The Creators’ Rights Alliance (CRA), of which the ABSW is a member, has just launched its Pay the Creator campaign.
It is calling for creators to be paid professionally and promptly, and to be given the same considerations enjoyed by other workers in the areas of pay, business support and policy making.
CRA is asking everyone to share the #PayTheCreator hashtag, to link it to their campaigns for better practice and to call out good and bad examples of payment and contract practices.
How you can help:
As a creator: download the Pay the Creator logo to use on your own website and email signatures, linking to the Pay the Creator CRA page. Use #PayTheCreator on your social media feeds to highlight the best and the worst in pay and contract practices. Pledge your support to the Pay the Creator campaign here.
As a member of the public: Use #PayTheCreator on your social media feeds. Pledge your support to the Pay the Creator campaign here.
As a Creative Business: Use the Pay the Creator logo to show your support for the campaign to your team, colleagues in the industry, and the creators you work with. Use #PayTheCreator on your social media feeds to show your support and to highlight your good practice. Pledge your support to the Pay the Creator campaign here.
Too often creators are offered payment in kind, through “exposure” or “opportunity”, rather than financial payment for their work and rights. Creators’ work is the foundation of the largest sector within the UK economy. Yet their needs are repeatedly ignored when policy, economic and support decisions are being made.
The CRA and its members are working to ensure that all creators are:
- Paid for the work they do, and the rights they grant, on time and reflecting their contributions, skills and worth
- Recognised for the contribution they make to the creative industries, the UK’s economy, and our wellbeing
- At the heart of the government policy and decision making process
Inequitable payment disproportionally affects those who are under-represented within the industry, limiting their chances to make a living from their creativity and to remain in the sector. It sets back any progress toward the inclusive industry that we all want to see. These unfair practices ensure that only those who come from backgrounds where they can be financially supported, can sustain a career in the sector.
“It is always unacceptable to expect creators to receive ‘exposure’ or ‘experience’ in place of payments, but this has become especially prevalent throughout the pandemic. It is also unacceptable to take creators' rights without fair payment. Our creative freelancers are a key cornerstone of our economy, providing important creativity, knowledge, and expertise. Without them our books, films, magazines, television, film, theatre and music venues would be empty, devoid of content. They have been dismissed far too long as irrelevant and unimportant to those who use their services and work, as well as to policy decision makers. This must stop. Pay the Creator brings together CRA member campaigns and the work they do tirelessly championing creators’ working rights.”Nicola Solomon, CEO Society of Authors and CRA Chair.
For more information, please contact Creators’ Rights Alliance at [email protected]