Global Journal of Human Social Science, C: Sociology and Culture, Volume 23 Issue 2

Figure 1: Atypical CCE work; precariousness and informality: a conceptual framework for the SA Live Music ecosystem © 2023 Global Journals Volume XXIII Issue II Version I 19 ( ) Global Journal of Human Social Science - Year 2023 C “If you haven’t been Exploited, you are not in the Live Music Industry”: Decent Work and Informality in the Live Music Ecosystem in South Africa CCE work Atypical (freelancers, contract, short term, project based) Precariousness in formal economy project based work/ income earning possibilities Skilled and high earning possibilities - little social protection Some indication of decent work/ contracts/ representation in formal economy Extraordinary precariousness in Informal cultural economy No contracts, min wages or accepted working conditions Absence of all 10 decent work indicators Absence of social protection authors (Alacovska and Gill 2019; Boyle and Joham 2013; Merkel 2019; Stewart and Stanford 2017) have shone a spotlight on this relationship in the Global North where the spread of the gig economy, deregulation, outsourcing, flexible or temporary work as become a prominent feature, there is much less consideration of informality in the Global South. SACO has provided evidence that the share of informal economy work in cultural production is 40% or more (SACO 2019), and the Policy and Evidence Centre have recently published 10 reports on the relationship between the cultural and creative economy and the informal economy (PEC and British Council 2021). The high proportion of informality in the African CCE ensures that the benefits spoken about by UNCTAD (2018) or UNESCO (2013) of employment, creativity, dialogue, innovation and development, are unequally distributed. This is particularly true for emerging artists, women, migrants and those living with disabilities (Castle and Feijóo 2021; Chen 2012l and Vanek et al. 2014). This outcome seriously compromises countries’ ability to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda (Culture Action Europe 2019). The 2022 SACO mapping study showed a decline in cultural employment in the formal economy (from 65.7% in 2015 to 63.2% in 2017 for non-cultural occupations; and from 48.1% in 2015 to 47.8% in 2017 for cultural occupations), while those working in cultural occupations in the informal economy increased (46.3% in 2017) (SACO 2022). Research in the Global South suggests some benefits to informality such as flexibility and the autonomy it engenders in this project based CCE. The rapid growth and productivity of Nollywood has been attributed to the flexible informal economy it operates within (Lobato 2010) while other studies in Latin America suggest the those working in informal settlements (Favelas) experience more independence and control over their cultural work than their counterparts in the formal economy (Dinardi 2019). In most African cities, the informal sector is the main economy. It is growing and becoming more important for urban survival (Magidi, 2021). The PEC and British Council (2021) explored the ‘benefits’ of informality for diverse cultural workers such as agility, autonomy and flexibility required by the CCE without ignoring problems associated with informality such as insecurity, harassment, lack of status, poor earnings, exploitation and loss of voice. Not only should this literature on the atypical and precarious nature of CCW be brought into conversation with that on informality to better understand informal cultural value chains and work relationships in the CCE, but it is also vital that it be brought into conversation with the Decent Work agenda of the ILO. Decent work is defined by the ILO as “opportunities for everyone to get work that is productive and delivers a fair income, security in the workplace and social protection for families, better prospects for personal development and social integration”.