Officers Columns

Here are the latest posts from our officers

Ray Hair – AFM International President

SRLA Negotiations, AI, and the Road Ahead

Protecting the livelihood, creativity, and identity of professional musicians across all sectors of our industry remains our constant mission. As you’ve read in previous columns, a major focus over recent months has been negotiations for a successor Sound Recording Labor Agreement (SRLA), which covers singles, albums, streaming, radio, vinyl, and other sound recordings produced with the major record companies.

This September issue is our Electronic Media Services Division (EMSD) focus issue, featuring columns from EMSD staff that highlight the work they do every day and demystify our contracts and show how they protect you. In that spirit, I want to extend my deep gratitude to EMSD Director John Painting, Assistant Director Rebecca Gurnee, and the entire EMSD team for their dedicated work. Painting’s insight at the bargaining table has been invaluable this year as we pushed through four rounds of arduous SRLA bargaining sessions, alongside myself, AFM and local officers, the RMA, and our team of working musicians.

Last month’s negotiations were difficult. We entered sessions seeking to address healthcare contributions, update payment systems, and establish access to benefits. And, of course, central to our bargaining is the issue of artificial intelligence. Our position at the table is clear: recorded tracks are the direct product of our labor, skill, and personal identity. We demand three core principles for any use of our work in AI training or output generation: consent, credit, and compensation.

However, record company representatives remain focused on profits and dismissing our claims. Meanwhile, progress toward a favorable agreement stalls because the management bargaining team fails to understand the practical realities working musicians face.

This stance at the bargaining table directly contrasts with the labels’ recent court actions. When major labels sued AI music platforms Suno and Udio for unauthorized scraping, they warned that AI risks replacing human artists. Yet, after settling those lawsuits and licensing their catalogs for AI training, the labels collected payouts while paying recording musicians nothing.

Consequently, the AFM filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York against Universal Music Group, Warner Records, and Atlantic Records to enforce Article 21 of the SRLA—the “New Use” provision. (For details on this lawsuit, see page 10).

Union Action and Member Involvement

In direct response to the labels’ actions during negotiations and their withholding of AI licensing revenue, the AFM is organizing musicians worldwide to build a unified stance against unauthorized AI training. We are mobilizing members to take collective action that builds leverage at the bargaining table, in the courts, and throughout the industry.

The major record companies seek to maximize profits on the backs of working musicians, both at the bargaining table and in their corporate licensing deals. We will not allow them to dictate the future of our industry.

To join the organizing committee, participate in local actions, or learn more about the ongoing campaigns, contact AFM Organizing Services Director Gabe Kristal at gkristal@afm.org. Get involved today—this fight requires all of us.

2027 Motion Picture and Television Contract

While we push forward on the sound recording front, we are also preparing for the upcoming bargaining on the Motion Picture and Television Contract.

Although our current film and television contract runs through June 2027, early preparation and strategic organization are vital to our success. As we prepare for our upcoming preliminary meeting with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), we look forward to working with Greg Hessinger, who recently stepped into the role of president and chief negotiator, replacing longtime president Carol Lombardini. Hessinger brings a distinct background to the table, having worked on both sides of industry negotiations—first as a former labor leader and executive director at both American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) and Screen Actors Guild (SAG), and later representing employers as a managing partner in labor law.

In preparation for the 2027 negotiations, the EMSD and Organizing Services departments and the RMA are actively conducting research and developing a contract action team (CAT). Building a strong network of musicians well in advance gives us the structure, communication channels, and strength needed to address working conditions, residuals, and contractual protections across the film and television sectors.

If you are a musician working under this contract, we will be providing more information on how you can get involved. Rank and file musicians are the heart of our union, and we will all work together to make sure the next generation of professional musicians can earn a fair living working under these contracts.

Honoring Labor Day

Finally, as this issue reaches you around Labor Day, let us take a moment to celebrate the history and power of organized labor. From the 40-hour workweek and workplace safety standards to healthcare benefits and fair compensation, every major victory for working people was won through collective action. Labor Day is a direct reminder that the protections we enjoy today exist because working people stood together. As we honor that legacy this month, let it inspire our continued fight for the future of our profession.

Jay Blumenthal – AFM International Secretary-Treasurer

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Greed, Progress, and the Looming Threat to Our Livelihoods

I write this month’s column from within the boundaries of a First Nations spiritual ceremony taking place on the traditional lands of the Cherokee Nation. Out of respect for the ceremony and traditions of the people who preserve and carry forward these kinds of ceremonies, I won’t go into detail about it, except to say that my involvement in these ways extends over a quarter century and has created a pathway in life that helps me maintain and strengthen a perspective about life that has been vital to my work in our union.

On many pages of this issue of International Musician, you will see repeated expressions from AFM officers and staff about the challenges that are presented to our profession and to our work at the bargaining table by the development and advancement of artificial intelligence and its evil offspring, generative artificial intelligence. Indeed, one of my earliest columns as secretary-treasurer likened the looming threat of artificial intelligence to the poisoning of our food supply by artificial sweeteners. I’ve also mused about the notion that an attempt to bargain with the recording industry over the impact of artificial intelligence on our profession would be little more than scratching the surface of the problems that AI would present to all musicians’ livelihoods.

As with the advent of synthesized music in the 1980s, artificial intelligence in the hands of a human being in the creative process represents a legitimate advancement of the tools that every artist can employ in the development of their art. In the hands of corporate interests, however, artificial intelligence becomes a catalyst of greed, disguised as progress.

And much has been foisted upon our world under the banner of progress and necessity, but with nothing more than the acquisition of wealth lurking beneath the surface.

Xi Jinping, the leader of China, has taken his country on a quiet mission to buy as much arable land as possible in other parts of the world so his country can control even more of the land that produces the world’s food supply. Much of that land is within the continent of Africa, with the result that the people who actually live on those lands will have less and less control over the production of food upon which those many millions of people’s lives will depend.

Benjamin Netanyahu, with the willing participation of the United States, has been laboring violently to deprive the right of his country’s neighbors to live peacefully on the land upon which they resided long before Netanyahu was born. Vladimir Putin has been waging a war for five years to deprive the right of Ukrainians to benefit from their access to the rare earth minerals below Ukraine’s surface.

Now turning our attention to the North American continent, the president of the United States has already hijacked oil-rich Venezuela, and has made a steady rumble of veiled threats to do the same with Greenland (lol), and even Canada (lol!). And here I stand now in the middle of the traditional lands of the Cherokee people, who US President Andrew Jackson violently pushed out of their homeland in the early 1800s in the name of US expansion and control.

The behavioral pattern is ingrained, it would seem. Throughout history, it’s always been about control of resources, to benefit the power and wealth of a few at the expense of the many. Closer to home, we see digital technology companies energetically working to develop massive artificial intelligence computing centers that will require an enormous amount of electricity and an enormous amount of water in order to function, pitting their narrow interests against the welfare of the people of the communities who would lose that water. But water is finite, and as people of the world, we will need to decide, hopefully in a peaceful way, whether we want water to sustain the exponential growth of artificial intelligence or the continuation of our lives as inhabitants of this planet.

Two generative AI platform companies have now scraped virtually every sound recording in the world that exists anywhere on the internet in order to sell services to so-called creators to make music virtually devoid of human creative juice. That is the potential musical Armageddon that we musicians now face. And you would think that our bargaining partners in the recording industry across the table from us would be allies in a fight against what for them is a similar existential threat. But the almighty dollar apparently outweighs the creative process and overshadows the natural human instinct to produce something good and valuable for posterity, leaving only a corporate exoskeleton operated by lawyers and bean counters who exist to create unearned wealth for stockholders, thus eviscerating what could otherwise be a bright and healthy future for our art.

We work with the tools and resources that we have at our disposal, however, and if the recording industry is insistent on selling its soul to the devil, our place of last refuge resides with those who make the laws of the land, and it will be imperative to put all of our strength behind persuading the governments of our countries to recognize the value of human created music over machine generated music.

Alan Willaert – AFM Vice President from Canada

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Player Conferences, AI Litigation, and Contract Safeguards

The Organization of Canadian Symphony Musicians (OCSM) conference wrapped up last week in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Celebrating their 50th year, delegates from 21 orchestras across Canada met and shared orchestra reports. They also heard from Orchestras Canada Executive Director Katherine Carleton, the Musicians Pension Fund of Canada, and other guest speakers. Attendees took part in an interactive discussion with AFM Symphonic Services (SSD) Director Rochelle Skolnick and Field Negotiator Richard Sandals. Delegates met the newest member of our Canadian SSD staff, Chantal Brunette. As a French speaking bilingual negotiator, Brunette brings additional depth to our staff.

Having attended the Theater Musicians Association (TMA), Regional Orchestra Players Association (ROPA), Organization of Canadian Symphony Musicians (OCSM), and International Conference of Symphony Musicians (ICSOM) conferences, I want to express my thanks to the leadership and delegates of each. The inclusive hospitality, and opportunities to listen and share about working conditions, victories, and challenges, are vitally important to the health and wellness of our collective players associations. Most of all, thank you for taking time out of your summer to show up and speak up.

As reported in the July International Musician, a breach of contract lawsuit has been filed against Universal Music Group (UMG) and Warner Music Group (WMG). The suit alleges that the labels violated the Sound Recording Labor Agreement (SRLA) by failing to compensate session musicians after making lucrative artificial intelligence licensing deals. The legal action follows settlements the labels reached with AI music generators Suno and Udio. While those agreements allow the tech platforms to continue utilizing vast catalogs of recorded music for generative AI training, the AFM argues the labels pocketed the revenue, while completely bypassing the creators who played on the tracks.

The importance of using an AFM recording contract for all recorded music has never been more critical to the protection of your music. Even if you record a solo track as a guest artist on someone’s recording, you should use an AFM recording contract. In this specific instance, the Single Song Overdub Agreement would be the one to look at, although contracting under the SRLA would also be an option. Protecting your sound, compositions, and artistry to make sure you are credited, compensated, and can choose to provide or withhold consent for future use is just smart business practice.

Releasing your recording without such protection, into a world where machine learning is eating up whatever it can find and strengthening the technology with all that it inhales, could mean you are supporting the technology that may eventually replace your spot on the recording. As we fight these battles in negotiations, do your part to make sure you have the protection of an AFM contract. Please reference the EMSD articles in this issue, and always know staff is available to assist through your local. It just might make you more money someday. That’s what the union can do for you, but only if you do it for yourself too!

It is with sadness I share the August 1 passing on of Mark Johnson, former secretary-treasurer and president of Local 547 (Calgary, AB). Johnson joined the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra in 1978 as principal bass trombone and held that position for 24 seasons. I met him when I first joined the Executive Board of Calgary Musicians Association in the 1990s. Johnson led by example, always putting members first and served with the highest integrity. He also served as vice president of the Canadian Conference, and went on to represent orchestra musicians nationally, working as part of the AFM Canada staff from 2004 to 2006. Sincerest condolences to his wife Stephanie and daughters Katrina and Nicola.

Writing Our Obituary Is Not an Option: We Must Defend Our Rights

The AFM has consistently prioritized generative artificial intelligence (GAI) in bargaining. As our Canadian national electronic media contracts come up for renewal, we are working to incorporate GAI language that protects musicians’ recording work. Musical content recorded for film, television, or digital media is “covered work” under our agreements, whether those recordings use GAI or not, and should attract corresponding payments and protections.

Our most recent success was ensuring the three Cs—consent, credit, and compensation—were addressed in the recently ratified National Film Board Agreement.

We have now been in negotiations with the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) for two years on a GAI Side Letter to the Independent Production Agreement (IPA). We have not concluded, and the entire agreement comes back up for renewal in 2027.

The Sound Recording Labor Agreement (SRLA) negotiations have raised a louder alarm. The concern is no longer only whether new GAI language can be negotiated, it is whether recordings made in the past and today are being used in ways musicians never agreed to nor control.

The record labels’ position is blunt: side musicians are “work for hire” and the labels own the recording. If accepted, that position would allow the labels to use session recordings to train GAI without fair compensation for either the input or output. The AFM does not accept this.

Many musicians may feel pressured to accept “work for hire” gigs. If your sound is unique and recognizable, once it is fed into the machine, it may no longer be yours to control.

In the 1940s, AFM President James C. Petrillo warned that musicians should not keep making recordings that were “making their own competition.” As mechanical recordings and jukeboxes spread, thousands of live performance musicians saw their work disappear. The AFM responded with a lengthy strike, and part of the settlement was the creation of the Music Performance Trust Fund. Recording continued, and the landscape changed forever.

This is another such moment—except now, the recording itself is under threat.

History tells us that we must not be passive. We are organizing, and we need your help: share your stories, spread the word, talk to your colleagues, remind newer musicians of their rights, honour your AFM obligation to record only under AFM agreements, and document everything.

The choices made at the front end of a recording engagement matter. The protection is documentation: strong collective agreements and recording contracts that preserve compensation, consent, and control over both the input and output.

If you are planning a recording project, or have a job offer that comes with a request to sign away your rights, please reach out before you sign. For Canadian members, we are ready to assist, through our Canadian Office or your local union office.

Writing our obituary is not an option. We are defending musicians’ rights.

The Union Is ‘Us’: Thinking Beyond Transactional Logic

Your union dues represent much more than a simple “transaction.” Many elected local union leaders hear this question from time to time: “What services do I get in exchange for what I send you each year?” This wording, with the use of “you” or “them,” unfortunately also suggests that the union is perceived as a separate entity, a mere annual subscription to a service, with no other connection.

Even though the AFM offers excellent services, our union’s role goes far beyond that. Being a member of an AFM local means taking part in advancing a common cause: improving musicians’ socioeconomic conditions, defending their rights, and promoting the profession of musician. The AFM and its locals truly embody the collective “we.”

Major unions like the AFM have played, and continue to play, a crucial role in improving living conditions for society. Over time, thanks to the solidarity of their members, unions have achieved major advances such as the right for all to unionize and bargain collectively, occupational health and safety standards, better wages, and a social safety net.

There are still major battles to be fought at the start of the 21st century: digital multinationals use our work without compensating us fairly (streaming platforms) and often without our permission (generative artificial intelligence). Working conditions for freelance musicians have deteriorated over time. Employers offer ridiculous pay in exchange for “visibility” or “opportunities.”

How can we bring about change if we don’t get involved collectively in some way? Membership dues are only the starting point of this commitment. It is increasingly necessary to work together to shift perceptions and move from a transactional mindset (“I pay, so I want a service”) to a mindset of solidarity (“I am part of a collective that acts for our cause”). This shift in mindset can, and must, happen.

As a member, have you wondered how to make a difference? You can contribute to advancing our causes through small but meaningful actions that will strengthen the collective and foster a sense of belonging. Don’t hesitate to discuss this with the elected representatives of your local; they are there to listen to you, and just like you, they want to improve things for our wonderful profession as musicians.

It’s a very good idea to attend meetings and meet with elected officials, but it’s also inspiring to meet other members and exchange ideas about our profession and working conditions, and to strengthen our sense of solidarity and belonging to our union. The more you support your union and participate in union life, the better it can do to advance our causes.

Le syndicat, c’est « nous » : au delà de la logique transactionnelle

par Luc Fortin, membre du conseil de direction international (IEB) de l’AFM et de la section locale 406 (Montréal, Québec)

Vos cotisations syndicales représentent bien plus qu’une simple « transaction ». De nombreux dirigeants locaux élus de notre syndicat entendent cette question de temps à autre : « Quels services est-ce que j’obtiens en échange de ce que je vous verse chaque année? » Ce choix de mots, avec le « vous », ou le « eux », laisse malheureusement entendre que le syndicat est perçu comme une entité distincte, à laquelle on paie un simple abonnement annuel pour un « service », sans autre lien.

Pourtant, bien que l’AFM offre d’excellents services, le rôle de notre syndicat va bien au delà. Être membre d’une section locale de l’AFM, c’est participer à la promotion d’une cause commune : améliorer les conditions socio-économiques des musiciens, défendre leurs droits et promouvoir la profession de musicien. L’AFM et ses sections locales incarnent véritablement le « nous » collectif.

Les grands syndicats comme l’AFM ont joué, et continuent de jouer, un rôle crucial dans l’amélioration des conditions de vie de la société dans son ensemble. Au fil du temps, grâce à la solidarité de leurs membres, ils ont obtenu des avancées majeures telles que le droit pour tous de se syndiquer et de négocier collectivement, des normes de santé et de sécurité au travail, de meilleurs salaires et un filet de sécurité sociale.

Il reste encore des combats majeurs à mener en ce début de XXIe siècle : les multinationales du numérique exploitent notre travail sans nous rémunérer équitablement (plateformes de diffusion continue) et souvent sans notre permission (IA générative). Les conditions de travail des musiciens pigistes se sont détériorées au fil du temps, et les employeurs proposent des rémunérations dérisoires en échange de « visibilité » ou d’« opportunités ».

Comment pouvons-nous faire bouger les choses si nous ne nous mobilisons pas collectivement d’une manière ou d’une autre ? La cotisation n’est que le point de départ de cet engagement. Il est de plus en plus nécessaire de travailler ensemble pour faire évoluer les mentalités et passer d’une logique transactionnelle (« Je paie, donc j’attends un service ») à une logique de solidarité (« Je fais partie d’un collectif qui agit pour notre cause »). Ce changement de mentalité peut, et doit se produire.

Comme membre, vous êtes-vous déjà demandé comment faire une différence? Vous pouvez contribuer à faire avancer nos causes par des actions modestes, mais significatives, qui renforceront le collectif et favoriseront un sentiment d’appartenance. N’hésitez pas à en discuter avec les représentants élus de votre section locale; ils sont là pour vous écouter, et tout comme vous, ils veulent améliorer les conditions de notre merveilleuse profession de musiciens.

Assister aux réunions et rencontrer les élus c’est une très bonne idée, mais c’est également inspirant de rencontrer d’autres membres et d’échanger des idées sur notre profession et nos conditions de travail, et de renforcer le sentiment de solidarité et d’appartenance à notre syndicat. Plus vous soutiendrez votre syndicat et participerez à la vie syndicale, mieux il pourra faire progresser nos causes.

Protecting the Mission of the Kennedy Center

For the uninitiated visiting our nation’s capital for the first time, the experience can truly be one of sensory overload. The combination of the sheer physical beauty of the city and the immediacy of its historical significance can be overwhelming.

I will certainly never forget my first visit to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after moving to the area. It was dark on that fall evening as we drove from Virginia across the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge and the city came into view. The illuminated Kennedy Center appeared across the Potomac River on the left with the view of the Lincoln Memorial to the right side of the river. The Washington Monument was in the background.

The impact of that moment was only magnified by the anticipation of what I would be experiencing inside the building—home to the National Symphony Orchestra, the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, and until very recently, the Washington National Opera. The Kennedy Center has been a destination for arts organizations around the world since its opening in 1971 and has played a vital role as a cultural leader and nonpartisan arts institution. It has excelled in its mission to “present classical and contemporary music, opera, drama, dance, and other performing arts from the United States and other countries.”

I imagine that this impression has been shared countless times over the course of the Kennedy Center’s illustrious history as a living memorial to the performing arts in honor of a slain president. It is therefore even more troubling to witness the events that have recently transpired and their impact on this institution and all those who work there in fulfillment of its directive. Partisan politics now place the Kennedy Center’s mission, authorized by an act of Congress, in jeopardy for the first time in its existence.

Since the unprecedented takeover of the center, the reaction from both artists and audiences has had a devastating impact. Many artists have chosen to withdraw from their commitments at the center in protest of its management. This has effectively resulted in an exercise in self-censorship, as opposed to the intended goal.

Our national cultural center represents one of the world’s premier platforms for artistic expression. In a time of such historical importance like we are currently experiencing, why would artists choose silence over the opportunity to engage with their audiences and share their message directly?

President Kennedy said, “If sometimes our great artists have been the most critical of our society, it is because their sensitivity and their concern for justice, which must motivate any true artist, makes him aware that our nation falls short of its highest potential.”

Of no less significance is the impact to all of those working under union contracts at the Kennedy Center. Not only have boycotts proven extremely disruptive to their livelihoods, but the boycotts are increasingly becoming an existential threat. Audiences have also chosen to vote with their feet.

The result has been not to punish the center’s leadership, which remains in place, but rather to jeopardize the lives of the very people who have dedicated their careers to bringing these arts to life in fulfillment of the Kennedy Center’s mission. By way of analogy, this could be compared to a sports team whose home stadium naming rights were bought by an unscrupulous corporation. Would the team’s fan base withdraw their support of their team as a form of protest by not attending games?

That brings us to the current situation and the announcement, with six months’ notice, that the Kennedy Center will be closing for a period of two years for “renovations.” Several lawsuits have been filed in objection and are being monitored closely.

However, the potential success of this litigation won’t do anything to change the dynamic which currently exists. Only artists and audiences can do that. As President Kennedy’s words on the marble facade of the center remind us, “I am certain that after the dust of centuries has passed over our cities, we, too, will be remembered not for victories or defeats in battle or in politics, but for our contribution to the human spirit.”

I look forward to a time when we will once again gather to celebrate the arts at this amazing venue, when artists and audiences will once again feel welcome at our national cultural center to experience the transformative power of the performing arts, and when this living memorial is restored to its designated purpose.

Nothing Is Inevitable

Tension between musicians and technology has been going on since the beginning of time. Which came first, the modulating voice or the stick against a rock? Could the stick against the rock have been considered technology? What about instruments created through the centuries that emulate the sound of a voice but with different ranges, timbres, or increased technical capacity? Music making flexes, changes, and adapts to the tools available. It seems we’re living at a time in which everything is advancing at a faster and faster pace.

Keep in mind, we don’t make music for ourselves; it’s to resonate with others. There’s nothing like being in a group, band, or orchestra and really melding with the other musicians. The groove is there. Everyone is in tune with each other and playing together or off one another. The commingling of ideas, matching phrases, and conversing in sound is a truly unique form of communication that resonates with the music makers and the audience.

Different styles are created as the world becomes smaller and musicians are exposed to different instruments and rhythms. Musicians are inspired by each other, and it doesn’t matter who you are, what you look like, or where you came from. You don’t have to be able to speak to each other. Someone starts a tune and others join in and music is made.

Tensions seem to be everywhere, from advancing technology to a ridiculous and horrifying push toward isolationism. The macro is enforcing borders and building walls and the micro is creating a “new norm” for everyone to stay in their homes and stare at a screen. The movement from an interactive society to a hive of drones has been in the works for quite some time. The antiseptic, sterile, dystopian future is not inevitable, if we don’t allow it.

On the artistic side, we can make music that taps emotions and makes memories. Music brings people together to listen, dance, incite joy, feel sadness and love, and inspire action. We can fill auditoriums, theaters, and arenas with people smiling at each other with the excitement of a shared lived experience.

We have another side, which is our union. Together we can push back against the tech bros to ensure that music creators are compensated fairly. We can stand up for humanity by ensuring our legislative bodies are regulating media companies and corporations so that our intellectual properties are protected and creators are valued. We can enlist our communities to help make the concert experience available to all, not just the privileged. We need to call in our music making friends and family to join us in these efforts. Power is built one voice at a time, the root, the third, the fifth, and onward until the cacophony is overwhelming.

And on that note … hang in there and happy spring!