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.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE AFM

IM



Film Musicians Secondary Markets Fund End of Year Round-Up

The Film Musicians Secondary Markets Fund (FMSMF) works to serve the film, television, and music communities and meet the needs of film musicians whose talents fuel the industry. To this end, the FMSMF is pleased to provide ongoing updates to the International Musician for the benefit of AFM memb

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Keith Lockhart Honored with Commonwealth Award

Boston Pops Orchestra Conductor and Local 9-535 (Boston, MA) member Keith Lockhart was received the 2017 Commonwealth Achievement Award.

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Film and Television Tax Credits: Big Business and Critical to Entertainment Industry Labor

Beginning in 1995 with a federal tax credit program, and followed soon after by provincial tax credit programs, Canada began investing in both creating a domestic film industry, and luring production jobs from elsewhere to Canada. Producers quickly followed the money.

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Don’t Fret: Cubital Tunnel Syndrome Is Treatable

People often refer to any hand and wrist ailment as carpal tunnel syndrome, but ulnar tunnel syndrome (also called cubital tunnel syndrome) affects a specific part of the hand. Symptoms include numbness and tingling in the fifth digit (pinky finger) and half of the ring finger.

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What the Trump Administration Means for Musicians

by John Acosta, AFM International Executive Board Member and President of Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA) With many voters, pundits, and pollsters still recovering from the unexpected results of our last presidential election, I find that it is critical for us to focus on what this means for our union and how it may impact […]

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Auto Worker Raises Bode Well for Retailers

About 60,000 autoworkers in Michigan and 148,000 nationwide will have extra cash to spend this month and next as profit-sharing checks from Detroit’s Big Three arriv

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Professor Jon Damian Taps into the Universe for Inspiration

At Berklee College of Music, professor and guitarist Jon Damian of Local 9-535 (Boston, MA) says, “When I’m teaching, I’m composing. I have to be able to compose on the spot as an example. It’s important to be able to see it actually come alive in someone’s hands and face. Teaching and composing, writing, they work in tandem.”

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Musical Brain Scans

Mark Doidge of Toronto, Ontario, creates three-dimensional “movies” of brain activity from a clinical electroencephalogram (EEG), which he calls “portaits” of your mind

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Music Improves Reaction Times

A study from the University of Montreal published in Brain and Cognition showed that musical training leads to faster reactions times.

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Piano Tuner Strikes Gold

A piano tuner in Shropshire, England, discovered a hoard of gold coins concealed in a piano that had been donated to a local community group.

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