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.
October 7, 2014
Johnny Cash Exhibit The Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix is getting a new addition to its already astounding collection. A Johnny Cash exhibit honoring the country music star along with the the Carter family has been unveiled. This exhibit features items never displayed for the public by what is considered the family that popularized country music. John Carter Cash […]
October 1, 2014
Legislation was introduced today in the US Congress to amend Section 181 of the US tax code that would disqualify producers from obtaining taxpayer money to subsidize their films, if US jobs are offshored. Section 181 is currently worth $400 million in yearly subsidies to the motion picture industry. H.R 5497, the Film Incentive Reform […]
October 1, 2014
The AFM, along with Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA) and the Recording Musicians Association of Los Angeles (RMALA), applauded California state leaders for expanding California’s Film and Television Job Retention Act. The passage of AB 1839 expands funding to $330 million per year for the next five years, more than tripling the current allocation. The […]
October 1, 2014
October 1, 2014
The AFM has been made aware of recent cases of fraudulent companies promising expedited P-2 visas. “These individuals ask musicians to sign an affidavit and then have them wire money for the ‘expedited visa,’” explains Liana White, executive director, Canadian Federation of Musicians. “After receiving money from the musician, they then tell the musician they […]
October 1, 2014
AFM members release a new satirical song mocking LionsGate Entertainment for placing profits ahead of people by outsourcing jobs. The AFM’s ListenUp! Campaign is focused on ending offshoring of musician jobs. The song says: “We’re outsourcing workers; we don’t want to stop. We’re concentrating profits right here at the top!” To listen to the tune […]
October 1, 2014
New York City jazz artists and their supporters testified before the City Council Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries, and International Intergroup Relations and Committee on Civil Service & Labor requesting they endorse Resolution 207-A in support of Local 802’s (New York City) Justice for Jazz Artists Campaign. Some of the world’s best jazz artists spend […]
September 30, 2014
In a ruling that was 11 years in the making, the National Labor Relations Board found overwhelming evidence of anti-union animus at CNN. It ordered the cable news channel to “make whole” more than 300 employees who lost jobs or benefits under the company’s phony reorganization scheme. The company must also restore any bargaining unit […]
September 3, 2014
September 3, 2014