As some of you may be aware, the Quietus HQ is situated directly opposite the Olympic Stadium. In the past year, we’ve seen it go from being a big white dish surrounded by mud to a big white dish surrounded by the ephemera of a major sporting event – media buildings in shipping containers, a huge long white building (the rumour is this is to shield visitors from seeing our office, which is in an old garage) for people to collect their expensive tickets, and most recently, a gigantic McDonalds emerging in the distance. The whole thing stinks of a vast pile of cash being sunken into the polluted land of the former industrial sites of the Lower Lea Valley.
Yet musicians involved with the Olympics have been told that they might not receive a penny for performing at the Games opening and closing ceremonies, or at the many events in the Park in the duration.
Musicians told Corporate Watch that the London 2012 Organising Committee were asking musicians to play "for the exposure". One musician said that "they said they were really keen for us to play on major stages at different events. We replied quoting our normal fees. After months of meetings they offered us a raft of gigs but said it was [London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games] LOCOG’s policy not to pay any musicians for performing. They should stop trying to capitalise on the image of the Olympics and pay a fair rate for our services."
They also report that "A LOCOG email seen by Corporate Watch says the policy not to pay musicians is being implemented ‘across the board’. A LOCOG spokesperson said he did not think there was a set policy, but that as far as he knew artists would not be paid and would be doing it for the publicity."
The Quietus has considered setting up a massive PA on the office roof and blasting ‘Union Carbide (Bhopal Version)’ by the Revolting Cocks at the Stadium-covering thingum. We wouldn’t charge a penny:
