NYC musician coalition announces May 31 protest at Penske Media offices to call for Fair Pay at SXSW

A coalition of organizations–including Union of Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW), Music Workers Alliance (MWA), and NY Working Families Party, and NYC-DSA, Bandcamp United, and Secretly Group Union–have announced a Fair Pay at SXSW protest on May 31 at noon outside of Penske Media Corporation’s (PMC) New York City offices at 475 5th Ave. PMC is a 50% owner of SXSW – the largest single stakeholder. 

The protest marks a continuation of UMAW’s Fair Pay at SXSW campaign, which began in February with a letter – now signed by over 2500 artists – demanding that the popular Austin music festival better compensate artists. UMAW held a series of protests in Austin during SXSW in March, where hundreds of music workers and fans joined the group in demanding fair pay. 

“We rallied in Austin this March so that SXSW could hear our message,” said UMAW organizer Joel Jerome Morales. “But the festival has still refused to make any changes. That’s why we’re taking the fight directly to the festival’s ownership at Penske Media.”

The protest coalition includes a number of broader music industry unions, including Bandcamp United and Secretly Group Union. “Workers across the music industry are standing together in a common fight for respect and fair pay,” said Bandcamp United organizer Todd Derr. “Especially as corporations like Penske Media buy up festivals, magazines, websites, and more, it’s obvious that workers across this industry need to unite.” 

Penske Media Corporation – founded by Jay Penske, the son of billionaire and major right-wing donor Roger Penske – bought 50% of SXSW in 2021. PMC also owns a media empire including Rolling Stone, Billboard, Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Artforum, and many other publications. 

Despite PMC’s deep pockets, SXSW has continued to offer artists the same paltry compensation for over a decade: either accept a one-time payment of $250 for bands and $100 for solo artists, or receive a wristband to the festival. International artists aren’t offered any payment whatsoever. Over the same period, SXSW has increased its application fees by some 37.5%. UMAW has demanded that payments be raised to at least $750 plus a wristband, that the festival strike its application fees, and that international artists receive the same compensation as U.S. artists. 

“We know that Penske has the money to pay artists fairly,” said MWA organizer Phillip Golub. “It’s absurd that this billionaire family continues to pay poverty rates to the hard working musicians who make this festival successful.” 

Following UMAW’s protests during SXSW, the Austin Parks and Recreation Board introduced a resolution recommending that the city require SXSW to pay musicians fairly or lose their tax breaks on their use of city parks. SXSW’s lobbyists successfully delayed a vote on the resolution until June 26. 

The protest coalition is demanding that PMC and SXSW meet UMAW’s demands, and that the festival pledges to regularly meet with musicians to set updated terms for each year’s festival. 

“Penske Media and SXSW have refused to pay us more, and now they’re obstructing political processes aimed at protecting fair pay for workers in Austin. We won’t stop making noise until they come to the table with us,” said UMAW organizer Joey La Neve DeFrancesco. 

***