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.
November 1, 2014
IM -New York State music industry stakeholders, including AFM Local 802 (New York City), The Recording Academy, and BMI, among many others, have formed the New York Is Music coalition to increase awareness for the music industry’s economic impact; advocate for initiatives to retain/grow music industry jobs; and support music heritage and education in New York State. The coalition’s first initiative is to support passage of the Empire State Music Production Tax Credit, modeled in part after the state’s successful film tax credit program. The bill would provide companies and individuals who record and produce music in New York State with a 20% income tax credit for qualifying expenditures.
“We are losing quality jobs and tax revenues to states and countries that have begun to offer targeted and thoughtful incentives to the multi-billion dollar global music industry,” says New York State Assemblyman Joseph Lentol (D-NY), who introduced the bill. “If New York State is to remain the pre-eminent location for the music industry in the world, we have to put our minds together and come up with an effective approach that includes every segment of the music industry.”