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.
March 3, 2014
Kings of Leon’s latest video for their tune “Temple,” features footage in and around Music City shot on a 8mm camera to give it a blurry, nostalgic look. It also features the children of the Followill brothers, all members of Local 257 (Nashville, TN) who make-up the group. The video is a complete family affair […]
March 2, 2014
Production of the film Midnight Rider based on Gregg Allman’s autobiography, My Cross to Bear, was shut down after a tragic accident in February. The production crew was filming on a CSX track in Georgia when a train came through unexpectedly and killed one crew member and injured several others. Allman is a member of […]
February 24, 2014
The United State Postal Service has revealed their list of postage stamps that have been approved for production in the upcoming years. Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and James Brown are the newest stamps to be part of the Music Icons series. Hendrix and Joplin will be available this year, and Brown in 2015. The list […]
February 24, 2014
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 […]
February 18, 2014
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 […]
February 17, 2014
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. […]
February 17, 2014
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 […]
February 16, 2014
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 […]
February 12, 2014
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 […]
February 10, 2014
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 […]