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 17, 2014
Pat Metheny of Local 34-627 (Kansas City, MO) is one of the most versatile guitarists and composers ever. He’s had Grammy nominations in numerous categories, and although he’s most well known as a jazz guitarist, much of his music resists categorization, and that’s exactly how he wants it to be. Metheny was raised in the […]
Read MoreFebruary 17, 2014
Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA) member Norman Ludwin will offer a half-day orchestration seminar to members of Local 161-710 (Washington, DC), Local 9-535 (Boston, MA), and Local 149 (Toronto, ON) this spring. Ludwin has been working in the recording industry as an orchestrator and bassist for more than 35 years. Recent orchestration credits include Priest, Super-8, and John Carter. […]
Read MoreFebruary 17, 2014
In a February press release the Writers Guild of America, East, announced its opposition to the Comcast/NBCUniversal takeover of Time Warner, reiterating concerns over consolidation in both distribution and production portions of the media industry that it expressed in 2010 about Comcast’s takeover of NBCUniversal. Comcast/NBCUniversal is currently thwarting efforts of writer-producers at NBCUniversal-owned Peacock Productions to […]
Read MoreFebruary 16, 2014
On February 13, President Barack Obama announced his nomination of Dr. Jane Chu as Chair of the National Endowment for the Arts. Chu is President and CEO of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, Missouri, a position she has held since 2006. Chu received a B.M. in Piano Performance and a B.M.Ed. in Music […]
Read MoreFebruary 14, 2014
Though most well-known for his almost 30 years as a drummer for the Grateful Dead, Mickey Hart of Local 6 (San Francisco, CA) has built a name for himself as an explorer of music and music cultures worldwide. But, his latest project has taken him even further, on a quest to discover the rhythm of […]
Read MoreFebruary 14, 2014
From Musician to Producer Like many musicians, Ray Chew of Local 802 (New York City) attributes his love for music to the exposure he had as a child, and the inspiration he received from his parents. “My father played piano and used to sit me on his knee when I was three or four,” he […]
Read MoreFebruary 14, 2014
Chloe Charles of Local 1000 just wrapped up performing at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas, for the second year in a row. But because she was also slated to perform at Canadian Music Week, she didn’t stay for the duration of the festival. She did, however, make the most of her time there. She […]
Read MoreFebruary 14, 2014
Chameleonic Classicist Although she has a master’s degree in classical performance, violinist Nina Di Gregorio of Local 369 (Las Vegas, NV) has spent the last several years plugged in with Bella Electric Strings, the quartet she formed, which is heavily influenced by rock ‘n’ roll. “I never played rock music until about seven years ago,” […]
Read MoreFebruary 14, 2014
Los Lonely Boys, members of Local 433 (Austin, TX), are a first-degree Texas success story that began before the musicians were born. Their father, Enrique Garza, played music with his brothers growing up. And Henry, JoJo, and Ringo, the brothers who make up Los Lonely Boys, have been playing music together since childhood, when they […]
Read MoreFebruary 14, 2014
Glenn Dicterow lists Jascha Heifetz, David Oistrakh, and Nathan Milstein as some of his favorite violinists. They aren’t unusual choices, but what’s different is Dicterow’s reason for picking them. He doesn’t cite these master violinists’ technique, tone, or musicality—though those things undoubtedly factor in. What he admires most is their combination of humility and ambition. […]
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