Decades in the Making: Freelance Musicians Gain a Formal Voice Within the AFM

June 1, 2026

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by Nate Omdal, Freelance Musicians Association President and Local 76-493 (Seattle, WA) President

The Freelance Musicians Association (FMA) is the result of a 20-year project that many AFM officers and staff have given their time and expertise to see become a reality. Over the last few weeks, many folks have asked me, “Why do you think this happened now?” In my opinion, we have collectively been “stacking wins” with regards to freelance organizing and it just seemed like some good was bound to happen.

I think our journey toward becoming a player conference started with the Fair Trade Music campaign, brought forth by former AFM Vice President Bruce Fife. Our movement in Seattle was based on the guidance from a mentor named Paul Bigman who had a long and storied career as an organizer. Bigman taught our activists how to build a community campaign and reach out to stakeholders. A large part of our success throughout the Fair Trade movement would not have been possible without Bigman, who sadly passed away in the summer of 2023.

During the pandemic, our organizing took a slight detour, as most things did. While we were all at home, we used the time to learn from each other. We held numerous meetings, trainings, organizing sessions, and happy hours, to learn about the uniqueness of each region, not just politically but artistically. We did what we could to help each other navigate what was a confusing and stressful time for everyone. We also created the “Independent Gigging Musicians” movement during the pandemic, which continues to meet. It served as a placeholder for much of the work to be done in the FMA.

An advisory board was created to develop the strategic plan to reach our goal of forming a new player conference. With some specific guidance from the AFM International Executive Board (IEB) and Secretary-Treasurer Ken Shirk, our advisory board set to work. This group held open forums and town halls that many AFM members attended. It helped raise awareness of the issues many musicians face when working without an employer in place.

Our group is currently working on many exciting campaigns that I know will be impactful for musicians everywhere. I am thrilled with the initial conversations that our group has had, and I’m excited to deliver some much-needed information to officers across the continent. We have a great list of campaigns and projects that we have already begun sorting through with help and guidance from the Federation. I am very excited to see our player conference provide some new information and tools for all local officers and staff.

I would like to thank the advisory board, which included Local 6 (San Francisco, CA) President Kale Cumings; Local 7 (Orange County-Long Beach, CA) President Edmund Velasco and Secretary Tammy Noreyko; and Local 368 (Reno, NV) President and Secretary John Shipley. AFM Vice President from Canada Allistair Elliott and AFM Communications Director Antoinette Follett have provided incredible staff support. I am grateful to AFM Freelance Services and Membership Development Director Wages Argott and Cumings for making our final, official presentation. We would not have gotten past the finish line without their efforts. I’d like to recognize former Freelance Services Director Paul Sharpe for launching this campaign over 20 years ago.

I would also like to thank the IEB for their support and unanimous approval of our final petition, as well as AFM International President Tino Gagliardi and Secretary-Treasurer Shirk for their guidance and support throughout the entire process.

If you (or someone you know) would like to get involved, please visit our website at www.AFMfreelance.org to join the Freelance Musicians Association, sign up for a committee, or find a way to get involved.

Our movement is just starting to grow, and our future looks bright!

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