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



Home » Recent News » Bidding War for Prince’s Vault


Bidding War for Prince’s Vault

  -  

According to Billboard, there’s a bidding war between three major labels to acquire the bounty of unreleased music contained within Prince’s Paisley Park vault. The former member of Local 30-73 (St. Paul-Minneapolis, MN) member was known for advocating for the rights of musicians against the often exploitative practices of those in the music industry.

Estate advisers Charles Koppelman and L. Londell McMillan are shopping the musical holdings for $35 million, Billboard‘s source says. Apparently, Sony, Warner Bros., and Universal have all submitted offers, although each declined to comment.

The vault in the Paisley Park basement—reportedly with time lock and large spinning combination handles, which only Prince knew how to open—contains thousands of hours of unheard live and studio material. Prince would spend days recording the projects that were more likely to end up in a pile on the floor than released on record, Paisley Park employees say. The full collection has yet to be catalogued

Ownership is also an item of contention. The recordings were made by Prince and reside in Prince’s vault, but Prince himself was under a much-maligned contract with Warner Bros. from 1977 to the 1990s and after that, he signed to a series of short-term and one-off deals with Universal, Sony, Epic, and others who, ostensibly could swoop in to lay claim.







NEWS