Music Video Performers Tell Major Record Labels ‘It’s About Time’

Posted January 06, 2012

Three-city action highlights the need for fair contracts

Flash mob of professional dancers highlights Beverly Hills event

LOS ANGELES (Jan. 6, 2012) – The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists – a national union of more than 70,000 dancers, recording artists, broadcasters, actors, singers and other performers who work across the spectrum of media industries including television, radio, cable, sound recordings and digital media - took its fight for safe, fair working conditions and health care for AFTRA dancers and performers who appear in music videos to the streets today to tell the major record labels that “It’s About Time.”

AFTRA dancers and performers and other union leaders, members and supporters joined informational support rallies at Sony Music offices in Beverly Hills, New York City and Miami to show their solidarity for the upcoming negotiations on Jan. 11 and 12 between the Union and the major record labels, including Sony, UMG, Warner, EMI, Disney and most of their subsidiary labels.

In Beverly Hills, dozens of members of the Los Angeles dancers’ community concluded their press conference and rally with a “flash mob” performance. In Miami and New York, members gathered at Sony offices distributing leaflets and rallying support.

“South Florida has been one of the centers of production of music videos for English and Spanish language music for many years, and it’s about time that the dancers that work in music videos get the respect other performers in the entertainment industry receive,” said AFTRA Miami Executive Director Herta Suarez.

AFTRA Music Video performers turned out in Miami for the day of solidarity.

The negotiations mark the return to the bargaining table with the labels for a music video contract for dancers and other professional performers. The last round of negotiations took place in June.

"It's so exciting to see so much unity in the dance community,” said AFTRA member Dana Wilson, a dancer who has performed with many top recording artists including Justin Timberlake and Joe Jonas. “We dance because it's our passion, but we also expect to be taken seriously as professional performers in the entertainment industry."

For many years, AFTRA has offered dancers who work music videos a Union contract to provide them with minimum pay and benefits if they are hired to work in a music video. However, there is no industry-wide standard or agreement from the music labels that these videos are covered work.

"Music videos are a common and important source of employment for professional dancers in Miami, however, they currently do not provide dancers with health care, safety protections and fair working conditions,” said AFTRA Miami Local Board Member and dancer Dionne Renée.

The need for industry standards comes in the wake of the proliferation of dance and performance work in music videos, thanks in part to performers such as Lady Gaga and Beyoncé, and the masses of fans that follow videos online through services such as Vevo, a joint venture of Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Abu Dhabi Media.

“AFTRA members remain focused on achieving a fair contract that will cover their work on music videos,” said Randall Himes, AFTRA National Director of Sound Recordings. “Continued delays by the labels have only served to strengthen their resolve to get back to the bargaining table. It’s time that these performers receive contractual protections and health and pension benefits for their work, particularly when music videos have become a new source of revenue for the labels.

“We look forward to having successful negotiations and moving forward with production,” he added.

In August, dancers stepped up their campaign by launching a social media and video campaign called “It's About Time,” a joint initiative between AFTRA and the Dancers’ Alliance, a grassroots organization dedicated to educating dancers and building solidarity in the dance community.

The online campaign kicked off the weekend of the MTV Video Music Awards with video messages from dancers and performers including dancer Galen Hooks; choreographer/director Brian Friedman; former Pussycat Doll Carmit Bachar; and comedian Affion Crocket.

Joining Wilson at the action in Beverly Hills were actor and AFTRA National and Local Board member Jason George (“Grey’s Anatomy”), dancer Teresa Espinosa (Britney Spears, Janet Jackson), Los Angeles County Federation of Labor Executive Secretary-Treasurer Maria Elena Durazo, Gabrielle Carteris (AFTRA Los Angeles President) and Sabrina Bryan (Cheetah Girls, "Dancing with the Stars") and members and leaders from various unions, including UNITE HERE.

For more on the Music Video campaign, visit http://www.aftra.com/AFTRA_Dancers.htm and www.youtube.com/dancersalliance.

About AFTRA
The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, AFL-CIO, are the people who entertain and inform America. In 32 Locals across the country, AFTRA members work as actors, broadcasters, singers, dancers, announcers, hosts, comedians, disc jockeys and other performers across the media industries including television, radio, cable, sound recordings, music videos, commercials, audio books, non-broadcast industrials, interactive games, the Internet and other digital media. The 70,000 professional performers, broadcasters and recording artists of AFTRA are working together to protect and improve their jobs, lives and communities in the 21st century. From new art forms to new technology, AFTRA members embrace change in their work and craft to enhance American culture and society. Visit AFTRA online at www.aftra.com

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