Artist Living Wage Resources

Created by Julia Muney Moore, Indy Arts Council 

Updated February 11, 2025

This resource guide is part of the Indy Arts Council’s ongoing exploration of the conditions that support all central Indiana creatives to thrive. While fair pay is an important starting point, the conversation will continue to evolve as we work to build resources and create meaningful dialogue that supports arts and culture workers.

This page will be updated regularly as new information becomes available. Please email indyarts@indyarts.org if you have any questions or would like to share a resource.

Organizations Advocating for Artist Fair Wages

These organizations are mission-committed to fair pay for artists and provide a number of resources and tools for artists wishing to advocate for themselves on the matter of fair pay. Note: Not all are based in the U.S.

Artist Living Wage Resources

Organizations Advocating for Artist Fair Wages

W.A.G.E. (Working Artists and the Greater Economy)
  • Certifies nonprofit organizations as paying artists a fair wage or fee
  • Operates WAGENCY as an organizing infrastructure for artists to understand fair fees and advocate for them
    • Fee Request Generator: tool to calculate a fair wage based on the characteristics of the requesting agency
    • Skills Calculator: tool to calculate a fair wage based on skill level
    • Coming soon: model contracts for artists
Learn More
CARFAC (Canadian Artists Representation / le Front des Artistes Canadiens)
Learn More
FRANK Fair Artist Pay

Artist-led UK-based nonprofit

Learn More
Equity for Artists

Fair pay activist group

Learn More
On Our Team

Theater pay advocacy organization

  • Promotes pay equity standards for theater companies
  • Certifies theater companies who opt-in and follow the standards, and issues a digital badge good for one year
  • Pay equity resource list
Learn More
The Art of Equal Pay
  • Advocates for fair pay for women-identifying and nonbinary artists
  • List of entities who have pledged to increase pay to rates equal to white male artists
  • Ongoing survey to assess pay conditions
Learn More

Industry-Specific Advocacy Groups

These groups advocate on behalf of artists and other workers in specific arts fields. Pay equity may not be their sole focus, but they are engaged in ensuring fair pay within their industry. Not all are based in the U.S. Links are provided to their pay equity work; please contact them if you wish to explore their other services. If your practice has a formal union or collective bargaining unit associated with it, and you are eligible to join and are not a member, you may wish to visit their website and explore the benefits of membership and its potential impact on fair pay for you.

Artist Living Wage Resources

Industry Specific Advocacy Groups

APAP (Association of Performing Arts Professionals)
  • Arts Compensation Project: Ongoing data collection and publication
  • Serves the presenting industry
  • Artists may wish to explore this material to understand the context behind how the venues they work for are setting their rates
Learn More
2nd Story

Storytelling venue and support organization

Learn More

Calculators and Rate Tables

These are a few tools that have been created to assist artists as they decide how to price their work or understand what fees they should be asking. Some are industry-specific, some are more general.

Artist Living Wage Resources

Calculators and Rate Tables

Living Wage Calculator
  • Interactive, produced by MIT
Explore
Off-Broadway Assistant Designer Advisory Group
  • Spreadsheet to plug in job conditions and calculate the asking wage
Learn More
Art Pricing Calculator
  • For visual artists who sell uncommissioned work
Learn More
Artist Royalty Calculator
  • For visual artists who want to license uses of their copyrighted work
Learn More
Paying the Band Calculator
  • For musicians, to understand whether what they’re being offered is fair under different fee options
Learn More
Gig Settlement Calculator
  • For musicians, to help divide gig fees among various parties
Learn More
Tattoo Artist Hourly Rate Calculator

Tattoo Smart’s Hourly Rate Calculator helps tattoo artists plan their pricing strategy by factoring in income goals, work-life balance, and market influences.

Learn More
UK Supporting Artist Rates
  • Provides separate tables for London and outside of London
Learn More
Ars Nova
  • Theater, music, and comedy artists
  • Fair Pay Guidelines (based on US living wage calculators)
Learn More

Policy Research and Advocacy Efforts

These resources are provided for review as background and context for fair pay equity efforts. 

Artist Living Wage Resources

Policy Research and Advocacy Efforts

Pay Data and Research Tools

Charts (often interactive) providing real pay rates based on data from tax forms, surveys, and other official sources 

Artist Living Wage Resources

Pay Data and Research Tools

Looking for more resources?

Resources for Artists
Artist Living Wage Resources