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.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE AFM

Recent News

Silence: There’s an App for That

There’s a new app that allows you to down and upload composer John Cage’s 4’33” with your phone. Perhaps his most well-known composition, 4’33” is a piece performed without deliberate sound, but rather it’s four minutes and 33 seconds of environmental noises. Users of the app are invited to upload a three-minute “performance” of ambient sounds in their […]


Six String Theory Competition

Lee Ritenour Local 47 (Los Angeles) is currently running his Six String Theory Competition.  Ritenour’s Six String Theory is a global, non-profit music competition in guitar, bass, piano/keys and drums offering winners professional opportunities in performing, recording, Berklee College of Music scholarships, Yamaha instruments and more. Along with Berklee, Yamaha, Monster, Montreux Jazz Festival and […]


Orchestration Course Offered to Members in Boston, Washington, DC, and Toronto

Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA) member Norman Ludwin will offer a half-day orchestration seminar to members of Local 161-710 (Washington, DC), Local 9-535 (Boston, MA), and Local 149 (Toronto, ON) this spring. Ludwin has been working in the recording industry as an orchestrator and bassist for more than 35 years. Recent orchestration credits include Priest, Super-8, and John Carter. […]


WGA Opposes Comcast/NBC Takeover of Time Warner

In a February press release the Writers Guild of America, East, announced its opposition to the Comcast/NBCUniversal takeover of Time Warner, reiterating concerns over consolidation in both distribution and production portions of the media industry that it expressed in 2010 about Comcast’s takeover of NBCUniversal. Comcast/NBCUniversal is currently thwarting efforts of writer-producers at NBCUniversal-owned Peacock Productions to […]


Obama Nominates NEA Chair

On February 13, President Barack Obama announced his nomination of Dr. Jane Chu as Chair of the National Endowment for the Arts. Chu is President and CEO of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, Missouri, a position she has held since 2006. Chu received a B.M. in Piano Performance and a B.M.Ed. in Music […]


Stolen Stradivarius Returns to Stage

Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra concertmaster, Frank Almond, returned to the stage this past Monday with the 1715 Lipinski Stradivarius in hand.  Both Frank and the Stradivarius violin received a standing ovation before the performance even began. Frank Almond played the recently recovered Lipinski Stradivarius violin for a packed house at the Wilson Center for Arts in […]


Most Popular Love Songs That Musicians Want to Play

Musicnotes.com, the world’s top sheet music e-retailer and publisher, have released the top love songs played in 2013.  Musicnotes.com ranked the list of top ten songs by the number of downloads.  “Music is certainly about passion, and these love songs capture a wide range of romance, emotion and passion,” announced Kathleen Marsh via press release.  Kathleen […]


Stolen Stradivarius Recovered

The stolen “Lipinski” Stradivarius was recovered late Wednesday night according to Milwaukee police.  The 300-year-old Stradivarius violin was stolen last week in an armed robbery after a performance at Wisconsin Lutheran College. The violin, which is valued at over $5 million, was found in a suitcase in the attic of a Milwaukee residence.  The Stradivarius […]


Statement by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka on NLRB Election Rules

President of AFL-CIO, Richard Trumka, released a statement on NLRB Election Rules. -February 5th- We applaud the National Labor Relations Board for proposing these common-sense rules to reduce delay in the NLRB election process. Similar rules were adopted by the NLRB more than two years ago after an exhaustive public rulemaking process.  The rules were […]


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 […]








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