Now is the right time to become an American Federation of Musicians member. From ragtime to rap, from the early phonograph to today's digital recordings, the AFM has been there for its members. And now there are more benefits available to AFM members than ever before, including a multi-million dollar pension fund, excellent contract protection, instrument and travelers insurance, work referral programs and access to licensed booking agents to keep you working.

As an AFM member, you are part of a membership of more than 80,000 musicians. Experience has proven that collective activity on behalf of individuals with similar interests is the most effective way to achieve a goal. The AFM can negotiate agreements and administer contracts, procure valuable benefits and achieve legislative goals. A single musician has no such power.

The AFM has a proud history of managing change rather than being victimized by it. We find strength in adversity, and when the going gets tough, we get creative - all on your behalf.

Like the industry, the AFM is also changing and evolving, and its policies and programs will move in new directions dictated by its members. As a member, you will determine these directions through your interest and involvement. Your membership card will be your key to participation in governing your union, keeping it responsive to your needs and enabling it to serve you better. To become a member now, visit www.afm.org/join.

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Music Performance Trust Fund, Recent News

Music Performance Trust Fund Announces Grant Budgets for 2021-22 Fiscal Year

In anticipation of returning to a more community-oriented lifestyle and the resumption of traditional live music performances, the Music Performance Trust Fund (MPTF) has significantly increased its grant budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year, beginning on May 1. This expanded grant budget comes with some caveats and flexible planning due to the continuation of the […]


Change is Hard; Negotiating Change is Empowering

Throughout the 72-year history of the Music Performance Trust Fund (MPTF), the organization has consistently provided two fundamental services. Our support has meant that tens of thousands of free, live musical performances have echoed throughout North America, in small towns and major cities, in schools, in parks, hospitals, senior centers, malls, and wherever people have […]


The Music Performance Trust Fund’s Music Family Scholarship

The Music Performance Trust Fund has announced the MPTF Music Family Scholarship. OVERVIEW A scholarship fund utilizing the assets of the recording industry’s Music Performance Trust Fund (“MPTF”) and/or its related entity, the Music Performance Service Corp., was established in June 2020 to encourage the children of professional musicians to pursue higher education and to become […]


Music Performance Trust Fund Looks to Create Livestream Event Grant Program

The Music Performace Trust Fund is going to slowly ramp up a livestream event grant program, primarily through the MPTF Facebook page.


MPTF Announces New and Increased Grant Budgets, Urges Grant Use Discretion During COVID-19 Outbreak

The MPTF is preparing to launch its 2020-21 grant initiative, the largest increase in recent history, but also encourages current grant recipients to use caution and discretion in implementation of their current grant commitments for free, live music performances.


An MPTF Featured Live Event: The Regina Folk Festival

Thanks to renewed resources, an important and enduring community event—The Regina Folk Festival in Regina, Saskatchewan—has become a recipient of Music Performance Trust Fund grants in recent years.


MPTF – A Year of Change

After two decades of decline, the Music Performance Trust Fund (MPTF) has reached the beginning of a new era of recovery and sustainability.


New Orleans MPTF Holds “Never Too Old” Screening with Union Members

The New Orleans premiere of the recording industry’s Music Performance Trust Fund (MPTF)’s uplifting documentary, Never Too Old, took place April 2, at Harmony House Senior Center in Tremé


Five Years of Challenging, Rewarding Work—MPTF

The AFM and the recording industry achieved a labor agreement that has brought a viable path for the MPTF to survive and even grow. Yes, there is a future.


MPTF Celebrates 70th Anniversary with Upbeat Outlook for Future

As the Music Performance Trust Fund (MPTF) approaches its 70th anniversary, it is gratifying to report that we recently embarked upon a renewed level of sustainability. After weathering nearly two decades of music distribution disruption, and being entirely dependent upon royalties from the sale of outmoded physical products—CDs, tapes, and cassettes—the agreement reached last year between labor and industry has begun to bear fruit for the MPTF.








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