David Friend
David Friend is a musician, educator, and activist based in New York City, and is interim co-Vice President of the Association Representing Teaching Staff at Manhattan School of Music (ARTS-MSM), NYSUT Local 6498.
Much has been written about the “gig economy” over the last decade. As more and more workers find themselves unwilling members of “the precariat,” Guy Standing’s prophetic 2011 term for the “dangerous class” of disempowered workers that has exploded in post-industrial economies rings truer than ever.
One of the groups of workers most suddenly and severely affected by the economic fallout from the public health crisis were those working in the cultural sector, especially in the performing arts. As freelance musicians who have both worked in New York scenes for decades, this included us.