Australia’s live music sector has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, State and Federal Governments introduced a number of publicly funded grants to bring gigs back.

In early 2021, we canvassed musicians and undertook research to establish a what a fair minimum fee would look like. Having arrived at $250, our members overwhelmingly endorsed and approved this amount as the ‘$250 Musicians Australia Minimum Performance Fee’.

Thanks to the collective work of our members, Musicians Australia has since received endorsement for the $250 minimum fee from the South Australian, Queensland, Western Australian, Victorian and Australian Capital Territory state/territory governments. Please see here for a list of government funding and recipients.

What is a minimum fee?

A minimum fee is a fee floor, for any musician, playing anywhere, for any audience.

Why $250?

The $250 Musicians Australia Minimum Fee is based on the related ‘3 hour call’ as set out in the Live Performance Award, which requires that musicians are paid between $150-200 for a 3 hour call, and an additional $50-100 in allowances (e.g. set up time, meals, supply of instruments, and travel).

This reflects a minimum standard for all gigs, providing a guarantee that a musician will be paid the pre-specified Musicians Australia minimum fee for gigs 3 hours or less in duration.

This minimum standard can be increased with an additional amount – known as the ‘Artist Fee’ component – but it cannot be undercut.