EXTENDED SUMMARY

During the pandemic, many elements of working life have been reorganised and many regulations that involve flexible working have become norm in working life. However, this situation was only valid for organisations that could adapt to this process. In addition to many sectors that adapted to new ways of working, there were also many areas where activities were suspended and the working process was directly discontinued. In addition, the informal nature of the employees working in organisations that can not continue their activities has resulted in much more devastating consequences of the problems experienced. It is seen that informal work has created two main problems during the pandemic; firstly, informal labour, which is already relatively precarious and low-paid, has experienced a direct loss of income. Secondly, the informal and irregular nature of informal work makes it impossible for the labour employed in these sectors to access the social protection mechanisms provided in case they lose their jobs due to the pandemic.

This situation was also the case for certain forms of creative labour, where informal work is common. In particular, effects such as the postponement or cancellation of events where the working relations of creative labour are built as a result of the pandemic have resulted in direct loss of income for labour in this sector. In this study, the working relations of musicians belonging to creative labour during the pandemic are examined. Within the framework of this study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 professional musicians working in different fields. The study is detailed under several different subheadings. Firstly, it focuses on the working life of musicians before the pandemic and how working as a Professional musician is evaluated by the participants.

Being a musician offers a wide range of opportunities in terms of working practices, and therefore different levels of income earning practices are encountered. Thus, being a musician does not present a homogeneous profession, but exhibits a stratified structure. However, in general, as a professional field organised within the scope of informal relations, precarious working practices are extremely common. The majority of the participants emphasise that the working process involves irregularities in terms of income, working conditions, working hours and workplace. The existing instabilities are justified through the idea that working in creative fields “by nature” involves informality. This situation leads the participants to be exposed to different mechanisms of exploitation at various stages of their working life.

The pandemic has resulted in a deepening and more devastating problem for musicians who are already working precariously. The arts and entertainment sector, which is one of the main fields of work for musicians, ranks first in terms of informal employment in Turkey. This sector is important for musicians at two points in the pandemic process. Firstly, the relevant sector is one of the sectors whose activities are restricted the most as a result of the measures taken during the pandemic. Those working in this sector were largely unemployed during the pandemic. Secondly, work in this sector is largely shaped through informal characteristics, which makes the work of musicians invisible in a structure where support is organised through “formal work” during the pandemic process, making it impossible to access formal protection mechanisms. Within the framework of the study, participants who were active in live performances were directly unemployed, while those who continued their activities within different institutions and relations experienced a decrease in their income even if they were not unemployed. Pandemic supports were described by all participants as extremely insufficient to cover the income losses experienced.

The change in participants’ perceptions of precariousness was also evaluated in the study. In this context, the majority of the participants pointed out that the perception of precarity increased with the pandemic. However, the important point here is that the participants indicated that the problems in a field that they already characterised as precarious became visible and worsened with the pandemic. It is seen that this situation has pushed musicians to develop different strategies regarding their working life. Especially within the framework of the possibilities offered by digitalisation, attention is drawn to the possibilities for the construction of new working relationships and new income earning practices are emphasised. However, the fact that digital transformation itself requires investment shows that the opportunities in this area are not evenly distributed.

Another important point for the study is the impact of the pandemic on solidarity and unionisation. Criticisms are raised on the forms of organisation for musicians, and it is pointed out that nationally operating musicians’ organisations focus on protecting artistic production. However, regulations regarding the labour process are out of the picture for those organisations. In addition, although unionisation is described as a need for musicians, it is also emphasised that there is a contradictory perspective between the individual effectiveness of creativity and the collective structure of the unions. For musicians, the structure shaped on the basis of creativity accommodates precariousness in every cycle of work-life, and the emphasis on the autonomous structure of creativity disguises precarious labour relations. However, moments of social crisis such as pandemics remove the cloak in this area and make the labour aspect of the working process more evident.