A few years back, a Vancouver restaurateur posted a Craigslist ad asking for solo musicians to “play [for free] in our restaurant, promote their work and sell their CD . . . only for special events which will eventually turn into nightly event . . . Are you interested to promote your work?”

Such an arrangement is not unusual in most North American or European cities, but it elicited a remarkable (and equally ungrammatical) reply: “I am a musician with a big house looking for a restaurateur to promote their restaurant and come to my house to make dinner for my friends and I. This . . . will eventually turn into nightly event if we get positive response . . . are you interested to promote your restaurant?”

The micro-protest highlighted the widespread exploitation of musicians, who work in an industry where, outside of some major orchestral and theatrical institutions, workplace trade unionism is rare. Venues, promoters, and intermediaries convince aspiring performers to act against their own best interests. And musicians are often prepared to trade wages for exposure, because getting a major break usually trumps securing humane working conditions.