Battle brews between ‘Here Lies Love’ and musicians union over use of recorded tracks instead of live orchestra

The new Broadway production of the David Byrne-Fat Slim musical “Here Lies Love” (which plans to use pre-recorded instrumental tracks rather than live musicians) has led to tensions with Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians, the union representing Broadway musicians. Union contracts on Broadway stipulate the minimum number of musicians that must be hired for each theater depending on size (an issue that led to a short musicians’ strike in 2003). However, according to the Times, the producers of “Here Lies Love” are currently seeking an exemption from the minimum requirement on the basis that the show represents a “special situation.”

It has long been the position of the show’s creators that a recorded soundtrack suits the show’s electronic pop, dance club style. On Instagram, the show published a post titled “What’s the Musical Concept Behind ‘Here Lies Love’?” which explains its “musical genesis.” According to the show, “in conceiving ‘Here Lies Love,’ David Byrne intentionally employed two musical performance styles that are aligned conceptually, built into the show’s artistic DNA: Disco Track Acts and Karaoke. Both share the method of vocalists singing along to pre-recorded, synthetic tracks.”

In a petition posted on actionnetwork.org, Local 802 wrote that “Here Lies Love” is a “direct attack on Broadway audiences, a direct attack on the professional musicians of NYC, and a direct attack on the long tradition of live music on Broadway” and accused Byrne and the show’s producers of “using technology to try to replace professional musicians.”

The current situation brings back memories of “Contact,” Susan Stroman’s 2000 dance drama, which was deemed a musical for purposes of the Tony Awards (and went on to win the award for Best Musical) even though it had no live musicians or live singing. However, the major difference between “Here Lies Love” and “Contact” is that “Here Lies…