Critical Listening Episode 2: Intro to UMAW
Jun 17, 2025
Joey La Neve Defrancesco, a musician with Downtown Boys and La Neve, and Spencer Peppet from The Ophelias, explore the collective power of musicians in today's gig economy. They detail the Union of Musicians and Allied Workers' initiatives, like the Justice at Spotify campaign and the Living Wage for Musicians Act. The duo discusses effective organizing strategies, the significance of grassroots movements, and the intersection of music and social activism. Their insights reveal how personal connections can drive community engagement and meaningful change.
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Power Comes From Mass Organizing
- UMAW's theory of change centers on mass organizing to exert economic or political pressure.
- They target places where musicians are most angry to build leverage and win concessions.
No Music For ICE Seeded UMAW
- The No Music for ICE campaign persuaded many artists to temporarily remove music from Amazon Music.
- That campaign helped seed the community that later formed UMAW.
Pop-Star Dream Blocks Collective Action
- Joey argues musicians see themselves as "temporarily embarrassed pop stars," which blocks collective action.
- That mindset fuels individualistic hustle culture and undermines union-style organizing.