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

© 2023 Global Journals Volume XXIII Issue II Version I 24 ( ) 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 4. Combining work, family and personal life • Disturbances to the work life balance are a key characteristic of CCW. Live music in particular is dependent on leisure hours (evenings, weekends) and therefore has a direct impact on work life balance. • This is particularly difficult for women musicians who besides contending with family responsibilities at night or on weekends also need to worry about late night transport (access and safety) or extended time away if touring (not to mention the prevalence, in South Africa of gender based violence – especially when alcohol is involved - on the streets, in bars, in public spaces and public transport). • Many musicians seek secondary jobs to sustain their career. With high unemployment in all sectors of the economy key supplementary income sources are corporate work, private or university tuition or merchandising. 5. Work that should be abolished • While exploitative conditions abound in the informal economy of CCW given the lack of regulation and general desperation of those with no income generating activities, none of the respondents whether active in the informal or formal parts, commented on this aspect. 6. Stability and security of work • The seasonality of the live music calendar, tourism links, general unemployment, as well as the overriding informality present in the ecosystem, means additional income streams are essential for musicians. • Additional income streams can be found from fees, branding, merchandising, royalties, sync deals, corporate work and teaching, but are often insufficient to make a living. • Job security in the context of CCW is virtually impossible. 7. Equal opportunities and treatment in employment • The live music ecosystem is male dominated and in some areas largely untransformed (i.e. predominantly white). • Practices and opportunities privilege men. • It is largely a night-time economy which has implications for women musicians and cultural practitioners such as lack of access to transport, unsafe streets, and the extent of gender-based violence in the South African society. • Being on tour provides added challenges to women in the music ecosystem given family responsibilities, exploitation and abuse that occurs on tour. 8. Safe work environment • Safe work environments are also subject to the hierarchy of venues described earlier with large events and formal establishment mostly observing basic safety and health standards and regulations while non-compliance is widely observed in smaller and informal events. • An oft quoted problem is poor stage construction as well as the absence of dressing rooms, which primarily impacts women musicians. • There are regulations for large events (thanks to the South African Promoters Association) which rely on enforcement by the joint operations committee 5 of a local municipality. • During Covid 19 desperation for work and limited funding enabled what some called ‘cowboy’ promoters who took risks, flouted health and safety 9. Social security • There is little to no social security and musicians as all cultural practitioners are not covered by South Africa’s sophisticated labour relations legislation and associated regulations which protect employees (because they are not covered by the definition of ‘employee’). • This impacts musicians’ and cultural practitioners’ access to health care, disability provisions, maternity leave, employment injury, unemployment insurance, old age benefits, or compensation for death of a family member, in other words, all forms of social protection including forms of collective bargaining enjoyed by other workers. • Live music practitioners are paid principally for results or for projects rather than time spent working. • There are new developments supported by the South African Law Reform Commission (SALRC, 2021) and the musicians union, TUMSA that will benefit live music artists and practitioners’ access to social security whether in the formal economy or the informal economy. 5 The City of Johannesburg Joint Operations Committee (JOC) includes Disaster Manageme nt, City Parks, City Power, Event Management, Emergenc y Management Services, Environmental Health, Johannesbu rg Development Agency, Johannesburg Metro Police Department, Johannesburg Water, Johannesburg Roads Agency, Metrobus and Pikitup, and the South African Police Service.