We look back
(ANNUAL) REVIEW IGFM: FOUNDATION TO FEBRUARY 2022
by Martina Reiter, Heide Wartha, Daniela Flickentanz and Barbara Fischer
"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable man insists on trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man."
George Bernard Shaw
We, the IGFM, after almost two years of foundation, would like to show what we have achieved in this time and at what point we are now. Three board members and eight core team members are trying to create a summary here for you, our members, in which the path we have already taken is traced. This report can never be complete. After all, no one will ever be able to comprehend the countless hours of thinking, telephone calls and research work. What follows is a report that nevertheless illustrates what we have achieved so far. We have learned a lot and achieved a lot!
IGFM is here to stay!!!
That was and is our motto, from the beginning the IGFM was not meant to be a "corona association", but a collaboration of forces to improve the labour and social situation of the professional group of freelance musicians in the long term, together and in solidarity and in association with all those who work in this field. Solidarity seems to be the key, both within the freelance music scene as well as with musicians from employed orchestras and with part-time music teachers.
What remains is an active, joint influence, making ourselves heard. We demand fairness at all levels and work to build strong representation in the long term.
When one deals with these major issues, it quickly becomes apparent how insignificant the lobbying for our profession has been so far, especially in the field of "classical" freelance musicians. The prevailing opinion of funding bodies is obviously that large sums of money are invested in the construction and maintenance of concert halls and opera houses anyway, and that this is already enough support. One is stunned to see how in Austria, a country of music, there has been little recognition and support for those who stand for the lively practice of music. They are the musicians who ensure diversity in the concert landscape, and who actually sit on the stages. But no one has felt responsible for creating an appropriate working and living situation for us.
But now we are here! Therefore, we invite you to continue to support the IGFM and thus strengthen YOUR professional association! Because as Edda Breit, one of our board members, so aptly remarked:
"A professional group is
always as strong as their representation"
The "success story" of the IGFM
How it all began - stations on our path
At a jour fixe of the initiative "mitderstadtreden" (mdsr) in the premises of the mica in the early summer of 2020, a group of people from different directions come together and within a short period of time decide to join forces and from this to found a new initiative, an association:
the Association of Independent Musicians.
In September 2020, the first hybrid members' meeting will take place at mica: founding the association, attempting to define structures, defining fields of work, electing the board, core team members;
First public action of the IGFM November 2020: Survey on the topic "Corona test situation
In the course of this, first contacts with the "big players", the representatives of other interest groups from the arts and culture, our stakeholders. Both the mica, the IGFT and the IG Kultur turned out to be great partners. We experience a lot of acceptance, help and support from the very beginning.
With talk come the people
together...
Soon after, the first introductory meetings with cultural politicians:
The first meeting with State Secretary for Culture Andrea Mayer took place on 7 October 2020, and further appointments followed.
We also tried to meet with cultural politicians from all parties. So thefirst meetingstook place:
- 11 November 2020 with Thomas Drozda, SPÖ
- 4 February 2021 with Maria Großbauer, ÖVP
- 9 March.2021 Josef Schellhorn, NEOS
- 26 April 2021 with Eva Blimlinger, Member of the Austrian Parliament
Despite Corona contact restrictions, it has been possible to hold several meetings, partly in person, partly via Zoom, depending on the prevailing regulations and possibilities.
Below is a small selection of them:
- 19 March 2021: Zoom meeting with Phil Yaeger and Heide Wartha (for IGFM) and with Peter Hosek, Sascha Goetzel . We will beapproached todiscussVienna Art Network and its platform.
- In March and May 2021 there were telephone meetings with the cultural officer of the Province of Styria, Ms Fischer.
- 25 September 2021: Round Table with Rector Georg Schulz and Vice-Rector Constanze Wimmer
- at the KUG in Graz, with Heide Wartha, Johannes Stöckler and Edda Breit, as well as Simon Kintopp from the ÖH online. Topic: Exchange and reflections on how cooperation between the IGFM, the universities and the ÖH could look like.
- 17 December: Radio broadcast at Radio Helsinki in Graz with Martin Dopler as host and Edda Breit and Dario Luisi. Both speak very openly about the situation as freelancers.
Meetings about meetings - possible despite Corona isolation thanks to the internet!
It continues with a total of 102 official meetings internally and externally. Among them:
- 25 Core Team Meetings
- 12 Board meeting
- 8 Meetings of the federal states
- 4 Member meetings
Further meetings with our fellow members/stakeholders:
- 8 Meeting with the Austrian Music Council (ÖMR)
- 6 Meeting with the mica
- 5 Meetings with ÖH/Unis
- 22 Networking meetings(IG Kultur, IGFT, StimmIG, Younion)
- 12 Meetings with politicians/cultural officials
Networking/Lobbying:
Good networking and intensive cooperation with sector-related IGs and respectful interaction with each other is important to us. We have received active support from the IGFT with Ulrike Kuner, the IG Kultur with initially Yvonne Gimpel, then Gabi Gerbasits and mica with Sabine Reiter and their speakers. They have been and continue to be helpful to us at all levels. We are very happy that we have already succeeded in establishing this valuable and friendly connection.
Younion with Wolfgang Nagl and Peter Schreiber (works council of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra) is also an important partner in the major labour and social law issues.
At Kulturrat Österreich we have always experienced appreciation and uncomplicated, fast communication.
"Kulturrat Österreich is the association of interest groups in the arts, culture and independent media and acts as a platform for common cultural policy concerns and goals".
C. Christl
Last but not least, I come to our, next to mica, most important partnership from the music sector, the Austrian Music Council (ÖMR). In the ongoing fairness process initiated by the BMKÖS, the ÖMR is considered the first point of contact on the topic of music.
The IGFM fills an important gap by representing the professional group of freelance musicians and is taken seriously here and thus actively involved in the ongoing fairness process.
IGFM has been a member of the ÖMR since October 2020 and a member of IG Kultur since November 2020.
Topics that occupy us/have occupied us:
The BMKÖS Fairness Process
The fact that the founding of the IGFM came about shortly after the so-called fairness process was taken up again by cultural policy made this a central theme of our cultural policy work. This process put a lot of pressure on us. Because it was unclear how long this coalition would last and how much time was left. We know that the open door has to be used before it might close again. It is happening NOW and the time seems to be RIPEN, there is real hope that at least the beginning has been set for a gradual improvement of the labour and social law situation of our professional group, as well as of all freelance arts.
How does the IGFM intervene?
As early as autumn 2020, the IGFM developed well-founded, unprecedented fee recommendations for both large ensembles/orchestras and small ensembles/bands. These have been and continue to be perceived with great interest, can be found again in the Fair Pay Reader published by the Cultural Council and provide a basis for calculating the Fair Pay Gap in the Fairness Process. The Fair Pay Gap is the difference between the existing payouts to artists and the payouts desired according to Fair Pay guidelines. In our ongoing Shadow Survey we are now trying to collect more precise data.
The Shadow Survey
In the course of the fair pay process, Martina Reiter initiated a survey to get information about the current situation of music workers - especially the members of the IGFM - in Austria. The aim is to collect a fact-based picture of the current situation in order to strengthen our arguments for fair payment. In order to improve the situation, the actual situation must first be recorded as well as possible. This is an anonymous, quantitative survey with questions about the effort involved in music work, remuneration and the living situation in Austria. The topic of the risk of poverty, which we are often not aware of, is also touched upon and asked about.
The survey is already open to the public and we ask you to fill it out and spread the word so that we can change all of our situations for the better. It will run until 27.03.2022!
Bogus self-employment
We work on this topic together with our partners mica, Younion and Kulturrat.
Questions need to be answered such as: When is a pseudo-self-employment given? When should there be a contract of employment because the work relationship is more like an employment relationship than a self-employed activity?
Theatre Stage Work Act NEW
The question we pose in this regard is:
To what extent does this also affect us, or shouldn't it also include freelance musicians? Musicians who regularly work with one or more ensembles? As far as the group of musicians/substitutes at theatres and opera houses is concerned, the answer is obvious.
See the Article from the magazine Profil.
The IG freie Theaterarbeit (IGFT) and the NEW group have already done a lot of preliminary work on the amendment to the Theatre Work Act: There are different, interesting approaches here, and the pros and cons have to be weighed up. IGFT's position is: improved social security through increased use of ASVG service contracts and thus better social security. On the other hand, NEW propagates: service contract, but remain self-employed, improvements in the ASVF-GSVG laws, but thereby less social security.
Confidential Office against Abuse of Power, Harassment and Violence in Art, Culture and Sport
In mid-March 2021, the Cultural Committee of the National Council decided to install a contact point against abuse of power. IGFM, above all our board member Edda Breit, is actively involved in the development and establishment of this institution.
Study: The impact of the Corona pandemic on the music labour market in Austria
This very comprehensive study was commissioned by the mdw and carried out by the "Institute for Cultural Management and Gender Studies" and the "Institute for Retailing & Data Science". This project was supported by the AKM, the ÖMR, the StimmIG, the LSG, the Younion, the mica, the ÖH MUK, the Musikergilde, the HMDW, the ÖH KUG and last but not least by us, the IGFM. Our former board member Irma Niskanen deserves special mention in this context. The study paints a sad picture of the situation of freelance musicians in Austria.
Universities, ÖH, Students
A matter close to our hearts is good contact and close cooperation with the universities and conservatoires throughout Austria, as it is there that future generations of musicians will be trained. Heide Wartha devotes special attention to this task. In addition, several workshops for students are underway in Salzburg and Vienna, in which the IGFM lectures on the topic of "free music making". Further workshops at universities and colleges are being planned.
Further topics and focal points of the IGFM
Fair pay is only one factor in the development towards a healthy and sustainable occupational profile. Other labour and social law issues also play an important role:
- social security
- decent contracts
- Payments on account
- Binding legal basis for our professional group
- Preventing wage dumping
- Contact the training centres: Musician:in, a profession with a future?!
- Ordinary pension coverage (poverty at the end of a career)
- Raising awareness and educating society about the music profession
- Seek and promote solidarity
About the authors
Daniela patchwork dance
Our Daniela Flickentanz is based in Burgenland. She is part of the core team of IGFM. Daniela works as a singer/songwriter. She is involved with IGFM in the social media group and is actively involved in the Shadow Survey.
Heath Wartha
In Styria, Heide Wartha is committed to the IGFM. She is part of the core team and acts as the provincial coordinator. Heide is a (traverse) flutist and teaches at the conservatory in Graz. As in the other provinces, she and other members of the IGFM try to network amicably with representatives of other interest groups from the arts and culture and to establish connections with those responsible in politics, as well as to make the IGFM and its concerns better known.
Martina Reiter
Martina is one of our three board members. Born in Upper Austria, she lives in Vienna and works as a freelance musician in various musical fields. She is one of the founding members of IGFM. Martina is strongly involved in the fairness process of the BMKÖS - a strong driving force of the IGFM!
Barbara Fischer
The Tyrolean musician is a member of the core team of the IGFM and also the head of the Tyrol federal state team. She takes on federal state tasks as well as cross-federal state issues. She lives entirely from freelance work.