ZU Arts InitiativeZU Arts InitiativeThe Fair Pay Initiative is active. Musician Members are shaping the standards. Venues are invited to sign the pledge.
Artists get paid. Full stop.
A regional standard for compensating musicians, performing artists, and technical crew in Montezuma County. Reviewed and shaped by local artists before going public. Built for this community. Not Denver. Not a resort town. Here.
The musicians and technical crew who show up for this community are professionals. They invest years of practice, thousands of dollars in equipment, and countless hours of preparation. They deserve a fair guaranteed wage. And tips on top of that, not instead of it.
Five free resources for musicians, venues, and community members. All built for Montezuma County and reviewed by local artists before publication. All available by emailing grow@cortezarts.org.
A public commitment document for venues, restaurants, event planners, and festivals. Ten specific promises covering pay, tipping, cancellations, set length, and respect for every role.
Regional rate benchmarks written for local artists in Montezuma County. Covers background music, ticketed shows, private events, festivals, and sound engineers. Includes special situations: nonprofits, open mics, benefit concerts.
A plain-language negotiation guide for musicians. Real scripts for the pushback you hear most often, from tips-only offers to exposure bookings to last-minute extensions. Know what to say before you need to say it.
Eighteen questions answered directly. Is this a union? Are the rates mandatory? What about nonprofit asks? What if a signatory does not follow through? Everything you have thought to ask, and some you have not.
A how-to for businesses that sign the pledge. Where to display the badge, what to say publicly, how to get listed on cortezarts.org, and how to build it into your booking practice from day one.
Signed the pledge? Display the badge. Put it on your website, your social media, your front door. Let your community know where artists get paid.
Download the official Fair Pay Pledge badge and display it wherever your community will see it. Signatories are encouraged to use it across all channels.
Need help adding it to your website? Email grow@cortezarts.org and we will walk you through it.
What every Fair Pay Pledge signatory agrees to.
These are minimums, not maximums. Written for local artists living and working in Montezuma County. Get the full Rate Guide for complete details and the special situations section.
Four situations that come up regularly in small communities and deserve a direct answer.
Nonprofit status does not change what an artist's time and skill is worth. If everyone else involved in your event is being compensated, the artist should be too. Budget for fair pay from the start.
Rotating performers signing up for a slot are not paid per set. That is understood. The host running the night for two or three hours is doing professional work and should be compensated as such.
Either pay the standard rate with a portion of proceeds going to the cause, or acknowledge the artist's performance as an in-kind donation with a dollar value attached, the same way a cash donation would be honored.
Hospitality gestures like drinks or a meal are welcome and encouraged. They do not belong in the fee conversation. A venue that offers both hospitality and fair pay is doing two good things.
There is no fee to sign. Email us the completed pledge form and your business will be listed on this page, receive the official Fair Pay badge for your website, and be recognized as a community supporter of fair artist pay.
These businesses and organizations have publicly committed to the Fair Pay Pledge. They believe artists and crew deserve to be paid fairly for their work.
Musician Members of ZU Arts Initiative have a direct voice in shaping these standards. For $15 a month you get voting rights, mutual aid access once the fund launches, and a seat at the table where fair pay gets decided.