Players' Work Time

For more than 120 years, the Musicians' Union has played a central role in the lives of musicians across the UK, taking part in most of the major agreements covering their employment. In spite of this, the organisation has largely been overlooked by historians of the music profession and trade unions. Players' work time aims to remedy the situation. Drawing on extensive archival research and interviews with Union employees and members, it provides a comprehensive history of the organisation, from its founding in 1893 to the present day. In so doing, it gives new insight into the working lives of musicians and, through this, the industries they work in. What emerges is a history of confrontation, coercion and compromise played out in orchestras and bands across the nation's ballrooms, concert halls, cinemas, recording studios, radio stations and all the other places where music is performed and heard.