The Freelancers Union, the Union of Musicians and Allied Workers, the League of Independent Theater and the Music Workers Alliance are calling on the governor to raise taxes on the wealthy and create a new Works Progress Administration that could support artists and help get them back to work.
Freelance and artists’ groups balk at Cuomo’s star-studded ‘pop-up shows’ Denis Slattery
ALBANY ― Groups representing freelance artists and musicians facing dire straits due to the COVID pandemic are panning Gov. Cuomo’s plan to revitalize New York’s art scene by holding star-studded “pop-up shows” across the state.
The Freelancers Union, the Union of Musicians and Allied Workers, the League of Independent Theater and the Music Workers Alliance are calling on the governor to instead raise taxes on the wealthy and create a new Works Progress Administration that could support artists and help get them back to work.
“New York’s performing artists don’t need livestream concerts and comedy shows we need you to end tax breaks for the wealthy and fund our state so we can survive,” the groups wrote in a letter sent to Cuomo.
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The arrival of a coronavirus vaccine in New York this week may have you thinking again about that long-awaited return to normal, however far off it is. But with theaters, concert halls and other performance spaces still shuttered for the foreseeable future, there is no clear path to relief for the New Yorkers who make their living in the performing arts.
An association of independent musicians called the Music Workers Alliance released a report on Thursday showing that of roughly 300 musicians and DJs surveyed, 71% had lost three-quarters or more of their income during the pandemic, and that fewer than 20% were working in some online or streaming capacity. Most musicians are offered little or nothing for such performances.