Being a working musician can be incredibly difficult: we put countless time and money into education, training, instruments, and other professional expenses, and too often are expected to give away our labor for free. Sometimes everyone working the gig is paid EXCEPT for the musicians. Dishearteningly, this happens even for events that are funded by City of Portland taxpayers. This treatment undermines our industry and contributes to the public misconception that musicians aren’t workers. We certainly feel fortunate to be able to make music for a living, but we still need to feed our families!

The Musicians Union, Local 99, is asking that musicians and workers of all stripes come together to push the City of Portland to adopt a fair minimum wage when it hires musicians directly or otherwise funds music performances, to ensure that no musician goes unpaid or underpaid when performing at city-supported events.

Thankfully, we have a new City Council that has shown they respect and listen to workers, and we have a City Council champion for musician causes in Jamie Dunphy, former touring musician and current member of the Musicians Union. Now is the perfect time to ask that the city set a fair standard by which they treat our working musician siblings. Not only will such a standard guarantee that the City of Portland pays musicians fairly, but it will set an example for the private sector and raise standards throughout the city.

Will you show your support for Fair Pay for all City of Portland gigs by signing onto this petition?

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Does this mean everyone who plays city gigs gets paid the same?

NO. We are asking for a minimum rate that the City of Portland cannot go below when hiring musical talent. You can (and probably should) always ask for more $$$!

2. Does this mean every venue has to pay the same minimum rate?

NO. This strictly applies to gigs funded by the City of Portland. It very well may raise standards elsewhere as a side-effect, but does not demand this of all venues.

3. Why have the union set these rates? Why not an independent body?

If the rates aren’t pegged to inflation, someone has to decide how they should be updated. Who better than the professionals who do this work every day? The members of the Musicians Union already convene annually to adjust our other promulgated rates; it would be simple for us to do the same for a City of Portland Fair Wage policy. When we do that work, we are mindful of what is fair and what the market can bear. The decision is made in a transparent and democratic fashion, and membership in the Union is open to any musician in Portland.

4. This petition calls for a minimum of $110/hr. Why should a musician’s minimum wage be so much higher than what regular Oregon minimum wage is ($16.30/hr in the Portland metro area as of July 1st, 2025)?

First of all, Oregon’s minimum wage is too low.

Secondly, musicians’ work is not as easy as others’ to fit squarely into an hourly rate. We own expensive equipment, and we do a lot of work outside of our performing hours to prepare, whether that’s rehearsing, travelling to the gig (sometimes we spend more time in the car getting to the gig than we do performing), setting up for the gig, or tearing down after the gig. It’s very possible to have 6 hours of prep for a one-hour gig.

Thirdly, Oregon’s 2025 prevailing wage rates (e.g. for electricians, ironworkers, painters, and truck drivers, among many other trades) run anywhere from around $50 to $100 per hour. Musicians are also skilled laborers; we deserve good wages too.