It’s Time to Set a Minimum Wage for Musicians

One of the music industry’s worst-kept secrets is that opening acts are rarely paid fairly. Across clubs, festivals, and even international tours, younger artists are expected to perform for little or nothing, with the promise of “exposure” dangled as compensation. It’s a global problem, but in India—where protections are virtually nonexistent—the practice is especially damaging.

In 2024, The News Minute reported how independent bands and musicians across India continue to struggle in ticketed concert markets, often playing to half-empty venues despite the frenzy that surrounds global acts like Coldplay. That gap highlights a central truth: exposure does not automatically translate into career growth or financial security. For many opening acts, these unpaid or underpaid slots create more strain than opportunity.

The pattern is consistent across India’s live music economy. Everyone else in the chain—the headliner, promoter, venue, sponsors, and crew—is compensated for their work. Opening acts are the exception. They rehearse, travel, and perform, but often walk away with very little or nothing. The assumption is that they are “lucky” to share a bill, when in reality, they are subsidizing the industry with unpaid labor.

This imbalance mirrors wider trends in the Indian music ecosystem. Session musicians and backing vocalists—the invisible hands behind chart-topping songs—are still not receiving royalties or credit, even though their work drives commercial hits. Business Standard reported earlier this year that “many session musicians in India still fail to receive royalty and credit.” A June 2025 Radio & Music piece echoed the same concern, noting how unsung hitmakers behind Bollywood and Punjabi blockbusters remain unpaid. If even proven contributors to hits are being undervalued, it is little surprise that opening acts are expected to work for free.

Meanwhile, the broader money flow is undeniable. The Indian Performing Right Society (IPRS) reported a 42% jump in collections in FY 2024–25, crossing ₹700 crore in performance royalties. Clearly, there is money in the system—the question is how it is distributed. The fact that opening acts still walk away unpaid shows just how skewed priorities are.

Globally, the situation is a little better. In the U.K., the Musicians’ Union publishes recommended minimum rates—£189.55 for a single gig in a venue under 200 capacity, plus rehearsal pay—but grassroots musicians often report being offered far less. A London School of Economics study found jazz musicians across London and Paris were still regularly exploited through low pay and unstable contracts. Even in developed markets, opening acts remain the most precarious link in the chain.

This is why the idea of a minimum wage for live performances is overdue. It doesn’t have to be extravagant nor uniform across continents, but there should be a baseline under which fees cannot fall. Whether it’s ₹10,000 for a club slot in India or £150 in a UK pub, a minimum wage would recognize that building a career takes time and precision—but musicians still need to pay rent along the way.

There are workable ways to implement it. Promoters could allocate a small percentage of ticket sales to every act on the bill, not just the headliner. Sponsors could earmark a portion of budgets for supporting talent, reframing it as cultural investment. Venues could bundle minimum artist payments into bar sales, ensuring that even small nights don’t leave openers unpaid. Ticketing platforms like SkillBox, District, and BookMyShow could build minimum artist fees into their registration systems. None of these solutions are radical—they are adjustments that reflect professionalism.

The counterarguments are familiar: margins are thin, tickets are underpriced, and audiences are still developing. But those arguments don’t justify unpaid work. If young artists cannot afford to sustain themselves, the pipeline of future headliners dries up. India’s indie and hip-hop waves of the past decade produced dozens of promising names, but many disappeared due to financial instability long before they reached their peak. Globally, the attrition rate is similar. When only the privileged can afford to work for free, diversity suffers and the industry’s future shrinks.

Change will require more than goodwill. Artists need to feel empowered to demand fair compensation instead of accepting “exposure” as a default. Managers must set minimum expectations and refuse deals that undercut them. Promoters and festivals need to see compensation not as charity but as an investment in their own ecosystems. And industry bodies—from IPRS in India to unions abroad—must publish baseline guidelines, just as the U.K.’s Musicians’ Union does. Transparency alone would give young acts leverage in negotiations.

Let’s be honest here, exposure doesn’t pay the bills. Until the music industry accepts this and institutes a minimum wage for performers, opening acts will remain the most undervalued workers in music. And with every artist priced out of their own career, the future of live music gets smaller.