With the current pandemic causing disrupted work in the entertainment industry, the Professional Artists Managers Inc. (PAMI) agreed to a reduced or discounted talent fees for their artists.
In a Philstar article by Lolit Solis, she said that PAMI members had had a zoom meeting with ABS-CBN management to discuss discounts on artists’ talent fees considering the reduced work due to COVID-19 and the ABS-CBN shutdown.
Solis said PAMI President June Rufino and other managers present at the meeting had agreed to the discounted talent fees proposed by ABS-CBN.
With this new arrangement on talent fee, Lolit said it seemed that the showbiz industry has been reverted to the way it used to be or back to the basics when everyone could not impose skyrocketing talent fees for the artists.
“Alam ng lahat ang sitwasyon sa showbiz ngayon, siguro dito mati-test ang tolerance level ng mga artista, dahil hindi lang basic ang babalikan mo sa trabaho, balik din ngayon sa dating talent fee before nauso ‘yung sky rock high na asking price ng mga artista.
“Now is the moment of truth, parang starting uli ang showbiz, panahon na regular pa ang payslip at wala ang mga nauso na personal make-up artist at stylist.
“Welcome to the real world,” said Solis.
Meanwhile, pay cuts and discounted talent fees are not only happening at ABS-CBN.
According to Abante Tonite, there are rumors that all GMA Network artists have also reduced their talent fees.
“Hindi naman binarat kasi matataas naman TF nila. Binawasan kasi walang taping, walang bagong show na iniere.”
However, in spite of the pay cuts, artists still receive their salaries even though they don’t have tapings in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Kumbaga, wala silang ginagawa, e, guaranteed contract sila. Kahit hindi magtrabaho ay sumusuweldo pa rin sila. Win-win situation ika nga. Lahat naman affected sa COVID -19 crisis.”
Last March, GMA Network announced that it would temporarily suspend the production of its shows following the declaration of Enhanced Community Quarantine for Metro Manila.
