https://www.musiclifemagazine.net/niagara-musician-rita-carrey-organizes-fair-pay-and-we-play-rally-at-niagara-falls-city-hall-april-12/ Sun, 10 Apr 2016 12:17:35 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.2 https://www.musiclifemagazine.net/niagara-musician-rita-carrey-organizes-fair-pay-and-we-play-rally-at-niagara-falls-city-hall-april-12/#comment-3625 Sun, 10 Apr 2016 12:17:35 +0000 http://www.musiclifemagazine.net/?p=8741#comment-3625 While I applaud the efforts of Ms. Carrey, it also needs to be noted that the issue of low pay for musicians is not just limited to Niagara Falls. There is a whole other contingent out there of club and restaurant owners who follow the same principles as the city of NF does. They will book young, eager musicians for nothing more than a couple of pitchers of beer and some chicken wings. How are the more established bands and musicians supposed to be taken seriously after that? We need a protest that is going to make a statement or have an effect on that corner of the market as well.

]]> https://www.musiclifemagazine.net/niagara-musician-rita-carrey-organizes-fair-pay-and-we-play-rally-at-niagara-falls-city-hall-april-12/#comment-3619 Sat, 09 Apr 2016 19:13:48 +0000 http://www.musiclifemagazine.net/?p=8741#comment-3619 This protest is part of a larger issue in Niagara Falls. The city spent $75,000 on a consultant’s report that recommended the city should be spending between $200,000-$300,000 a year to support arts and culture for the citizens on Niagara Falls, not tourism.
The city’s answer to this was to come up with a $50 per week budget for entertainment for the whole summer at the farmers market and published it in the local newspapers. This amounted to an insult to performers and an endorsement to other entertainment purchasers that this was an acceptable amount to pay musicians.
Unfortunately the market became the flashpoint for the response of musicians because the farmers market in Niagara Falls has been doing some great things. So the issue is with the city, not the market.
The city of Niagara Falls only spends 48 cents per capita to assist and promote the arts which is far below the standard of Canadian cities of similar population. This has been an ongoing issue in Niagara Falls and in light of much larger investments by Hamilton, London and Kitchener, etc. It was time to do something about it in order to improve the quality of life for the people of Niagara Falls.

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