When Culture Is Kept Artificially Alive
An Industry Built on Free Labor
How can an entire industry survive - and even thrive - on the backs of volunteers and public funding?
Well, it can. Because that is exactly what is happening in the music industry today.
Musicians are paid less and less for the music they create and release. Media outlets use content from concerts without paying those who produced it. And many venues today are primarily run by volunteers, while only a few employees are paid to keep things going.
How did we end up here? And more importantly - who actually benefits from this?
Venues vs. Nightclubs – Same Work, Different Pay
Music venues are often seen as culturally significant and socially beneficial. But why should they be run as nonprofit projects, while a nightclub pays its staff - for more or less the same tasks?
In my younger days, I worked at a nightclub myself. I worked the cloakroom, the door, as a bouncer - and I was paid. There was camaraderie and respect for people’s time.
Today, I work as a volunteer photographer at several venues. I love the community and the music. But like all other volunteers, I contribute to an operation that would collapse without us - and that raises questions.
It’s voluntary - so it’s free, right?
This is a misconception I encounter often: if something is voluntary, it can be used freely. But that’s not how it works.
A photo taken by a volunteer concert photographer still has value. A technician setting up sound and lights is still performing real work - whether they’re paid or not.
Photographs are frequently used by third parties without the photographer’s knowledge or consent. Notably, this often includes other artists and cultural institutions - communities whose own work is protected by copyright - yet who fail to extend the same respect to others’ creative rights.
It’s important to stress this: volunteer work is not universal. It is intended for the venues, media, and artists we actively choose to collaborate with. When others take and use images or content as if it were freely available, they are in reality abusing the voluntary foundation on which much of cultural life rests.
Treating volunteer work as free and without obligation ultimately weakens the cultural ecosystem.
An Experiment Worth Considering
Imagine if all volunteers in the music industry said “stop” for two months. They demanded payment for their time and effort. What would happen?
- Would concerts still take place?
- Would there be media coverage?
- Would venues be able to stay open?
My guess: no. Not without major changes.
Is It Sustainable - or Just Convenient?
I’m not saying everything should be commercial. There is something beautiful about volunteerism, and we should protect that.
But when an entire industry cannot exist without free labor, we need to ask ourselves:
Is this a sustainable model - or just a convenient solution for those who profit from it?
Let’s Talk About It
If we want a vibrant cultural life, we must dare to ask the difficult questions. And perhaps also begin to recognize the value of the work that today is so often given away unpaid - out of love for the music.