The Barbados Association of Creatives and Artistes (BACA) is educating members, especially musicians, on how much to charge for their services.
And in 2023, the intention is also to have a minimum wage for certain events and shows, says president Sean “Apache” Carter. The national minimum wage does not apply to creatives, but he hopes to have a tiered system based on specific criteria.
“You would have an artiste who has to bring his/her own equipment, set up that equipment and sing and perform for $150 that night. We are educating the [artiste] about the cost involved in getting that equipment to the venue, in the set-up and for the actual performance, so $150 for everything they’re doing is really selling themselves short,” Carter said.
“One of the things we’re hoping to do through the Barbados Coalition of Service Industries is to have a minimum wage for certain shows and certain events. Different shows, events and gigs will have a different minimum wage, so it will be a tier system but you can negotiate rates within that tier system based on if the person is a recording artiste, an international artiste, their years or experience and their popularity.” (Nation News)