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 1, 2020
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has issued a ruling ordering European Union countries to treat music creators equally regardless of their nationality, recognizing this as an important milestone in the fight to ensure music fairness. The ECJ ruling stemmed from a case in Ireland regarding whether US music creators should be paid royalties when […]
October 1, 2020
Robert “Doc” Morgan is the 2020 inductee into DownBeat magazine’s Jazz Education Hall of Fame. Now retired, Morgan served for 23 years as director of jazz studies at Houston’s Kinder High School for Performing and Visual Arts, the school that has spawned so many of the jazz world’s current pacesetters, including: • Mark Kelley, Local […]
October 1, 2020
Financial Assistance Extended From 6 to 24 Weeks, Only One Application Form After eight years of work, the Toronto Musicians’ Association (TMA) has created a new benevolent fund that will augment existing programs to help members through times of financial need due to long-term illness. The Member Assistance Fund (MAF) became fully implemented this past […]
August 31, 2020
The International Executive Board of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM) has announced its endorsement of Joe Biden for president in the 2020 election. In announcing the union’s endorsement, AFM International President Raymond M. Hair, Jr. issued the following statement: “For musicians who are concerned about providing for […]
August 31, 2020
CBC Music has announced its annual “30 under 30” list, celebrating the accomplishments of Canada’s emerging classical musicians. “They’re winning competitions and awards, graduating from top music schools, [and] making exciting debuts,” according to CBC Music. A number of musicians on the list are members of the AFM, including: Elizabeth Skinner, 29, violinist and member of […]
August 31, 2020
Alan Menken, a member of Local 802 (New York City) for the past 44 years, recently joined the illustrious EGOT club, following his daytime Emmy win on July 26. His Emmy win for outstanding original song in a children’s, young adult, or animated program (for Disney Channel’s Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure) makes him only the 16th […]
August 31, 2020
Musicians on the NBC reality show The Voice have been underpaid, and sometimes not paid at all, for their work—which has led the union to file a lawsuit against production company 212 Productions LLC for breach of its collective bargaining agreement. The suit, which seeks damages for all unpaid wages, fees, premiums, and residuals, plus […]
August 31, 2020
AFM applauded the introduction of legislation in late July that would fix issues that musicians and other entertainment workers have had with unemployment benefits. The Mixed Earner Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Act, introduced by U.S. Representatives Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Judy Chu (D-CA), would help ensure that workers who earn a mix of traditional (W-2) and […]
August 28, 2020
On Friday, August 7, the AFM International Executive Board (IEB) met by Zoom meeting to discuss the possibility of endorsing a candidate in the upcoming US presidential election. All IEB members were present for the meeting. The IEB is very much aware that we have a diverse membership that has views that cover a wide […]
July 28, 2020
The Musicians Foundation recently received a $25,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to be used to organize a national conference of organizations that assist professional performing artists in times of need and crisis. The conference, which gains urgency and a new significance in the COVID-19 pandemic, is currently slated to take place […]