#WeAreTheMU

Campaign For a Fairer Industry

Protect musicians’ jobs, improve pay and conditions, and keep music live! Explore all the Union's campaigns and how you can get involved

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Win

Protect WNO / Diogelu WNO

Welsh National Opera Orchestra musicians vote to accept new agreement

Learn more

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Take action

Back Your Buskers!

Sign the petition for new busking pitches to replace those lost in Leicester Square

Sign the petition

Featured campaigns

Fix Streaming

Call on Parliament to back music streaming royalties for non featured artists

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Campaign for consent, credit and fair remuneration for AI training and AI generated music

All active campaigns

Explore all the union’s current campaigns – in your workplace, community, and across the UK

Latest campaign news & actions

Two young buskers, one singing and one playing guitar on a sunny street.

Bring Busking Back to Birmingham City Centre

Sign the petition to urge the council to reverse the ban on busking in Birmingham city centre.

Published: 28 August 2025

A hand holding the new blue British passport.

Launch Confirmed for Electronic Entry and Exit Systems for the EU and UK

The EES, an automated IT system that will modernise border control and replace passport stamping, is finally set to launch in October 2025. These changes will impact musicians crossing both UK and EU borders.

Published: 26 August 2025

Close up of person in jeans and boots, carrying their guitar case and amp over stone steps.

MU Responds to Birmingham Council’s City Centre Busking Ban

The MU will continue campaigning to overturn the ban as Birmingham becomes the first UK city to entirely outlaw all city-centre busking.

Published: 19 August 2025

Five orchestra members sat at a bus stop with ‘Keep Northern Ballet Live’ t-shirts and wearing Shakepeare masks as part of our demo in May last year.

TUC Shares Solidarity with Musicians at Northern Ballet

Trades Union Congress (TUC) Regional Secretary Dave Pike has shared a video message in support of musicians affected by ongoing issues at Northern Ballet.

Published: 15 August 2025

Sign TUC’s Open Letter to Protect Workers’ Rights in Employment Rights Bill

Trades Union Congress (TUC) has launched an open letter calling on the Prime Minister to keep key rights in the Employment Rights Bill.

Published: 14 August 2025

Green Party’s Zack Polanski Backs Buskers in Call for New Westminster Pitches

On 7 August, London Assembly Member Zack Polanski joined buskers, supporters and MU officials for a photocall and leafleting session as part of the campaign for new viable, accessible Westminster busking pitches to replace those lost in Leicester Square.

Published: 14 August 2025

Fix Streaming: Government Announces New Measures for Legacy Artists, Songwriters and Session Musicians

Government recently announced a package of principles and commitments that they say will better remunerate musicians and music creators.

Published: 31 July 2025

What is Organising?

Learn why organising is the foundation of every successful campaign

What is Campaigning?

Explore how you can create the leverage to get a win

How to Talk to People About Joining the Union

A trade union is its members – and a thriving membership makes us strong

MU Organising Training Programme

Learn more about the training available to members, and how to claim digital credentials

MU Guide to Organising and Campaigning

An introduction to organising and campaigning

Shape MU Policy

There are lots of ways to get involved in the union. Find one that works for you

"Put that @x!*ing money back right now"

What does the UK public think of music streaming royalties? Watch on TikTok and share.

@wearethemu "Put that @x!*ing money back right now" What does the British public think of music streaming royalty splits - and the fact that some musicians get nothing at all? #FixStreaming Featuring the song "When I Give You My Love" by Sherika Sherard Video description: a musician busks to a decent crowd on the South Bank in London. Some people in the audience are filming, scanning the QR code to give money and putting money in the open guitar case. Then a smartly dressed man approaches and starts to take the money. The busker stops him and the crowd starts shouting at him. He comes back to take more. A man from the audience marches over, grabs the smartly dressed man's hand and forces him to put the money back. The busker and smartly dressed man explain that it is a stunt and call attention to how music streaming royalties are split. The smart man gives back the money and everyone cheers. This is followed by voxpops of people from the audience talking about how music royalty splits makes them feel as fans and consumers of music #Musicians #MusicStreaming #BrokenRecord #MusicIndustry #MusicBusiness #MusiciansUnion ♬ original sound - WeAreTheMU

Music streaming sucks if you're a non-featured artist like Rachel Bolt

Non featured artists deserve a fair share from music streaming. Watch on Instagram and share.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Musicians' Union (@wearethemu)

Why might Snoop Dogg be doing so many commercials all of a sudden?

We need a better deal for all musicians and music creators from streaming. Watch on Instagram and share.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Musicians' Union (@wearethemu)

Ending coercive buyouts for media composers

Fair Score is a campaign to end coercive buyouts and make the commissioning landscape fair for you – in partnership with The Ivors Academy.

Watch the video and find out more.

Take action against buyouts

1:07 Ending coercive buyouts for media composers

Resources around the web

TUC

Pay Calculator and Minimum Wage Calculators

TUC

Guide to Industrial Action

Liberty

Your Right to Protest

Your Right to Protect: Disabled People’s Rights

Liberty

Practical Tips for Disabled Protestors

Active campaigns

back view of musician working on computer

Artificial Intelligence and the Music Industry

Do you think tech firms should be able to use your music to train their artificial intelligence (AI) models without your consent and paying you fairly?

#ArtificialIntelligence

Freelance ShoutOut

Back fair pay and conditions for all freelance musicians.

#FreelanceShoutOut

Protect Orchestras Under Threat

Keep the UK’s world-famous orchestras live and protect the working people at its heart

Protect jobs. Support touring. Keep music live!

young female musician on stage with a microphone, with drums in the background

Let's Talk About Universal Basic Income

Revolutionise how musicians work and live with a universal basic income.

#KeepMusicLive

Protect Our BBC

Protect the biggest employer of musicians in the UK.

#ProtectOurBBC

It's Time to Fix Streaming

Call on Parliament to back music streaming royalties for non-featured artists.

#FixStreaming

Female composer using the mixing desk in a studio.

Take Action Against Buyouts

Buyouts vs Royalties: why media composers are taking action #FairScore

#FairScore

End Sexual Harassment at Work

Help change the law to protect all self-employed musicians.

#ProtectFreelancersToo

Microphone in yellow and orange stage lights

Empowering Musicians to Say No to Unpaid Work

Being a musician is not a hobby – it’s our profession.

#WorkNotPlayMU

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