President Trump’s election has new consequences on our industry every day. As the AFM president representing musicians, I am outraged when I see government overreach and unlawful acts that jeopardize our safety and threaten our rights as workers. On stage, on public television, or anywhere in between, the AFM stands against undue influence from the […]

Anyone who lived through the early 1980s will remember US President Reagan’s sabre-rattling with the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War with its attendant threat of imminent nuclear annihilation—a group of senile old men in the Kremlin and a has-been actor in the White House, each with their gnarled fingers poised over […]

Never have I ever read so many political commentaries, opinions, and predictions than in the last month. The chaos created by the smoke show in Washington, DC, has stirred even the most apolitical segment of the population to raise eyebrows and engage with opinions. Some people have become addicted to watching the next headline news […]

The musician community has always been in the forefront of social justice and the ongoing quest for equality. Songs can express complex issues and emotions in ways that cross all boundaries. The music we make has the emotional power to take very different people to a common place. Now more than ever, women in the […]

Policymakers and legislative staff are often surprised to learn that musicians receive no compensation when their music is played on AM/FM radio. They are even more alarmed to learn that the United States is out of step with the rest of the free world on this issue. We are in select company in this regard. […]

As we all began to escape the COVID nightmare in early 2022, reorganizing live events and reactivating community programs was a huge challenge. It took time to regain traction. Meanwhile, the Music Performance Trust Fund (MPTF) was experiencing an upswing in annual revenue, and we were eager to find ways to distribute our grants in […]