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.
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.
August 15, 2018
More than just a hometown favorite, the Atlanta Pops Orchestra has become a touring ensemble that regularly performs with an array of artists, like Chloë Agnew, formerly of Celtic Woman, John Driskell Hopkins of the Zac Brown Band, Broadway’s Craig Schulman, and hard-bop trumpeter Joe Gransden.
August 8, 2018
In a town where entrée can tax the most driven of performers, award-winning “Best of Las Vegas” trumpeter and producer David Perrico of Local 369 (Las Vegas, NV) has not only succeeded, but a few years ago he expanded his shows to include the Pop Strings Orchestra, his third band that actively plays along the Strip.
July 2, 2018
With construction on phase 1 of the new Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA) Burbank headquarters complete, around 300 musicians, dignitaries, and friends turned up on May 21 to celebrate.
June 15, 2018
This month, Nasar Abadey, drummer, bandleader, and educator will receive the DC Jazz Festival Lifetime Achievement Award, alongside Cuban pianist Chucho Valdés.
June 4, 2018
Rex Allen came of age at the height of rock and roll, but he pursued more unconventional music as a teenager in the 1960s—the sound of swing.