Equity is calling on members to take action on casting directory fees ahead of the union’s appeal of the Equity and others v Spotlight judgment. The date set at the Court of Appeal is Tuesday 24 November.
Ahead of the hearing, Equity says, “whether we win or lose in court, Equity’s position is clear: it is fundamentally unjust for performers to be charged any fee at all for access to vacancies in their chosen profession.”
Equity had sought a declaration from the High Court that online casting platform Spotlight is an employment agency and must abide by regulations restricting the fees it can charge performers who use it. But in September 2025, the High Court found against the union’s case, saying Spotlight “does not provide services for the purposes of finding persons employment with employers, or of supplying employers with persons for employment by them.”
However, after overwhelming support from members and legal advice, the union subsequently won permission from a Court of Appeal judge to appeal the judgment.
The union is now calling on members to take action on the broader issue of performers being charged for inclusion in casting platforms such as Mandy Network, Casting Calls UK, and Star Now, as well as Spotlight.
Charlotte Bence, Equity’s Head of Greenfield Organising, said: “Equity members thought the High Court’s ruling last year was absurd. They know that Spotlight is a platform for finding work, and very little else. We received a huge number of messages from members who back Equity’s common-sense position that Spotlight is an employment platform, used by performers to find work.
“Acting on this collective will, our challenge of the judgment will be heard at the Court of Appeal on Tuesday 24 November. But whether we win or lose in court, Equity’s position is clear: it is fundamentally unjust for performers to be charged any fee at all for access to vacancies in their chosen profession. These charges are a tax on hope, and that tax must end.
“We are calling on Equity members to challenge the legal framework that allows this unfair practice to persist – and to put an end to the penalty inexplicably paid by performers who want to work.”
Equity is calling on its members to write to their MP asking them to support the amendment of legislation that allows casting directories to charge performers up-front fees for inclusion. Despite the law forbidding businesses whose purpose is to help people find work from charging work seekers upfront, there is an exemption for certain professions – mostly for those in the performing arts and entertainment industries. This means that, unlike most other work seekers, performers have to pay to access information about job vacancies.
Equity is also asking performers to fill in a survey sharing their experience with different casting platforms, such as their value for money, transparency and effectiveness. This testimony will help inform Equity’s next steps in the campaign to End the Tax on Hope. The campaign aims to put an end to casting directory fees entirely and will persist irrespective of whether the union’s appeal on 24 November is successful.
This issue was also debated in Parliament during the passage of the Employment Rights Act and Equity’s position is backed by the wider trade union movement: in September 2024, the Trades Union Congress (TUC), the federation of British trade unions, passed a motion to ban upfront fees charged to performers by casting directories, reaffirming this position in another policy motion in 2025.
This means that the TUC, representing 47 member unions and 5.3 million working people, supports the repeal of the unfair exemption for the performing arts and entertainment industries and calls for such casting directory fees to be borne by producers, not workers; and the TUC will lobby the government to bring forward legislation to remove the exemption.
Full timeline for Equity and others v Spotlight
In 2023, Spotlight implemented their infamous fee hike and ‘Premier membership’ tiered service. Equity members responded with anger and unprecedented numbers of emails and calls to the union’s head office.
In July 2025, the High Court heard a claim brought by Equity and eight members in a class action against Spotlight. The union sought declarations that Spotlight is an employment agency and must therefore abide by restrictions on the level of fee it can charge.
The High Court dismissed the union’s case, finding that Spotlight did not fall under employment agency regulations at all, with the judge saying Spotlight “does not provide services for the purposes of finding persons employment with employers, or of supplying employers with persons for employment by them.”.
In November last year, Equity won permission to appeal after another judge looked at the union’s arguments and said there was “a real prospect of success”. The appeal takes place on 24 November, with judgement expected at a later date.
Write to your MP to end casting platform fees
Help us put an end to casting directory fees entirely by writing to your MP to demand a change in the law.
Take part in our casting platforms survey
As part of Equity's campaign against casting directories charging artists upfront fees, we want to hear from members about your experience of casting platforms: their value for money, transparency and effectiveness more generally.
