5,000 workers in Canada, US will benefit from wage top up
Live Nation Enternatiment is rolling out new minimum wages for staff at clubs across Canada and the United States.
Under the company’s On the Road Again program, base pay for hourly club staff will start at $20/hour while supervisor roles will start at $25/hour. Workers will also have opportunities for advancement in the company.
The increases will impact more than 5,000 crew members, including box office attendants, production crew, artist hospitality, guest services, ushers, parking attendants, cleaning crews, sustainability coordinators, and more.
"Shows wouldn't happen without the unsung heroes who work in the background to help support artists and fans. In addition to developing artists, clubs also help industry professionals learn the ropes, and many of our promoters and venue managers worked their way up from smaller venues,” said Michael Rapino, Live Nation Entertainment CEO and president.
“The live music industry is on track for years of growth and offers a great career path, and by increasing minimum wages we're helping staff get an even stronger start as they begin their journey in live.”
Recently, Nunavut announced that the minimum wage in the territory will jump to $19 per hour starting Jan. 1, 2024, up from the current $16 per hour rate.
Live Nation created its On the Road Again program in partnership with American singer Willie Nelson. The program supports developing artists and crews. Through the program, all headline and support acts playing Live Nation clubs continue to receive $1,500 in travel bonuses on top of nightly compensation and 100% of merch profits.
About 19.5 million Canadians are currently facing financial vulnerability, according to a previous report from the Financial Resilience Institute.
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And Canadian workers are not keeping up with their U.S. counterparts when it comes to salaries, according to another report from the Fraser Institute. Assessing compound annual growth in employment income among the 141 largest metropolitan areas in Canada and the United States from 2010 to 2019, only three Canadian cities rank in the top half, according to the report.
In the US, Live Nation Entertainment CEO Rapino had the biggest CEO pay check in 2022 after he earned $139 million, according to the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS). The company also had the widest CEO-to-worker pay gap at 5,414-to-1, with workers’ median pay standing at $25,673.