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.
June 30, 2017
At the end of June, Mayor Rahm Emanuel averted a City Council Showdown on an airport living wage ordinance with a plan to tie O’Hare Airport contractor licenses to a “labor peace agreement,” which would allow 8,000 airport workers to join unions.
June 30, 2017
The new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) has been agreed upon and ratified. The revised document has been proofread and signed and the ink has barely dried. Now the musicians of the orchestra, and especially the orchestra committee, get to breathe a sigh of relief and go back to practicing, playing concerts, and living their lives, right? Well, yes, and no.
June 29, 2017
President Donald Trump has appointed attorney Marvin Kaplan to fill one of two vacant seats on the National Labor Relations Board.
June 29, 2017
Acadian guitarist and composer Maxim Cormier from the Cape Breton Island village of Chéticamp was shocked to find his music was being sold online by a local radio station without his permission.
June 29, 2017
The United Federation of Teachers, which represents educators at the Charter High School for Law and Social Justice (CHSLSJ) in the Bronx, filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board after three-quarters of the staff was fired for wanting to unionize.
June 29, 2017
Following a month of negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) studios, the union’s national board voted unanimously to send strike authorization ballots to its members. Unless a deal is reached by Friday, when the current contract expires, members will vote on strike authorization, which would require 75% approval to pass.
June 29, 2017
Eleven video game publishers, including major players—Activision, Electronic Arts, Take 2 Interactive, and WB Games—remain under pressure from the Screen Actors Guild for their treatment of voice actors.
June 28, 2017
IEMs are in demand because they isolate the ear from ambient noise and artists can hear the intended signal clearly, at a much lower volum
June 27, 2017
The CFM and the Fund hosted a joint information panel targeted at emerging artists, most of whom were registered in the ECMA Mentorship Program, offering a series of practical business seminars to those artists.
June 27, 2017
In partnership with St. Sabina, Chicago’s largest African-American Catholic church, cellist Yo-Yo Ma presented “Concert for Peace” with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO), members of Local 10-208; the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, a training ensemble for young musicians; and the Chicago Children’s Choir. Ma is a member of Local 802 (New York City) and creative consultant to CSO.