SMV-USDAM works to improve the working conditions of professional musicians and defends the intellectual and material interests of its members. And it does so in many ways.
Our engagements
Working conditions
Good working conditions for professional musicians are our main objective. Musicians must be able to secure their livelihood under adequate conditions. This is to ensure that musicians have a recognised status both in cultural life and in society in general, which benefits creation and cultural life as a whole.
With the negotiation of Collective Labour Agreements (CLA) for all 13 professional orchestras in Switzerland and tariff contracts for supplementary work, free engagements and TV and radio productions, as well as the protection of performers’ rights, a good basis has been created, which must be improved in a sustainable way through further steps and negotiations and adapted to the current situation.
Minimum living conditions include health protection (noise pollution, occupational diseases), social protection (insurance, pensions, etc.) and, since the introduction of the free movement of persons, competition from abroad and the danger of wage dumping.
Raising awareness of these issues among musicians, employers, insurance companies and social organisations, as well as among universities as training centres, is an important part of our work.
Unfortunately, the minimum living conditions of the self-employed/intermittent (about half of the SMV-USDAM members) remain as bad as ever, since collective solutions are difficult to find for them.
SMV-USDAM offers a legal protection service, which protects the interests of its members in the event of legal conflicts directly related to the exercise of their profession. In addition, it offers free legal advice to members and non-members alike.
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Tariffs
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Social security
Cultural policy
SMV-USDAM is actively involved in cultural policy at federal, cantonal and local level, as well as internationally. The Corona crisis as well as increasing financial difficulties of the organisers and austerity measures have extended the activities of the association even more into the field of cultural policy. SMV-USDAM lobbies directly and intervenes with the authorities, in politics and with subsidy providers (local, national). It also maintains contacts with the media through the association (national executive committee, national secretariat, section presidents).
The professional musicians represent their interests directly while exposing themselves through their performances, where they have to maintain an extremely high level in order to ensure their financial survival.
SMV-USDAM advocates for structural and accompanying measures to improve the framework conditions as well as to raise awareness of the special situation of professional musicians among decision-makers, the general public, among the musicians themselves and in related fields (theatre, dance, etc.).
The membership of SMV-USDAM in Swiss umbrella organisations promotes the assertion of the interests as well as the coordination of the activities of the members across the Union and the representation towards the outside:
- Swiss Federation of Trade Unions (SGB)
- Suisseculture
- Coalition suisse pour la diversité culturelle
- Swiss Music Council (SMR)
- Taskforce Culture
Within the framework of FIM (Fédération Internationale des Musiciens), SMV-USDAM lobbies at the international/regional (EU) level for the improvement of the framework conditions, e.g. through multilateral treaties of international organisations such as UNESCO, WIPO, ILO, etc.
Health & Safety
SMV-USDAM is a member of the Swiss Society for Music Medicine (SMM), the Swiss Performers’ Foundation’s (SIS) specialist health group and the advisory board of the Corporate Health in Orchestra (CHO) project, and actively addresses health issues arising in the music sector.
In the case of music-medical problems, SMV-USDAM offers its members advice, financial and legal support and organises corresponding further education events – partly in collaboration with the Swiss Society for Music Medicine (SMM) and the Swiss Performers’ Foundation (SIS).
- Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Musik-Medizin (SMM)
- Schweizerische Interpretenstiftung (SIS)
- Webinaire par Mariângela de Moraes Pires, Médecin, inspectrice du travail – OCIRT, et collègues du 23.1.2023: La santé au travail des artistes du spectacle: l’exemple des musiciens (unfortunately in French only)
Intellectual Property
Copyright and related rights protect the rights of use in artistic works. In the field of music, in addition to the classic copyrights of composers, text writers and arrangers, this also applies to neighbouring rights, which protect, among other things, the musician’s rights to his or her own performances, even if these are not his or her own compositions, as long as they are performed, recorded or broadcast.
Income from copyrights and neighbouring rights can contribute significantly to the livelihood of musicians. That is why SMV-USDAM has always been committed to the preservation and expansion of existing rights. For example, the Musicians’ Union was the driving force behind the founding of the Swiss Performers’ Cooperative (SIG) in 1953. In the following decades, SMV-USDAM fought persistently side by side with SIG for the anchoring of performers’ rights in the Swiss Copyright Act (URG), which finally succeeded in 1993 and led to the founding of SWISSPERFORM. As a founding member of the International Federation of Musicians (FIM), the union has always been committed to the creation and strengthening of the protection of musicians’ intellectual property at the international level.
SMV-USDAM has always been decisively represented in the committees of the collecting societies, currently in the SIG presidium and board as well as in the SWISSPERFORM board and in its specialist group for phonograph performers.
In the age of the free Internet mentality, all artists are called upon to sensitise the public and politicians to the justified concerns in the area of intellectual property, if these achievements are not to be lost without a sound.
Networking
SMV-USDAM is strongly networked nationally and internationally. Depending on the issue or need for support, the union can call on the various network partners.
Umbrella organisations
- Swiss Federation of Trade Unions (SGB)
- Swiss Coalition for Cultural Diversity
- Suisseculture
- Suisseculture Sociale
- Swiss Music Council (SMR)
- Taskforce Culture
International
- International Federation of Musicians (FIM)
- Unisono, Deutsche Musik- und Orchestervereinigung (D)
- Fachgruppe Musik der ver.di (D)
- Younion – Die Daseinsgewerkschaft (A)
- SNAM – Union Nationale des Syndicats d’Artistes Musiciens (F)
- Musicians’ Union (MU, UK)
- List of international musicians’ unions (FIM members)
- International Federation of Coalitions for Cultural Diversity (IFCCD)
- Netzwerk junge ohren (njo)
Professional associations
- Sonart
- Schweizerischer Musikpädagogischer Verband (SMPV)
- SzeneSchweiz – ScèneSuisse – ScenaSvizzera
- t. – Theaterschaffende Schweiz
- SSRS – Syndicat Suisse Romand du Spectacle
- Schweizerischer Verband des Personals öffentlicher Dienste (vpod)
Employers, producers, agents
- Association of Swiss Professional Orchestras orchester.ch
- Verband Schweizerischer Konzertlokale, Cabarets, Dancings und Discotheken (ASCO)
- SRG SSR
- IFPI Switzerland
- IndieSuisse
Musician recruitment, job advertisements
Orchestras
- Sinfonieorchester Basel (SOB)
- Berner Symphonieorchester
- Sinfonie Orchester Biel Solothurn (TOBS)
- Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (OSR)
- Orchestre de Chambre de Genève (OCG)
- Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana (OSI)
- Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne (OCL)
- Luzerner Sinfonieorchester (LSO)
- Sinfonieorchester St. Gallen
- Musikkollegium Winterthur (MKW)
- Philharmonia Zürich (Orchester der Oper)
- Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich
- Zürcher Kammerorchester (ZKO)
Collecting societies
Training and further education
- Stiftung Schweizer Orchesternachwuchsförderung (SON)
- Konferenz Musikhochschulen Schweiz (KMHS)
- Verband Musikschulen Schweiz (VMS)
Music Medicine
Promotion, Distribution
Media
Federal offices
International Solidarity
At the international level
SMV-USDAM is a founding member of the International Federation of Musicians (FIM), the international umbrella organisation of musicians’ unions.
FIM is the sole recognised representative of musicians’ interests in the UN organisations for education, science and culture (UNESCO), labour (ILO), intellectual property (WIPO), trade (WTO) and the information society (WSIS). It works closely with FIA (the international counterpart for actors) and UNI-MEI. It has intensive formal and informal contacts with many other organisations at international level.
In Europe, FIM is the recognised partner of the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of Europe in the field of music.
FIM has more than 70 member unions from all 5 continents.
In general, FIM is committed to the improvement of working conditions, social protection, copyright and neighbouring rights as well as the status of musicians worldwide. It is committed to the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions as well as to international networking and cooperation.
Since 2004, SMV-USDAM has provided one of the five FIM Vice-Presidents and can thus introduce its concerns at the highest level.
At the regional level
SMV-USDAM is a member of the European group of FIM as well as the German and French speaking regional group. This ensures close cooperation with musicians’ unions in neighbouring countries.
Partnership with the Uganda Musicians’ Union (UMU)
SMV-USDAM has concluded a partnership agreement with the Uganda Musicians’ Union in the sense of a sponsorship. This consists of a declaration of intent concerning the exchange of knowledge and assistance in the realisation of projects.
Netzwerk junge Ohren (njo)
The USDAM is a founding member of the Netzwerk junge Ohren based in Berlin, which was set up to support training and education as well as art and culture in the field of musical mediation for children and young people in the German-speaking area.
FIM Statements