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.
February 1, 2024
During Black History Month the AFM celebrates Black artists whose music changed the world. From Robert Johnson’s blues to Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s pop-gospel, they are indelibly linked to a cultural framework in American history, rooted in social justice. Yet, it’s impossible to discuss AFM history and its fight for musician rights without examining the segregation […]
Read MoreFebruary 1, 2024
Leta E. Miller follows the AFM’s history of Black locals, which were chartered alongside white locals in the same territories, from their origins and successes in the 1920s through Depression-era crises to the fraught process of desegregation in the 1960s and 1970s. Millier details how Black AFM locals sought to ensure employment and competitive wages for members with always evolving […]
Read MoreFebruary 1, 2024
Gadd: A Live in Time is heavily illustrated with nearly 200 photographs of Steve Gadd, the much-celebrated and in-demand drummer of Local 802 (New York City). He was introduced to the drums at age three by his uncle, a former Army drummer, who gave him his first pair of sticks. Gadd was prodigious, quickly absorbing […]
Read MoreFebruary 1, 2024
After decades of decline, fatal coronary heart disease may rise again unless Americans modify three major risk factors: smoking, drinking, and obesity, according to a new study out of Rutgers University. For musicians, hectic schedules, late-night gigs, rehearsals, and touring often mean less time devoted to diet and exercise. Between 1990 and 2019, the US […]
Read MoreJanuary 31, 2024
Name a style of music, and Chester Thompson of Locals 257 (Nashville, TN) and 47 (Los Angeles, CA) has probably had some experience playing it. For example, he was a drummer with the jazz fusion band Weather Report, and from there moved to the completely different job of touring drummer for Genesis. “Oh, and in […]
Read MoreJanuary 23, 2024
A little rain couldn’t dampen the high spirits of close to 300 AFM members and supporters during a morning rally and press conference on January 22 in front of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) headquarters in Sherman Oaks, California, on the first day of negotiations for the Motion Picture/TV Film contract. […]
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January 1, 2024
Local 293 (Hamilton, ON) secured funding from the Music Performance Trust Fund (MPTF) to sponsor a Fall School Concert Tour with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra (HPO) throughout the Hamilton-Wentworth School District’s 13 secondary schools. “We managed to get MPTF funding for 16 in-school performances and one big Christmas presentation at First Ontario Concert Hall,” says Local […]
Read MoreJanuary 1, 2024
Bruce Dukov may be one of the most famous violinists you’ve never heard of. Behind the screen, in the world of film and TV music, he’s left an indelible mark. His virtuosic solo playing accompanied the comedic antics of Leslie Nielsen in the film Wrongfully Accused, and in Analyze This, he showcased an opulent solo with passages […]
Read MoreJanuary 1, 2024
Beginning 2024 with Renewed Focus and Strength by Wages Argott, AFM Director of Freelance Services and Membership Development For many freelance and independent musicians, the thought of organized labor has long been reserved for those in service industries, manufacturing, trades, and public service. Regardless of the discipline, the gains achieved through collective power can’t be […]
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