Advisory: Rally for Justice for NYC Winter Jazzfest Musicians
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, October 8, 2015

Contact:
Maya Kremen / Laura Dolan
Geto & de Milly, Inc. / (212) 686-4551
mkremen@getodemilly.com
ldolan@getodemilly.com

Earlier this year, French film company KIDAM recorded 27 bands at New York’s prestigious Winter Jazzfest to appear on Mezzo TV throughout Europe. Today, those bands still have not been paid their full wages and benefits.

KIDAM entered into an agreement to pay wages and benefits for music recorded at New York’s Winter Jazzfest 9 months ago. The contract, signed by KIDAM on January 9th, is a “Single Project Letter of Agreement” in adherence to the American Federation of Musicians’ Television Videotape Agreement, and details wages and benefits for musicians recorded at the Winter Jazzfest for future broadcast on the commercial French television station Mezzo, which reaches approximately sixteen million subscribers in thirty-nine countries.

Well over a hundred musicians are covered by this agreement, and yet KIDAM left the country and has refused to honor their contractual promises. Ten months after the fact, no musician has been fully paid. After months of excuses from KIDAM, the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada filed a federal lawsuit in New York seeking all payments owed to musicians, and now will rally to send the message to KIDAM, Mezzo and Lagardere that they must pay the musicians what is contractually owed to them.

Musicians will rally Today, Thursday at 2pm in front of Lagardere Offices on 488 Madison Ave between 51st and 52nd. Lagardere is the multi-national media company that owns Mezzo TV, the French channel which is broadcasting the footage from the festival.

Musicians and advocates will rally and perform. More than 500 people have already sent letters to Kidam’s CEO urging him to #PaytheBandsKIDAM
To learn more, visit: http://justiceforjazzartists.org/paythebandskidam

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