According to a 2019 report by the National Endowment for the Arts, 34% of musicians are likely to have a second job. More than actors, twice as much as photographers, and nearly five times as much as producers or directors. Meanwhile, streaming revenues in 2019 totaled $8.8 billion- nearly 80% of all recorded music revenue— but the median American musician only made $25k per year in music-related income. Even major label artists lose income through the “revenue share” streaming model, AI-generated tracks draining the royalty pool through fraud, and royalty rates that may differ across streaming services.
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During his lifetime, Gary acquired a unique mix of friends- musicians and activists, labor leaders and CEOs. That mix is better equipped than any other to affect real change in the music industry. It is The Trunk Fund’s intent to seek out persons in both sectors willing to work toward a bill of basic streaming rights:
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Transparency in the music streaming business model
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A contracted minimum digital royalty rate
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Prompt payment of digital royalties
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To uphold the rights of music makers as AI-powered products and services are developed
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​It’s time for those interested in labor justice to rally around musicians as they have other creatives in the years since the pandemeic. America needs to both catch up with the rest of the world in terms of royalties, and to be present as the future of music is discussed.
Putting Artists First
Our Mission
While trying to shape the mission of TTF, one of our biggest concerns was how to honor both sides of Gary, and carry on his twin legacies as both politico and pop savant. We believe that these two causes strike the right chord.
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Promoting Creative Workforce Equity
During our research, we found a lot of arts charities were focused on either art and music as a therapeutic outlet, or on supplementing public school budgets for arts education. And while all that is important, it doesn’t provide a lot of career development opportunities or support should any of those kids decide that they want to make a career in the arts. Moreover, marginalized young people coming up in arts and entertainment in Los Angeles are often competing with those with family connections in the industry, or whose parents can support them through lean times and unpaid internships. As a result, they are underrepresented in the workforce of a town whose economy is based largely on creative work.
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According to UCLA's annual Hollywood Diversity Report, the BIPOC share of the U.S. population is growing by nearly half a percent each year, constituting 43.6 percent of the U.S. population in 2023. Despite these gains, BIPOC remained underrepresented on every major film industry employment front in that same year. Less than 22% of all directors and writers in major theatrical releases were people of color. Women of any race remain underrepresented on every front. And this particular report doesn't account for behind-the-scenes jobs such as cinematography, editing, or casting.
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Research has shown that direct contact between members of different social or cultural groups can reduce prejudice. However, it’s also highly suggested that a similar effect can happen when people have repeat contact with fictional characters. When we see something of ourselves in a character —regardless of sex, gender, race, etc.— we can form a bond with them. We feel their highs and lows. And studies have shown that these emotional responses can influence people’s behaviors and attitudes in ways similar to real contact. The presence of diverse characters has been shown to decrease prejudices in viewers over time. This can be one of many small steps toward real understanding and empathy, and makes authentic representation more important than ever.
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​​​​​We know that entertainment can be a feast or famine business, and we're not discouraging anyone from taking a reliable job as a dental hygienist (or suchlike) in favor of becoming a screenwriter. But there will always be artists, and musicians, and storytellers. In every culture, and from every social strata. Our goal is to remove some of the financial hurdles that can keep talented, driven young people from doing what they do best. To do that, we'll help fund programs that have pathways to full-time creative employment. These programs offer industry-specific instruction, paid fellowships, mentoring or counselling, networking opportunities, and/or a final body of work for the young person to present to an agency or college.
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By shifting the makeup of the industry, we can affect not only whose stories get told, but who gets to be in the room when decisions are made.
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The
Trunk
Fund
