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 28, 2023
IM -The actors’ strike is over, with the union approving an agreement with Hollywood studios in November. Leaders of the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) characterized the deal as a big win, with the contract achieving significant breakthroughs on actors’ pay and putting guardrails on the industry’s use of generative artificial intelligence (AI).
Performers will earn a 7% wage increase effective immediately. That initial pay hike will be followed by a 4% increase on July 1, 2024, and a 3.5% increase on July 1, 2025.
Background actors, stand-ins, and photo doubles will immediately earn an 11% wage increase, followed by the same 4% and 3.5% hikes as general performers in 2024 and 2025.
The new contract calls for actors to earn “a success payment,” along with the usual residual payments, if they work on streaming projects that attract a significant number of viewers.
On high-budget streaming productions, streaming producers will be required to disclose the total number of hours the content was streamed in the US, Canada, and abroad for each quarter.
The most contentious issue was AI. Film and TV producers must now obtain consent from actors to create and use their digital replicas, as well as specify how they intend to use that digital likeness. Actors are entitled to compensation at their usual rate for the number of days they would otherwise have been paid for the work being performed by a digital replica.