the point of negotiating a contract with a venue. On a local level we’ve identified early targets unionization including venues, talent buyers, tapers, etc. to quickly collectivise the state’s music labor-force, all committed to playing for or paying a living wage. The CMU has developed close relationships with the Denver DSA (Democratic Socialists of America), We’ve begun conversations with members of UMAW and NIVA to tackle issues regarding the recording industry and monopolistic and parasitic nature of the the national touring-scene. After unionizing the state, the CMU intends to amalgamate with national unions to further improve our solidarity and strength. These are just some of the few organizations we’ve begun partnerships or discussions with.
Commitment to Boycott or Strike Against Toxic Institutions
If a venue is unwilling to provide a safe working environment, our members are committed to withholding service, as patrons and workers, from said venues. If an event or series of negative events or accusations arise regarding a venue, our leadership will call a vote and if passed, boycott the venue, business, employer, musician, bartender, etc. until the venue is deemed safe for our members to perform at. One of the earliest actions the Colorado Musicians Union took was passed vote to boycott Jay Bianchi and his affiliated venues including So Many Roads and Sancho’s Broken Arrow. Details can be found on our boycott page.
Establish Committees Within CMU
The CMU provides the infrastructure and resources needed for securing the change you wish to see happen in the Colorado music scene. The CMU is structured so any member can organize a group of members into a committee focusing on seeing a specific issue carried out. One example: a taper’s union where tapers can arrange a universal press pass that allows them to enter union-affiliated venues with recording gear without difficulty from security. Other committees include the BIPOC Musicians Committee, the Ladies Committee, etc.
Democratic Representation
The CMU connects representatives of local music scenes (Fort Collins, Durango, etc.) into a central committee to make sure all voices are heard and all regions including those less-privileged shown our solidarity and support.
Union Members Concerts and Releases
The CMU will have an active calendar with our members concerts and music releases to ensure financial support amongst our group.
Our list grows with every meeting and discussion on our servers.
