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

practices), often differing by genre. A festival promoter focused on Jazz for instance reported that as the community was small, trust was high which was not necessarily the case in other genres such as pop, R&B, or gospel. Figure 5: Informal versus the formal live music ecosystem in SA V. T he S outh A frican L ive M usic E cosystem and the D ecent W ork A genda The Decent Work agenda of the ILO, launched in 1998, has four pillars including rights at work; employment creation; social protection; social dialogue and tripartism (see Figure 6). Table 1 below provides detail drawn from live music practitioners about the current practices in South Africa. © 2023 Global Journals Volume XXIII Issue II Version I 22 ( ) 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 Table 1: Decent Work Practice in the South African Live Music Ecosystem Decent work indicators Practice in the South African Live Music Ecosystem 1. Employment opportunities • It is difficult to measure as it is characterised by informality with income opportunities, rather than employment, mostly of a freelance, casual or part time nature. • Opportunities are also seasonal with little expectation of income generation all year round. • Technical producers expressed optimism about employment opportunities for young people. • Covid -19 restrictions were not uniformly negative with a few established artists reporting substantial demand while for many (youth, emerging artists) it represented increased vulnerability: 90% of the live music ecosystem lost income which resulted (for some) in selling personal instruments to pay basic costs while others considered leaving the sector (IKS Consulting 2021). • There is a projected 7,9% growth of live music revenue over the next five years (PWC quoted in ConcertsSA 2016). This does not include revenue from informal settings (clubs, restaurants, bars, churches, and family gatherings).