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umaw.bsky.social
UMAW is a 501(c)(4) member-led advocacy group committed to organizing music workers to create a more just music industry, and to join with other workers in the struggle for a better society.
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Labels, booking agencies, and managers: sign on in support of the LWFMA! Artists, share with your teams! actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-o...

Join us! Before this year’s SXSW, write a letter and demand answers about the future of the festival. tinyurl.com/DemandAnswersSXSW

Healthcare is a human right! @joeyquits.bsky.social spoke with @rollingstone.com following Chappell Roan’s statement at the Grammys about how important it is for musicians to get organized.

Chappell Roan is completely correct! Musicians are workers, and we deserve fair payment & dignity in our workplace. UMAW introduced the Living Wage for Musicians Act with Rep. Rashida Tlaib to build a fairer music industry and increase wages for musicians. We need your help to make it happen!

The UMAW raffle ends TOMORROW at midnight pst! This is our main annual fundraiser, and allows us to continue building our organization and taking on new campaigns. Enter the raffle here: weareumaw.org/raffle

These major corporations think everyone is expendable, from the festival creators who get shut down without explanation to the musicians who are paid poverty wages from streaming companies. We’re all fighting the same enemy - we need to be in solidarity with each other!

Via @deerhoof.bsky.social - favorite quotes from Mood Machine by @lizpelly.bsky.social 💪 UMAW introduced the Living Wage for Musicians Act last year, which would regulate streaming services (including Spotify)-read more about the LWFMA here & sign onto our demands: weareumaw.org/make-streaming-pay

As subscription rates in the US for Spotify go up, artist payment rates go down. We need the Living Wage for Musicians Act, which would guarantee direct, fair payment to artists! Under the LWFMA, any increased subscription rate would increase artists’ pay.

One way we can combat this nightmare government hellbent on destroying anyone that isn’t a tech billionaire is by joining your union, forming one if it doesn’t exist, and building worker power. We are stronger in numbers! Don’t let them make you feel powerless!

Spotify donated 1.7 million kroner to Trump’s inauguration and hosted a party featuring Ben Shapiro & Tim Pool. These companies and mega-rich CEOs don’t care about the workers who make their companies run, they care about cozying up to Trump’s oligarchical power.

Musicians, you can get involved with UMAW by becoming a member. We encourage everyone to get involved in organizing your workplace, wherever you work. The working class will win! It’s time to get serious about organizing! weareumaw.org/membership

All of these platforms will someday go dark. What will we have when they disappear? You can become a UMAW member at the link below and get involved with our campaigns and subcommittees through our Slack. We need you! weareumaw.org/membership

For folks impacted by the tragedy of the LA fires: Mutual Aid LA Network has a big spreadsheet of resources, including shelter, distro, free items, and animal boarding. UMAW is here for our friends and comrades in LA ❤️ docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

“How do we minimize the influence of corporations in our lives?” @lizpelly.bsky.social asks. Her new book Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist is out tomorrow!

Amazon may join Spotify in demonetizing artists on their platform. This is the exact opposite of “artist-centric” — it’s actively harmful to artists! Streaming services must be regulated and artists must be paid a fair wage. We need the Living Wage for Musicians Act now!

Support DistroKid Union by signing the petition here: actionnetwork.org/petitions/mu...

Streaming services encourage thinking of music as “content” rather than art made by real people - they push playlists full of anonymized, automated songs that line their pockets at the same time they fully demonetize small artists. The cure is the Living Wage for Musicians Act!

We’re back with more! 10 new items have been added to this year’s raffle, including items from Spoon, Moses Sumney, and Helado Negro! PLUS all of the original items. Entries are $15 USD each, unlimited entries allowed, and the raffle runs until 1/11. weareumaw.org/raffle

‼️NEW: Liz Pelly reveals Spotify’s secret exploitation model Perfect Fit Content: thousands of songs created by underpaid, anonymous subcontractor musicians through shady production houses, prioritized by Spotify as the royalties improved its margins.

One of our biggest campaign wins of 2024 was successfully forcing SXSW to remove the US military and defense contractors as sponsors. However, SXSW has REFUSED to respond to our questions about permanence & scope. Send a letter and demand transparency! actionnetwork.org/letters/dema...

[email protected] we agree! It’s time for the Living Wage for Musicians Act 💪 sign on to support the LWFMA here: weareumaw.org/make-streami...

All of us: 😭

Musicians and artists deserve fair pay for our work! The current structure only benefits the huge companies that control the majority of the industry and leaves musicians with poverty-wage payouts, from streaming to live shows.

We need the Living Wage for Musicians Act now!

Spotify’s model devalues music and creates unsustainable conditions for artists. We need the Living Wage for Musicians Act to regulate all streaming services and increase streaming payouts for musicians! Don’t let music get devalued - support the LWFMA and join UMAW.