STOP WORKING FOR FREE. Calling all freelance content providers (musicians, writers, actors, photographers, designers etc): Join us in WITHDRAWING UNPAID LABOUR from the creative and media industries. The exploitation of freelance content providers has gone on too long, and we are all responsible for letting it happen. Please do not: • Write, act, photograph or design for free (unless its for someone or a company that is demonstrably not profiting from your work) • Provide images, music or performances for free (ditto) • Do radio or television interviews for free (unless theyre to promote your book, film, art etc.) If a company or corporation asks you to provide your time and skills for nothing, TURN IT DOWN. You have nothing to lose by saying NO. If you have any concern at all for your economic future as a content provider – and for the future of subsequent generations of such providers – please dont ignore this issue. PASS THE WORD ON to any content providers you know. Further thoughts for those with longer attention spans… TO THE EXPLOITED: • If you allow yourself to be seduced by the myth that your unpaid labour will look good on your c.v. (or equivalent blah), please try to see that you jeopardise not only the welfare of your replaceable elders but your OWN long-term economic future. • Every time you work for free for a company that could and should pay you, you set up a paradigm whereby you in turn become replaceable. The rolling exploitation of unpaid workers and perpetual interns is based on a false notion of deferred reward. • If we do not start demanding recompense, ultimately humans will have no value. As Jaron Lanier states in his essential new book WHO OWNS THE FUTURE?, Capitalism only works if there are enough successful people to be the customers. • How is it that our online habits have huge big-data value to tax-avoidant entities like Google, Facebook and Amazon yet NO VALUE WHATSOEVER when we request payment for our contributions to the networked information economy? • We must return to the core humanist principle of valuing not just institutions and material things but actual living humans. • If the present economic paradigm prevails, it will vindicate Margaret Thatchers contention that there is no such thing as society. Wouldnt it be nice to prove her wrong? TO THE EXPLOITERS: • If you are making money from the labour of others, then you should share that wealth with them. • If you knowingly exploit somebody while telling yourself, Why would I pay someone if s/hes willing to work for nothing?, how do you sleep at night? • If you habitually hire interns, at what point does their work experience end? At what point does somebody actually become WORTH PAYING? • The culture of internship and work experience sustains class inequality, because only privileged kids can work for free. Only THEY receive the economic subsidy the government withholds from those born poor and with little hope of educational betterment. • This is not only a moral but a MARKET imperative. In the long term markets will collapse if there arent enough people sharing in the wealth. THANKS FOR LISTENING.
Posted on: Fri, 29 Nov 2013 19:32:20 +0000
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