A well-known musical entertainment company will be moving its headquarters to Toronto from Rochester. That according to Gary Webb, President of Nik Entertainment, the company that operates the band Nik and the Nice Guys.
Webb says he’s moving the administrative offices partly because the NYS Labor Department is requiring him to pay unemployment insurance for musicians who are basically temporary contractors.
“If I hire a keyboard player in Vancouver, Washington, if I hire a violinist out of Newark, New Jersey for one or two shows, why do I have to maintain paperwork on those people and file unemployment insurance payments.”
Webb says he’s been fighting the administrative battle for over a year.
Webb also notes that he’s a Canadian citizen, and he says since Toronto is a much larger city, it makes sense to move his headquarters there. His bands will still play in the U.S., but several office workers here may be cut after Nik Entertainment makes its move.
“Over time, I’ll probably have a bias toward the Canadian performers , but we’ve got some great musicians here in the market. Naturally there will be a reduction in the amount work for New York State musicians….the irony of this whole thing is that New York Stazte is forcing me to do what’s best for my company. In other words, we really should be in the international destination market of Toronto, we really should be there.”
There was no response yet by the NYS Labor Dept. when contacted by WXXI News about Webb's dispute over unemployment insurance.
