UBI could support the creation process, help musicians through periods of illness, and work with other key welfare support to create a level playing field for every musician.
MU General Secretary Naomi Pohl is one of 285 signatories in a letter calling on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to introduce universal basic income (UBI) pilots in all four nations of the UK.
The letter, put together by the Cross Party Parliamentary & Local Government Group for Universal Basic Income, highlights the unprecedented crisis people across the UK are facing and UBI as a potential solution.
“A Basic Income would guarantee a basic standard of living for everybody, regardless of income, wealth or work. It would be set at a modest level – enough to pay for the basics, like food, transport and utility bills. But it would be enough to prevent struggling households being tipped into poverty when the next crisis hits. Put simply, a Basic Income could be our generation's NHS,” the letter explains.
The letter urges Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to:
- Set up a government taskforce to explore the potential of Basic Income as part of a new economic settlement for this country
- Launch substantial pilots in all four nations of the UK to see how a Basic Income would work in practice
Read the letter in full via UBI Lab Network and this exclusive report in The Mirror.
Supporting music and the musicians who make it
UBI officially became MU policy at the MU’s 39th Biennial Delegate Conference in summer 2021. Members discussed how it could support the creation process, help musicians through periods of illness, and work with other key welfare support to create a level playing field for every musician.
A pilot has just started with musicians and music creators in Ireland – but over the last hundred years or so UBI has been tested and implemented in many forms. One form is the Intermittent Artist Status that has existed in France since 1936.
Whatever form it takes, for creative freelancers or for everyone, a basic income has the power to revolutionise how you work as a musician. Learn more about why the MU backs UBI in this long read.
Join the conversation
UBI Lab Arts, part of the UBI Lab Network, is hosting a series of online events reflecting on the basic income pilot in Ireland and lessons we can take from it at each stage.
Register now for the first session on Wednesday 7 December, at 6.30pm
You will hear both from recipients and members of the ‘control group’ about how and why they applied, how they hope a basic income will support their creative practice, and the strengths and weaknesses of the pilot scheme so far.
It follows a dedicated UBI session at MU Members’ Conference, led by MU member Sam Murray and supported by UBI Lab Arts’ Toby Lloyd.