Abstract

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of live concerts, thousands of industry workers across North America, including myself, were left unemployed. This research-creation project investigates the structural problems exposed by the pandemic and presents the personal histories of eight industry workers to better understand (and critique) pre-existing precarious labour conditions within the North American live music industry. Interviews were conducted with both musicians and behind-the-scenes workers, namely a sound technician, a tour manager, a promoter, a booking agent, a venue owner, and a music non-profit organization worker. These interviews were then assembled into podcast episodes. The podcast form was selected to create a dialogue between researcher and participant, while making the information easily accessible to non-academic audiences. Using Brooke Erin Duffy's concept of "aspirational labour" (2015) and the idea of creative precarity developed by Hesmondhalgh (2018), Ross (2008), and Curtin & Sanson (2016), this thesis demonstrates that the return of concerts post-pandemic uncovered significant flaws in the music industry. Workers are primarily self-employed and cannot access traditional workplace benefits such as weekly salaries, healthcare plans or retirement funds. They also work long hours in precarious conditions in the hopes of obtaining more lucrative opportunities. Yet, the pandemic-induced pause on live events has prompted many workers to reconsider fair treatment, leading to organized efforts to challenge these conditions.