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, 2021
At the end of October, San Francisco Symphony musicians ratified a 25-month contract modification that runs from October 18, 2020, through November 26, 2022. The orchestra’s salary was first reduced to 90% of regular wages beginning in April 2020 and then to 65% of regular wages beginning in September. With the new contract modification, the […]
Read MoreJanuary 1, 2021
She asked for a drum set. She got a banjo. The rest is jazz history. As a child, Cynthia Sayer got bribed by her parents with a banjo—and ended up finding her musical niche. Sayer found her first musical love in the piano, which she started playing at age six. She also learned and played […]
Read MoreJanuary 1, 2021
President-Elect Joe Biden has nominated Katherine Tai to be the US Trade Representative for the incoming administration. If confirmed by the Senate, Tai, who currently serves as the chief trade counsel for the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, would play a key role in negotiating trade agreements with China and other countries. She would […]
Read MoreJanuary 1, 2021
Union Plus recently awarded $300,000 in scholarships to 215 students representing 43 unions, including two winners representing the American Federation of Musicians (AFM). This year’s group of scholarship recipients includes university, college, and trade or technical school students from 38 states. The AFM winners are: • Hannah Kavanaugh of Independence, Missouri. Kavanaugh, whose father, Keith […]
Read MoreJanuary 1, 2021
Hardanger Fiddler Rachel Nesvig on Finding Her Niche and Learning to Let Go Rachel Nesvig was 16 years old the first time she truly experienced the music of a Hardanger fiddle, the national folk instrument of Norway. “I remember sitting on a pillow on the ground and being maybe three feet away from [educator] Karin […]
Read MoreJanuary 1, 2021
The Americana Music Association honored the late John Prine during the 19th annual Americana Honors & Awards on December 15, 2020. Prine, a member of Local 257 (Nashville, TN) before he died in April 2020 at age 73 due to complications related to COVID-19, was named the AMA 2020 Artist of the Year. The 2003 […]
Read MoreJanuary 1, 2021
In late August, the musicians of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra ratified a one-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that runs from September 13, 2020 and continues through September 12, 2021; with all terms of the previous agreement restored on the final day, prior to expiration. The orchestra agreed to a 10% across the board cut in […]
Read MoreJanuary 1, 2021
In late October, the musicians of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra (KCOHO) and Washington National Opera (WNO), members of Local 161-710 (Washington, DC), ratified modifications to the third year of their agreements that expire on August 31, 2021. Musicians had previously agreed in April 2020 to a 25% cut in all scale wages for […]
Read MoreJanuary 1, 2021
Musicians of the Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra have ratified a one-year contract modification that runs from July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021. Although management had aimed for a longer-term contract, musicians succeeded in keeping the concessionary terms to one year only. In August, Chicago Lyric Opera invoked force majeure and stopped paying wages to […]
Read MoreJanuary 1, 2021
The Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra (HSO) and Local 269 (Harrisburg, PA) have agreed that the 77 musicians of the HSO will be paid 60% of their customary wages for 2020-21. Additionally, those musicians who perform in-person productions in Harrisburg will receive their per service rates, travel per diem, and single room accommodation over and above the […]
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