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.
May 31, 2019
IM -In his third solo album, Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA) member Blake Mills offers five instrumental tracks composed entirely on vintage Roland guitar synthesizers. “The music on Look was not created with the intention of ever being heard,” Mills explains of the 25-minute record. “In the spring of 2017, I discovered a small collection of vintage guitar synthesizers that Roland made at the end of the 1970s. These machines were totally unfamiliar to me but immediately intuitive and inspiring. Since they rarely produce the same results twice, my process of learning how to play these instruments was through recording them. Look is a document of that experience; improvisational and exploratory music elaborated upon with the help of [other] musicians.”
Mills is an acclaimed guitarist, songwriter, composer, and producer. He has released two previous albums—Break Mirrors and Heigh Ho—and won a Grammy Award for his production work on Alabama Shakes’ album Sound & Color, and has twice been nominated Producer of the Year.