BY: JOSEPH DEBELL, OPINION EDITOR
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
The music industry thrives on the talent and labor of artists, yet record labels continue to deny them health insurance.
In her acceptance speech for Best New Artist, Chappell Roan used her moment in the spotlight to highlight an issue within the music industry — the lack of health insurance for artists signed to record labels.
“Record labels need to treat their artist as valuable employees with a livable wage and health insurance and protection,” Roan said. “Labels, we got you, but you got us?”
Musicians — especially those who aren’t household names — are left without the essential support workers in other industries take for granted. Unlike actors and writers, who have unions, musicians are treated as if they were independent contractors.
The Writers Guild of America strikes showed the power of collective bargaining. Joey La Neve DeFrancesco — a New York-based musician and organizer with the United Musicians and Allied Workers — mentioned in an interview with Pitchfork, that musicians lack the same level of unionization.
“But unlike the WGA, musicians for a variety of reasons are simply not in the same level of organization right now,” DeFrancesco said. “That’s the fundamental barrier.”
Music is not just an art — it’s a physically and mentally demanding profession. Touring artists, for example, are constantly on the road, playing back-to-back shows, battling exhaustion and are left vulnerable to developing health conditions.
This is not just about helping artists — it’s about ensuring the music industry is sustainable. If labels refuse to provide healthcare, they risk the lifeblood of their business — the musicians. As Roan pointed out, the labels need artists just as much as artists need them, but the relationship remains strikingly one-sided.
Music fans and artists must rally behind efforts like the Union of Musicians and Allied Workers to push for more unionization.
The music industry has profited off the creativity and labor of artists while offering little in return. Without proper health care and protections — the music industry is on track to collapse under its own neglect.
debelljb22@bonaventure.edu
