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

Department Reports, Freelance Services

From San Juan to Ottawa: FMA’s Journey to Official Recognition

by Wages Argott, AFM Director of Freelance Services and Membership Development April 16 marked a historic and truly meaningful turning point in the history of the AFM. At the quarterly meeting of the International Executive Board in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the AFM’s elected leadership voted unanimously to officially recognize the Freelance Musicians Association (FMA) […]


Decades in the Making: Freelance Musicians Gain a Formal Voice Within the AFM

by Nate Omdal, Freelance Musicians Association President and Local 76-493 (Seattle, WA) President The Freelance Musicians Association (FMA) is the result of a 20-year project that many AFM officers and staff have given their time and expertise to see become a reality. Over the last few weeks, many folks have asked me, “Why do you […]


Building for the Future: AFM Organizing Services Comes of Age

by Gabe Kristal, AFM Director of Organizing Services My tenure as director of the AFM Organizing Services Department is nearing two and a half years, although it feels as if I just started yesterday. It is a daunting challenge to create a department from whole cloth. We have worked to build Organizing Services with equal […]


Building Fairness for Substitute and Extra Musicians; Welcoming New Negotiators

In August 2015, more than 10 years ago, I wrote in these pages about the inequity and divisiveness of the widespread practice of individually negotiated discretionary overscale for certain “star” musicians. In the same column, I discussed the equally damaging practice of compensating subs and extras at rates below the standard per service rate for […]


On the Road: Delivering the Union Message on the Conference Circuit

The AFM is dedicated to strengthening organizing and collective power through its “Stronger Together” campaign. This initiative combines educational events with direct outreach to musicians to raise awareness of the union among musicians and future members. In December, at the Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference in Chicago, the AFM partnered with Local 10-208 […]


True Concord Orchestra Musicians Demand Recognition

After 18 months of administrative stalling, the musicians of True Concord Orchestra (TCO) and members of Local 33 (Tucson, AZ) took their fight for professional dignity to the streets of Tucson in January. Despite unionizing under Local 33 in early 2024, the musicians are still waiting for management to recognize their status and begin the […]


Freelance Services Department 2026

From Vision to Action: A Look at the Growing Movement for Freelance Musicians As we kick off another year with the annual Freelance Services Department spotlight issue of the International Musician, it may seem a little hackneyed to once again be trumpeting (pun always intended) another new era for the Freelance Services Department and independent […]


Fueling Local Growth: Innovative Programs Supported by Freelance Co-funding

by Wages Argott, AFM Director of Freelance Services and Membership Development Local leaders ask me all the time for ideas about how to employ Freelance Co-funding for their membership. Freelance Co-funding program is defined in AFM Bylaws as “[a]n operating budget of $100,000 annually … allocated to a program whose sole purpose is to assist […]


FMA: A Unified Voice for Freelance and Independent Musicians

by Wages Argott, AFM Director of Freelance Services and Membership Development By now I’m sure many of you may have either seen some correspondence or heard mention of the Freelance Musicians Association (FMA). So what exactly is this latest acronym and why should you care? The simplest answer is this: the FMA is a binational […]


YOLA Teaching Artists File to Unionize with Local 47

Teaching artists (TAs) at Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA) filed for union representation under AFM Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA), marking a major organizing push across program sites at Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA), Inglewood, and Torres. The HOLA site had a National Labor Relations Board election in early December and won union recognition overwhelmingly. […]








NEWS


https://totoabadi25.com/ abadicash abadislot Menara368 royalbola abadislot abadislot menara368 abadicash menara368 totoabadi Menara368