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.
October 13, 2016
IM -Congratulations to Local 802 (New York City) member Bob Dylan, 75, who was just awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. The Nobel Committee said it selected the singer-songwriter for “having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.” “Since the late 1980s, Bob Dylan has toured persistently, an undertaking called the ‘Never-Endin Tour.’ Dylan has the status of an icon. His influence on contemporary music is profound, and he is the object of a steady stream of secondary literature,” the committee added Committee Secretary Sara Danius called Dylan “a great poet of the English-speaking tradition,” comparing him to ancient Greek poets Homer and Sappho. It is the first time in 23 years that an American has won the world’s most prestigious prize in literature. The prize, including 8 million Swedish kronor (about $900,000) is given based on the recipient’s lifetime of writing, rather than a single work. Dylan is the award’s 108th winner. Past Nobel laureates in literature include Toni Morrison, Rudyard Kipling, William Faulkner, John Steinbeck, and Gabríel Gárcia Marquez.