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 29, 2019
Throughout a successful career and a slew of highpoints and “firsts,” classical guitarist Claude Sirois of Local 406 (Montreal, QC) remains committed to family and to community.
May 22, 2019
Warren Howe of Local 161-710 (Washington, DC), former percussionist for the West Point Band, is writing the complete history of the band.
April 16, 2019
For the last 18 years, Benoit Glazer of Local 389 (Orlando, FL) and his wife Elaine Corriveau have run the Timucua Arts Foundation—until recently, a self-funded nonprofit that began in their living room.
April 9, 2019
In March, the Music Performance Trust Fund (MPTF) launched an uplifting documentary, Never Too Old. The film spotlights the experience live music performances create for performing musicians and their audiences as they come together at three senior centers located in New York City, New Orleans, and the Los Angeles area.
March 1, 2019
A longtime member of Local 802 (New York City), Finck first joined AFM Local 66 (Rochester, NY) while attending Eastman School of Music.
February 15, 2019
The internationally renowned violinist Rachel Barton Pine’s Music by Black Composers (MBC) project has collected about 900 works by more than 350 black composers from the 19th through 21st centuries.
February 8, 2019
Saxophonist Gerald Albright of Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA) has dominated contemporary jazz since the 1980s. Albright made a name for himself as an R&B instrumentalist and his venerated status in the studio as a skilled session musician resulted in solo contracts with major labels.
January 15, 2019
In his new CD, Renascence, Mike Daly showcases the range of the steel guitar with original tracks featuring artists who unearth sounds that are decidedly nontraditional—and not country.
January 13, 2019
From Broadway’s Jersey Boys to Gigging with Queen, Bassist Ken Dow is in Demand Ken Dow, of Local 325 (San Diego, CA) is the original bassist for the worldwide hit musical Jersey Boys. He worked with multiple Tony Award-winner Des McAnuff since the show’s inception at La Jolla Playhouse, and performed the show nightly on […]
January 8, 2019
Local 149 (Toronto, ON) members and children’s music duo Sharon Hampson and Bram Morrison will take to the road one last time before officially retiring from touring in 2019.