No More Benefits: Towards a Solution for Musicians' Health Care

Musicians are very strongly represented among the 50 million Americans who have no health insurance, so it's no surprise that musicians are constantly doing benefits for each other. In fact, Rock A Mole Productions of Los Angeles has done a national survey of the situation and estimates that “there are over one thousand of these benefits every week in the United States."

This is a great and beautiful thing from the standpoint of musician-to-musician solidarity. The problem is that the costs of health care are usually more than any benefit can raise. The “No More Benefits" panel will explore ways that the scattered efforts of musicians can be united into a force to get what everyone wants: universal access to health care.

In addition, a segment of a brand new film, The Ultimate Song, will be shown. Directed by Lisa Scott, The Ultimate Song explores music's role in the struggle to end poverty. It features many unsigned musicians, along with Brian Blade, Wyclef Jean, Bruce Springsteen, Steve Earle, Ice T, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, Wayne Kramer, Warren Haynes, and Jackson Browne.

Thanks to the help of the folks at South by Southwest (especially Andy Flynn and Jeff McCord), we are able to offer day passes for this panel only to the first 40 people who contact us. This is for those who are not registered at SXSW and all you have to do is email us at [email protected]. If you are one of the first 40, your name will be on a list at the information desk at the Convention Center by 2:30 PM on Saturday. We will get back to you and let you know.

NO MORE BENEFITS Presented by Rock & Rap Confidential / Rock A Mole Productions Lone Star Room, Convention Center Saturday / March 16 / 3PM South by Southwest / Austin, Texas

Panelists

Patty Griffin, ATO recording artist Dave Marsh, music journalist and author of over twenty books Ernie Perez of the Boxing Gandhis (two albums on Atlantic) Wayne Kramer of the legendary MC5, still rocking hard the world over Cheri Honkala, director of the Kensington Welfare Rights Union, Philadelphia Quetzal Flores of Quetzal (debut album on Vanguard to be released in March) Ray Wylie Hubbard, Rounder recording artist Stew Francke, Detroit musician who has released several albums; cancer survivor Peyton Sims of the SIMS Foundation, Austin, Texas

Rock & Rap Confidential Box 341305 Los Angeles, CA 90034 [email protected] 310-398-4477 www.rockrap.com