Big Burns Supper festival under attack over £50 artist fee

BBS has published a “community call for action” for local musical artists, spoken word artists, DJs and community groups to use the stage.

Look for different artists to perform on free stages and venues between January 17th and February 2nd, for up to 45 minutes.

The £50 fee offered – along with guest passes to the festival club and two drinks tokens – sparked criticism.

Zoe Bestel performed on BBS over a decade ago when she was a teenager and hasn’t worked with them since.

She said her mother persevered through “nine months, two bounced checks, and finally daily phone calls” to get paid back then.

“The flat fee is not fair, is against Musicians Union guidelines and lowers the skill level of local artists purely based on their proximity to the event,” she said.

She added that in a large region like Dumfries and Galloway the money would barely cover travel costs for some areas.

“Artists should be paid for their time. The idea of ​​professional musicians working and playing for free in exchange for ‘exposure’ is outdated exploitation,” she said.

“Even ’emerging’ artists, if invited to play at an event, not consenting and instigating to perform at an open mic, for example, should always be paid.”