Hey jed,

Those were my very concerns about the pension plan. When I spoke to Amy Fix (the answer lady at Local 1000) she said that the only "in-stone" rule about the pension plan is that the check must be written *by the venue* to Local 1000 for the pension and their Music Services Contarct must be used. As long as all the paperwork is done correctly, it isn't that difficult.

The bottom line is that you (the musician) can do all the footwork. The venue check can be written at the time of your fee check and then you can send the pension check to Local 1000.

Soemthing that I have done is raise my fees a wee bit to include the pension. So the presenter will pay the % of the agreed upon fee.

Again, the only possible hassle for a presenter is writing two checks. I can see that as a problem for some of the Arts Councils that I work for, but for venues that write a straight check, it shouldn't be that hard.

Jed, if you have any other questions, send me a private msg with your email and we can talk that way. I can also fax you some of the literature if you like.

Best, Deb