As musicians have little hand in any process of decision making, their cases is naturally, directly concerned with the past and present conditions at the sharp end of the cultural market. Thousands of musicians and composers have sought for a clue as to why, when there is so much corporate related music in our society, only the smallest of rewards, rewards musicians. A pale light of civilisation has appeared in Germany.
German musicians get extra pensions.
Every musician touring or recording in Germany now contributes towards this fund. In the UK, out of a population of 60,000,000 only 3,000 musicians can afford to pay National Insurance and for the rest there are no state pensions and no extras. Yet, even after joining the European Community in 1972, UK musicians contributed more towards its country's foreign earnings than the rest of Europe put together. If you are one of the musicians that established the Great Expansion, chances are that you are already decomposing, a well connected session musician or one of the very few survivors among the 140 featured PRS composers that makeover 10,000. UK per year.