The Guild of Musicians and Musiciennes du Québec (GMMQ) has seen a marked drop in its membership, with 530 members (17%) less than in the same period in 2019, for a current total of 3,200 members. “I am optimistic, tempers President Luc Fortin. This is a sign that working conditions must be reviewed, especially for freelance musicians, in order to make the profession more attractive. Mr. Fortin is more worried about an upcoming shortage of musicians.
The GMMQ is currently in the midst of recruitment, and until the end of March 2022. Its number of members has experienced strong fluctuations since the start of the pandemic, analyzes Luc Fortin. “It’s not the worst of the bleeding. We had times, during confinement, where we had 30 to 40% fewer members, and that is understandable … When someone is no longer working and no longer has contracts, this is not the time for him ask to pay a membership fee. At the GMMQ, it is $ 215 per year.
The picture is different, very stable given the circumstances, among other artists’ associations and unions that The duty probed. At the Union des artistes (UDA), we saw a decline at the start of 2021, with 12,373 members, rather than the 13,037 contributors in January 2019. As of November 16, restoration: 13,016 members. Pierre Blanchet, Director of Membership Services and Communications, however, specified that the pandemic realities of UDA members who work in the performing arts are very different, and much more difficult, than those of members working in audiovisual, where the revival is much more advanced.
At the Regroupement québécois de la danse (RQD), the number of members for November 2021 is relatively the same as that of November 2020. At the Union of writers and writers of Quebec (UNEQ), it was estimated that at the end of December, we could count on 1616 members. Last year, on December 31, they were 1552; in 2019, 1622 members.
So what is happening specifically among musicians? First, the situation is far from being back to normal, specifies Mr. Fortin, particularly for freelancers and variety musicians. “There are not yet as many shows as before the pandemic. Even in shows traditional varieties, we still work with reduced staff, because of the “distancing” imposed as a health measure.
Working conditions
A whole aspect of the profession of musician is also linked to the “touristic-lucrative-corporate”. Groups or orchestras that play in parties office or weddings, for example, and in events other than cultural have not yet found their way to go. “The other hypothesis,” says Mr. Fortin, who is also a guitarist, “is that there are many people leaving the profession, whether temporarily or permanently. “
The echoes that the president of the GMMQ has had from certain professors in vocational training even leave him to fear a shortage of musicians to come. “We are seeing decreases in enrollment, especially in CEGEPs. It is clear that the reputation of the profession has suffered with the pandemic, as for all stage professions. “
The GMMQ is not worried, for the moment, of the impact of this drop in members – and therefore annual dues – on its financial health, since it also bases its budget on the annual dues levied on contracts. For the president, the urgency is to improve the general working conditions of musicians. “We must soon renew agreements, including those with the Quebec Association of the Record, Show and Video Industry (ADISQ). We have to find ways to enhance the profession, to improve its conditions. “
In this challenge, that of the GMMQ, it is the great diversity of its members. “For our musicians from symphony orchestras, the situation is not so bad. But we represent them as much as the Cowboys Fringants and Klô Pelgag, underlines Luc Fortin. The pandemic has exacerbated the weaknesses of the ecosystem in music, as in several artistic circles. It is important to review the sharing of wealth in our field to make the profession more attractive. “
Side effects
If the RQD, the number of members is stable, the director general, Nadine Medawar, however, notes other repercussions, which she attributes directly to the pandemic. “It is more difficult to mobilize the members,” she explained on her own to the To have to. The pandemic has brought out many emotions in people, under a tension of fear and panic. In a social and collective context, this has sometimes widened certain existing gaps between different groups. “
Consequently, continues Mme Medawar, the pandemic adds a lot of pressure precisely on associations and groups of artists, who have had to respond to the many questions and concerns of their members – if only about the ever-changing health measures to be applied in the contexts rehearsal, for example. “This caused exhaustion and overload in the [équipes] associations and groups, ”she laments.