Coachella isn’t happening this weekend, but there’s still some good news for live music

Members of the live music industry are celebrating an agreement that was reached on pending amendments to the recently introduced gig economy law in California, Assembly Bill 5 (AB5). AB5 was created as a response to rideshare services like Uber and Lyft, attempting to make it harder for gig-based companies to position drivers as independent contractors, who lack perks like benefits, instead of proper employees. The original version of AB5 could be considered a win for ride-share drivers but not independent and smaller-scale artists, who could have been forced to offer a full employee salary to any crew member, producer, or songwriter that worked for them on a contractual basis. The reworked language of the law allows most music professionals to access the Borello test, which decides whether a person is an employer instead of an independent contractor, to determine employment classification for both live performances and studio recordings.