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.
February 24, 2014
IM -There’s a new app that allows you to down and upload composer John Cage’s 4’33” with your phone. Perhaps his most well-known composition, 4’33” is a piece performed without deliberate sound, but rather it’s four minutes and 33 seconds of environmental noises. Users of the app are invited to upload a three-minute “performance” of ambient sounds in their own environment and share it with the world. They can listen to environmental sounds from around the world, or even a recording of ambient sounds from John Cage’s last New York City apartment, which he found inspirational and delightful.