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.
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.
December 1, 2018
Drummer and percussionist Sean J. Kennedy first joined Local 45 (Lehigh Valley, PA) and later transferred to Local 341 (Norristown, PA). He says, “It was amazing how much networking was immediately available. Area musicians and the people I knew increased rapidly, just by joining the local.”
December 1, 2018
Jazz and access to like-minded artists drew Jinjoo Yoo to New York City. The 29-year-old South Korean pianist enrolled in the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College in 2015, earning a master’s degree in jazz performance in 2017.
November 14, 2018
This past summer, the Kingdom Hearts Orchestra tour made its way across the country with 11 stops, from Boston to Las Vegas. The tour employed nine touring principal musicians covered under an AFM agreement and hired 52 additional local musicians at each stop to fill out the complement.
October 24, 2018
Steve Curry (singer) formed a classic rock trio a few years ago with veteran Texas musicians and union members Mark Baker (drums) and Greg New (bass). Their band, The Vinyl Stripes, pays homage to a time when turntables, not streaming services, ruled the airwaves.
September 20, 2018
Bruce Gertz has been on the Boston jazz scene for 42 years. A bassist, composer, and producer, he’s also an educator, joining a coterie of top players on the faculty of his alma mater, the Berklee College of Music.
September 13, 2018
When he’s touring the US this fall, singer-songwriter Radney Foster of Local 257 (Nashville, TN) will add book signings to his schedule. Last year, he released a collection of short stories, For You to See the Stars, complete with a companion CD.