Freelance musicians engaged to work on television productions are invariably self-employed. You are therefore negotiating (directly or through a specialist music fixer) and paying fees, rather than salary or wages.

There are three industry agreements covering the engagement of freelance musicians by the BBC: the Television Agreement between the BBC and the Musicians’ Union (MU); the Chamber Musicians’ Agreement between the BBC and the MU; and the Television Agreement between the BBC and the Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM).

The ISM agreement covers:

• Musicians who work as vocal and instrumental soloists (except principals in opera and light entertainment solo singers, who are represented by Equity — see the Actors page in this section),
• Conductors of symphony and concert orchestras, opera and ballet,
• Choral conductors,
• Accompanists (but not rehearsal pianists, who are represented by the MU),
• Church musicians (except lay clerks in the London cathedral churches, who again are represented by Equity) and
• Instrumental duos playing chamber music.