Full name Musicians' Union Members 30,000 | Founded 1893 | |
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Affiliation TUC, STUC, Labour Party, FEU Key people John F. Smith, general secretary Office location London, Manchester, Glasgow, Cardiff, Birmingham | ||
The Musicians' Union (MU) is an organisation which represents over 30,000 musicians working in all sectors of the British music business.
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History
The union was founded in 1893 in Manchester by twenty musicians. It registered as the Amalgamated Musicians' Union the following year, and grew rapidly, having 22,000 members by 1920. The following year, it merged with the National Orchestral Union of Professional Musicians and shortened its name to the "Musicians' Union". However, the introduction of "talkie" films reduced opportunities for musicians, and membership fell to a low of 7,000 in 1940. After World War II, it grew again, forming the International Federation of Musicians. It also joined the Confederation of Entertainment Unions and affiliated to the Labour Party.
Campaigns
The MU stages regular campaigns in relation to relevant musical and industrial issues. Recent campaigns have included protests outside theatres in response to the use of recorded music in shows where live music was advertised, and the anti-Pay to Play campaign, an issue which continues to affect the live music scene, particularly at grassroots level.
Other MU campaigns include:
Music Supported Here
In December 2009, the MU launched a new campaign, entitled 'Music Supported Here', which aims to raise both awareness of copyright, and also the distribution and use of music, which, the MU states, should be controllable by the musician.
Keep Music Live The union has used the slogan Keep Music Live since 1965.
Work Not Play
In November 2012 the MU launched a new campaign called Work Not Play, to raise awareness about the growing trend for artists being asked to perform for free. The campaign has been supported by a number of organisations in the industry including notable industry names such as Skiddle.