First, I must say, I am proud to see so many musicians standing up during this time of political turmoil. During the past few months, we have witnessed unprecedented attacks against due process and freedom of speech on our streets, in our classrooms, and in our workspaces, most recently with the suspension of the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show.

Now is the time to make good trouble and not to remain isolated in our homes and silent in our grief. I am proud that so many of you took up the challenge at the Musicians Against Dictators Rally in Cleveland and Labor Day marches held around the country (see page 20). We are not only fighting for our right to organize, but we are fighting for the constitutional freedoms we once took for granted.

Preparations for SRLA Negotiations

The SRLA—the Sound Recording Labor Agreement with the major labels—is set to expire on January 31, 2026. This contract covers the essential terms and conditions under which musicians are hired to produce sound recordings, and it is one of the most significant agreements for professional recording artists. Our collective goal is simple: to secure a fair, forward-looking agreement that fully addresses the realities of the modern music landscape.

We want every working musician—from independent creators to those working in major studios—to know that your voices and concerns are driving this entire negotiation strategy.

Protecting Artistry from AI Displacement—Musicians’ creative control and financial future are at stake, particularly given the rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) technology. AI threatens to diminish the value of human artistry, making it an urgent priority to negotiate strong protections and fair compensation.

Beyond the bargaining table, the union is providing the structure for musicians to be a leading voice in the international conversation on rights. We are actively working in Washington to ensure musicians have a decisive say in how their work is used, sampled, or imitated, advocating for strong mandates that require consent, credit, and compensation.

Expanding Economic Security and Benefits—For too long, access to critical benefits like health insurance and retirement plans has been uneven. We recognize that every working musician deserves these safety nets. Musicians are actively working to expand and improve health and welfare benefits within this contract. Furthermore, the union is actively lobbying Congress and collaborating with the AFL-CIO to advocate for a single-payer system that would provide universal relief to our members.

The Bargaining Mandates Come from the Musicians

The union is building its strategy and demands directly from musician input in order to negotiate an agreement that protects and uplifts their work in the digital age. This contract must ensure that musicians are not only protected from technological displacement but are also fairly compensated for the value their artistry generates.

To achieve this, the following steps are being taken to build the demands directly from the musicians’ ranks and ensure a contract that reflects their needs:

• Bargaining Group Survey: As the union works on priorities for the SRLA contract’s overall structure, members who have worked under previous SRLA contracts will receive a survey. The survey will help identify priorities, including questions about wages, AI protections, health benefits, workload, safety, workplace policies, and organizing independent labels. Your responses increase our power.
• Contract Action Team (CAT): This group of musicians includes voices from all sectors of the recording industry. The CAT will meet regularly to develop and refine the demands, which will be directly incorporated into our core bargaining proposals.
• Open Forums: We are launching a series of member meetings with the CAT, Electronic Media Services Division (EMSD), and AFM leadership beginning this fall. These platforms will give direct feedback to the negotiation committee and provide an opportunity for members to ask questions about the process. Our ability to secure progressive agreements that include these essential protections comes from our unity.

The AFM has the collective power and resources to negotiate with the major labels, production companies, and government entities. Together with EMSD Director John Painting, who continues to provide expertise and guidance on contract language, I am committed to securing contractual provisions that guarantee AI acts as a creative tool rather than a substitute for human artistry. This involves advocating for safeguards that protect musicians’ income and artistic legacy.

The AFM’s strength comes from our collective voice, and that voice is loudest when we create fair standards for everyone in the music industry. However, indie labels are not signatories to the SRLA contract. To close this gap, we’re launching a new initiative through the AFM Organizing Department to work directly with independent musicians, to bring awareness to the various AFM agreements that may more appropriately provide the compensation and protections they deserve.

In addition to contributing your voice through the CAT and the survey, I hope you will become an advocate for this effort. Tell others about AFM recording contracts and how they benefit and protect musicians. Invite nonmember musicians to learn more and join our union.

Your participation in the coming months will be the single most important factor in securing a groundbreaking and equitable SRLA for every working musician. Let’s build a strong contract and a stronger union, together!

Read More

Despite the best of intentions, life for most of us amounts to a series of reactions, well-considered or otherwise. The organisms of nature, of which we humans are a subset, seek to exist in a place of comfort. If undisturbed, there we organisms remain, content. Only when that familiar contentment is disturbed do we react. It’s a rather passive way of moving through life, and anathema to smart activism, because a reaction is a response to a disturbance that we might have foreseen and taken action against before the disturbance arrived at our doorstep. But action takes planning.

Long range planning is a difficult process for almost everyone. It requires uninterrupted periods of thought and contemplation just to consider possible goals or objectives. Half the work is deciding on the end game. The other half of the work is making the plan to accomplish the objectives. But there are at least two additional halves—finding the means and the time to work the plan, and then avoiding the distractions that take us off-plan. Mashing four halves into one whole illustrates the pressure behind planning and execution, and it embodies the conflict between action and reaction.

The complexity of the foregoing increases exponentially when the long-range planning is for a constituency-based, collectively-governed, ostensibly democratic organization tasked with guarding and advancing the welfare of its constituency with only the resources that the constituency decides to make available—rather like our union.

In my lifetime, long-range planning as an operational concept for our union did not see daylight until around 1991, when my former IEB colleague and past Secretary-Treasurer Sam Folio introduced a bylaw proposal to the Convention requiring the IEB to formulate a three-year plan with quantifiable goals and objectives, which were to be evaluated, reviewed, and updated on an annual basis. 1991 brought in an almost completely new Federation administration and International Executive Board and seemed like the perfect moment to begin a long-range planning process.

But constituency demands (including a disaffiliation campaign led by the then-leaders of the Montreal local, several knotty national contract negotiations, and enhanced service demands from the union’s various industry sector representatives) together with insufficient funding conspired to capture the full attention of that leadership team, and three years went by before the IEB finally got around to beginning a planning process. And then the Federation leadership changed, effectively resetting the Federation’s nascent planning back to square one.

That cycle repeated again and again over the next few decades—planning started, only to be disrupted—internal political turmoil, a debilitating health crisis for one of the Federation officers, the 9/11 attacks, an internecine conflict between Federation leadership and the recording musicians, impact of the dot-com bubble burst followed by the Great Recession of 2007, which led to the pension fund crisis of the previous decade, bankruptcies in the symphonic sector, a second disaffiliation movement by the members of the Montreal local, the COVID pandemic, social upheaval, cyclical financial crises—and the list goes on and on—basically a DC al segno with never a coda jump to be seen on the horizon.

But there never is nothing going on with our union, which means that the planning and execution of a long-range plan will always require determination, focus, and commitment (and some degree of continuity) from the leadership that rises well above the norm.

I’m gratified to say that the present nine-member leadership team of the AFM has met that threshold. For the past year, under the guidance of a nationally respected facilitator, the International Executive Board has slowly, but methodically, taken the appropriate time and attention to peel away the outer layers of the “planning onion” and arrived at the core objectives that this union—any union, for that matter—must embrace to fulfill its mission, which is to build sufficient power to enable members to attain fairness in the workplace and justice in the political realm.

It’s too early for a rollout of details, but I can say with a large degree of enthusiasm and optimism that the Convention delegates who will assemble in Ottawa next June to chart the next phase of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada will have their hands on the levers of some very exciting controls.

Read More

The world we live and work in is constantly changing. Corporations make advancements, governments make legislation, and we must speak up to defend and protect our income streams. In advance of the fall budget, the Canadian Office submitted the following recommendations.

1)Implement a new Live Performing Arts Tax Credit (LPTC) to ignite a renaissance in the creative sector in Canada.

2)Amend the Copyright Act to establish the artist’s resale right in Canada, ensuring that members of the Canadian visual arts community benefit from future sales of their works, in accordance with the government’s intent as stated in the Fall Economic Statement of 2024.

3)Ensure that the Copyright Act will not be amended to allow technology development companies to continue using protected works, productions, and performances to train generative AI systems without authorization or compensation (text and data mining).

4)Implement legally binding measures requiring the disclosure of training data used in AI systems.

5)Ensure that all AI-generated content is clearly identified, so that the public is fully informed about the nature of the content they consume.

6)Ensure the proper implementation of the Online Streaming Act by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), so that audiovisual and audio streaming services, as well as social media platforms, contribute—just like traditional media—to the creation, production, and promotion of Canadian and Indigenous music, programming, and film.

7)Amend the definition of sound recording to ensure that performers and record labels receive compensation for the audiovisual use of their works.

We are a founding member of the Creative Industries Coalition, which came together to support the cultural industry workers during the pandemic. It is comprised of the largest unions working in live performance: CFM/AFM, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), Canadian Actors’ Equity Association, Associated Designers of Canada, and Union des Artistes. Over the last year we have collaborated to support a resurgence of the live performance sector in Canada.

Our coalition is advocating for a federal live performance arts tax credit, of which a proposal has been previously forwarded to government. With the new reality of US politics, the proposal supports the Canadian government mandate to erase trade borders between provinces and support industry in Canada. The Live Performance Tax Credit could offer organizations, in both nonprofit and commercial industries, a tax credit on Canadian productions using Canadian labour. Simply put, this would mean more employment for musicians in Canada.

Copyright reforms are necessary to uphold the rights of creators, especially in the digital space. In late 2024, the Government of Canada announced its intention to amend the Copyright Act to establish the artist’s resale right. With private copying legislation only applicable to blank CDs, Canada’s copyright framework is no longer equipped to compensate Canadian creators and rights-holders for this use of their music.

Instead of generating fair compensation for unlicensed private copying, annual royalties have plummeted from $38 million in 2004 to less than half a million dollars in 2024, while large foreign technology companies profit. For our industry, copyright is a paycheque.

For years, we have called for the extension of the private copying regime to electronic devices, in line with the principle of technological neutrality. This is already happening in Europe.

Together with other industry stakeholders, we also advocate for a clarification of the definition of sound recording to explicitly include audiovisual uses. These reforms remain essential to avoid erasing the ability to make a living for creators and cultural industry workers. It’s more important than ever that AFM recording contracts are used anytime you record.

The rapid rise of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) presents immense hurdles for the cultural sector. In a world where individuality, emotion, and personality are catalysts to producing content, protecting the rights of creators must be front and centre to strategy and legislation around the use of GAI. The CFM/AFM advocates for the adoption of a basic legislative framework based on the key principles of consent, credit, and compensation.

A strong regulatory approach is essential to ensure GAI evolves in service of human creativity. The structured development of an inclusive, open, safe, and secure digital space that respects, protects, and promotes human rights—including cultural rights—must be a national and international priority.

In Canada, the use of copyrighted works and productions without the rights holders’ consent is prohibited. The CFM/AFM therefore calls for the Copyright Act to not be amended in favour of permitting technology development companies to use protected works, productions, and performances to train generative AI systems without authorization or compensation (text and data mining).

Drawing on the European Union Artificial Intelligence Act (EU AIA), we also advocate for the implementation of legally binding requirements for the disclosure of training data used in AI systems, and not an “opt out” requirement on individual creators, who would never have the means to properly defend their intellectual property rights against corporate giants.

Finally, the CFM/AFM urges action to ensure that all GAI generated content is clearly identified so that the public is fully informed. Furthermore, products resulting from GAI algorithms, without any human expression, are not “works” protected by copyright or related rights and should not be recognized as such.

The Online Streaming Act amends the Broadcasting Act of 1991 to update Canada’s broadcasting policy. These amendments aim to protect and support Canadian television programs, films, and music in all their diversity. Any entity engaged in broadcasting activities in Canada must now comply with regulations requiring mandatory financial contributions to the development of Canadian content, as well as obligations related to the promotion of this content. The CFM/AFM recognizes the essential role of Canada’s national public broadcaster, CBC/Radio-Canada as a trusted news source, and a leader of cultural events across our country, and supports increased funding to sustain and strengthen its mission.

We urge the government to act now to protect those who create arts in a world of consumption against the technology that has the capability to erase the very creators that the technology has learned from.

---

Protéger nos futures sources de revenus par Allistair Elliot, vice-président de l’AFM pour le Canada

Le monde dans lequel nous vivons et travaillons est en constante évolution. Les entreprises progressent, les gouvernements adoptent des lois, et nous, nous devons nous faire entendre pour défendre et protéger nos sources de revenus. En prévision du budget de l’automne, le Bureau canadien a soumis les recommandations suivantes :

1. Mettre en place un nouveau crédit d’impôt pour les arts de la scène afin de susciter une renaissance du secteur créatif au Canada.

2. Modifier la Loi sur le droit d’auteur afin d’établir le droit de suite des artistes au Canada, garantissant ainsi que les membres de la communauté artistique canadienne bénéficient des ventes futures de leurs œuvres, conformément à l’intention du gouvernement telle qu’elle a été présentée dans l’Énoncé économique de l’automne de 2024.

3. Veiller à ce que la Loi sur le droit d’auteur ne soit pas modifiée de manière à permettre aux entreprises de développement technologique de continuer à utiliser des œuvres, des productions et des performances protégées pour former des systèmes d’IA générative sans autorisation, ni rémunération (exploration de textes et de données).

4. Mettre en œuvre des mesures juridiquement contraignantes exigeant la divulgation des données d’entraînement utilisées dans les systèmes d’IA.

5. Veiller à ce que tout contenu généré par l’IA soit clairement identifié, afin que le public soit pleinement informé de la nature du contenu qu’il consomme.

6. Veiller à la bonne mise en œuvre de la Loi sur la diffusion continue en ligne par le CRTC, afin que les services de diffusion audiovisuelle et audio en continu, ainsi que les plateformes de médias sociaux contribuent, tout comme les médias traditionnels, à la création, à la production et à la promotion de la musique, des émissions et des films canadiens et autochtones.

7. Modifier la définition de l’enregistrement sonore afin de garantir que les artistes interprètes et les maisons de disques reçoivent une rémunération pour l’utilisation audiovisuelle de leurs œuvres.

Nous sommes un membre fondateur de la Coalition des industries créatives, qui s’est constituée pour soutenir les travailleurs de l’industrie culturelle pendant la pandémie. Elle regroupe les plus grands syndicats du secteur des arts de la scène : la FCM/AFM, l’International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), la Canadian Actors’ Equity Association, l’Association des désigners canadiens et l’Union des artistes. Au cours de la dernière année, nous avons collaboré pour soutenir la reprise de notre secteur au Canada.

Notre coalition plaide en faveur d’un crédit d’impôt fédéral pour les arts de la scène, dont une proposition a déjà été soumise au gouvernement. Compte tenu de la nouvelle réalité politique aux États-Unis, cette proposition soutient le mandat du gouvernement canadien visant à supprimer les frontières commerciales entre les provinces et à appuyer l’industrie au Canada. Le crédit d’impôt pour les arts de la scène pourrait offrir aux organisations des secteurs à but non lucratif et commercial un crédit d’impôt sur les productions canadiennes utilisant de la main-d’œuvre canadienne. En termes simples, cela signifierait plus d’emplois pour les musiciens au Canada.

Des réformes du droit d’auteur sont nécessaires pour défendre les droits des créateurs, en particulier dans l’espace numérique. À la fin de 2024, le gouvernement du Canada a annoncé son intention de modifier la Loi sur le droit d’auteur afin d’établir le droit de suite des artistes. La législation sur la copie privée ne s’appliquant qu’aux CD vierges, le cadre canadien du droit d’auteur n’est plus en mesure de rémunérer les créateurs et les titulaires de droits canadiens pour cette utilisation de leur musique.

Au lieu de générer une rémunération équitable pour la copie privée non autorisée, les redevances annuelles ont chuté de 38 millions de dollars en 2004 à moins d’un demi-million de dollars en 2024, tandis que les grandes entreprises technologiques étrangères en tirent profit. Pour notre industrie, le droit d’auteur est un chèque de paie.

Depuis des années, la FCM/AFM réclame l’extension du régime de copie privée aux appareils électroniques, conformément au principe de neutralité technologique. C’est déjà le cas en Europe.

En collaboration avec d’autres acteurs du secteur, nous plaidons également en faveur d’une clarification de la définition de l’enregistrement sonore afin d’inclure explicitement les utilisations audiovisuelles. Ces réformes restent essentielles pour éviter de priver les créateurs et les travailleurs du secteur culturel de leur moyen de subsistance. Il est plus important que jamais d’utiliser les contrats d’enregistrement de l’AFM chaque fois que vous enregistrez.

L’essor rapide de l’intelligence artificielle générative (IAG) présente d’énormes obstacles pour le secteur culturel. Dans un monde où l’individualité, l’émotion et la personnalité sont des catalyseurs de la production de contenu, la protection des droits des créateurs doit être au cœur de la stratégie et de la législation relatives à l’utilisation de l’IAG. La FCM/AFM plaide en faveur de l’adoption d’un cadre législatif de base fondé sur les principes clés du consentement, de la reconnaissance des sources et de la rémunération.

Une approche réglementaire forte est essentielle pour garantir que l’IAG évolue au service de la créativité humaine. Le développement structuré d’un espace numérique inclusif, ouvert, sûr et sécurisé qui respecte, protège et promeut les droits de la personne, y compris les droits culturels, doit être une priorité nationale et internationale.

Au Canada, l’utilisation d’œuvres et de productions protégées par le droit d’auteur sans le consentement des titulaires de droits est interdite. La FCM/AFM demande donc que la Loi sur le droit d’auteur ne soit pas modifiée afin de permettre aux entreprises de développement technologique d’utiliser des œuvres, des productions et des interprétations protégées pour former des systèmes d’IA générative sans autorisation ni rémunération (exploration de textes et de données).

S’inspirant de la loi de l’Union européenne sur l’intelligence artificielle, nous préconisons également la mise en œuvre d’exigences juridiquement contraignantes pour la divulgation des données d’entraînement utilisées dans les systèmes d’IA, et non une exigence de « retrait » pour les créateurs individuels, qui n’auraient jamais les moyens de défendre correctement leurs droits de propriété intellectuelle contre les géants du monde des affaires.

Enfin, la FCM/AFM demande instamment que des mesures soient prises pour garantir que tous les contenus générés par l’IA générative soient clairement identifiés afin que le public soit pleinement informé. En outre, les produits résultant d’algorithmes d’IA générique, sans aucune expression humaine, ne sont pas des « œuvres » protégées par le droit d’auteur ou les droits voisins et ne devraient pas être reconnus comme tels.

La Loi sur la diffusion continue en ligne modifie la Loi sur la radiodiffusion de 1991 afin de mettre à jour la politique canadienne en matière de radiodiffusion. Ces modifications visent à protéger et à soutenir les programmes télévisés, les films et la musique canadiens dans toute leur diversité. Toute entité exerçant des activités de radiodiffusion au Canada doit désormais se conformer à la réglementation prévoyant des contributions financières obligatoires au développement de contenu canadien, ainsi que des obligations liées à la promotion de ce contenu. La FCM/AFM reconnaît le rôle essentiel du radiodiffuseur public national du Canada, la SRC, en tant que source d’information fiable et leader des événements culturels dans tout le pays, et soutient l’augmentation de son financement afin de maintenir et de renforcer sa mission.

Nous exhortons le gouvernement à agir dès maintenant pour protéger ceux qui créent des œuvres artistiques dans un monde de consommation contre la technologie qui a la capacité d’effacer les créateurs mêmes dont elle s’est inspirée.

Read More