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.

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The FMSMF May Have Your Unclaimed Secondary Market Residuals

By Kim Roberts Hedgpeth, Fund Administrator, Film Musicians Secondary Markets Fund The Film Musicians Secondary Markets Fund (FMSMF) works to serve the film, television and music communities. To this end, the FMSMF is pleased to provide ongoing updates to International Musician. “New” Films: The FMSMF received residuals for 137 “new” titles during the first seven months […]

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Jason Gianni: Session Drummer Keeps a Full Schedule



St. Louis’s Muny Theatre, One of the Most Important Musical Theatres in America

The largest and oldest outdoor musical theatre in America started out in 1916 as a grassy little spot between two oak trees. Clear away some shrubs and small trees here, build a retaining wall there, and voilá! Such was the humble birth of The Muny Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri. Ninety-eight years later, The Muny […]

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Larger Orchestras Bring Excitement to Broadway Shows

While touring orchestration sizes remain a concern, the past few years have seen an encouraging return to original, large orchestras in revivals of classics on Broadway. For example, the revival of South Pacific at Lincoln Center Theater, which played sold out shows for two years (2008-2010) used a 29-piece orchestra, as does the upcoming revival […]

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It Takes More than Just a Passport: Preparing for Foreign Gigging

by Michael Manley, AFM Touring/Theatre/Booking and Immigration Division Director and Assistant to the President  In a landscape where an artist’s big break can take place on YouTube as often as in a concert hall or club, musicians can reach an international audience with a few swipes of a tablet screen. Jazz artists and indie bands […]

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Meet the Staff of the AFM’s Touring, Theatre, Booking and Immigration Division

If you’ve ever had questions about traveling engagements, touring with a show or artist, or questions about foreign ensembles performing in the US, chances are you have contacted the AFM’s Touring/Theatre/Booking and Immigration Division. This past year the division said farewell to former Director Steve Gelfand and welcomed Michael Manley, who returns to the post […]

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Touring and Theatre Special

by Michael Manley, Director AFM Touring/Theatre/Booking and Immigration Division and Assistant to the President I am proud to introduce this month’s International Musician, which focuses on Touring and Theatre. Our cover story features the touring production of the most successful show in history, Disney’s The Lion King, which has been on the road continuously since […]

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MusiCares: Help Is Available

Tough the music industry grosses more than $50 billion a year, the very people whose creativity and ingenuity fuel this massive cash machine frequently have few places to turn in troubled times. The Recording Academy established the MusiCares Foundation more than 20 years ago to help musicians faced with often insurmountable health and financial hardships. […]

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Be Prepared to Cross Borders for Showcases, Competition, or Other Business

by Robert Baird, President Baird Artists Management (BAM!) Artists often ask if they can cross a border freely to do a showcase, enter a competition, or for other business purposes. Sometimes it is possible to do so without a visa or to use a different form of visa. Every artist needs to adopt the Boy […]

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Planning Your Operations and Infrastructure: What Support Do I Need to Build My Business?

by John Stiernberg, member Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA) There’s a difference between your strategic plan and your operating plan. The strategic plan describes the foundation of your business over the next three to five years. Your operating plan answers the question, “How am I going to hit the numbers this year and next?” What […]

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