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.

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International Musician

David Weckl

Drummer Dave Weckl of Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA) first joined the union “way back” in the ’70s in his hometown, St. Louis, Missouri, when he started working in clubs at a young age. “Back in the day you had to be in the union to work with other union musicians, so it wasn’t a […]


David Sanborn: Crossing Genres and Generations

It almost seems like it would be easier to list the people that David Sanborn of Local 802 (New York City) has not played with than those he’s performed or recorded with. His long list of memorable collaborations began when he was just a kid sitting in with Little Milton and Albert King at a […]


Bobby Sanabria: Advocate and Actvist

Percussionist Bobby Sanabria of Local 802 (New York City) has always stood up for what he believes in. Last year, when the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) announced that it would be eliminating 31 categories of Grammy Awards, including Latin Jazz, Sanabria couldn’t just sit idly by. “You have a moral obligation […]


Jason Moran: Restless & Revolutionary

Jason Moran is changing the future of jazz one note at a time Jason Moran has never liked being placed in a genre-box. Like a child restlessly contained in a classroom, Moran is always squirming his way around the rules and out of confinement. But the Local 802 (New York City) member knows how to […]


Yannick Nézet-Séguin: A Vision for the Philadelphia Orchestra

In June 2010, Yannick Nézet-Séguin made an important conducting appearance in Philadelphia—?but he wasn’t at the famed Kimmel Center or the Academy of Music, and he wasn’t conducting the city’s treasured Philadelphia Orchestra. In fact, he wasn’t in front of an orchestra at all. The Montreal native and conducting superstar was leading a crowd of […]


3 Arrested in Connection with the Stradivarius Violin Theft

The Milwaukee County district attorney’s office has confirmed that three people were arrested in connection with the Stradivarius violin that was stolen from the concertmaster of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra last week.  No other information was revealed about the arrests, and it still remains unclear if the violin has been recovered. The violin, known as […]


Edward Ringwald: Ontario Steel Guitarist Swings with Authority


Eddie Vallus: Celebrating 50 Years


Cory Pesaturo: DIY Booking Propels Accordion Career


Jimmy Ford: To the Beat of Ford Drum








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