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.
July 1, 2025
Before 2010, New York and Los Angeles were the leading centers for film scoring. Due to producers’ desire to cut costs, most nonsignatory film scoring has been done overseas in recent years. Although scoring makes up a small portion of a blockbuster film’s budget, often less than .05%, by 2018 most film productions that didn’t […]
July 1, 2025
Yes it is, but sometimes this hallowed institution gets it wrong even with the best of intentions. The most recent occasion was on my watch as the AFM’s administrative officer overseeing the content of each month’s International Musician. Over the past few months, IM has published information about the AFM’s newly expanded Code of Conduct, […]
July 1, 2025
Hip-hop has long been a global economic force. Hip-hop and R&B accounted for over 25% of all US streams in 2024. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), in 2022, hip-hop generated $15.9 billion from music streams and purchases alone. Yet, behind the impressive streaming numbers and sold-out tours lies a harsh reality: […]
July 1, 2025
Spring transitioning into summer signals a break from the routine of many orchestras’ seasons and sessional teaching, and there is often a switch to music festivals, summer music programs, touring (jazz festival circuit), or finding time for much needed rest and rejuvenation or perhaps writing and recording. Whatever you find yourself doing over the summer, […]
June 1, 2025
Much of the work the Federation does to advocate for musicians’ interests and influence laws and policies that protect them happens through the relationships we’ve built in Washington, DC. Ben Kessler is our director of government affairs. Last month, I joined him for a few days in the capital to discuss your interests directly with […]
June 1, 2025
So it must be that many years ago—perhaps decades or even centuries ago—an ill-tempered character, with a chip on their shoulder about the encroaching Industrial Age, must have bestowed upon us denizens of this century the tried-and-true curse that we may “live in interesting times.” So interesting are these times that I struggled all month […]
June 1, 2025
The paint on the nameplates of new government ministers may still be wet, but the government has taken office and things are moving quickly. We have a round of meetings planned for mid-June. The Canadian government has stated that it is focused on creating new trade partners, which means rethinking how things work in a […]
June 1, 2025
The technological challenges musicians face are not new. We can go back to Edison’s invention of the phonograph, which at the time, fundamentally altered the relationship between listeners and music. Audiences could now listen to recorded music on a physical medium, at any time, without having to go to a venue where musicians were playing. […]
May 1, 2025
If the delegates to the last AFM Convention made one thing abundantly clear, it was the desire for the Federation to step up its support for locals seeking to organize freelance musicians. These are the musicians least likely to perform under a traditional trade union collective bargaining agreement. While freelance, indie, and self-produced musicians comprise […]
May 1, 2025
Stories abound about the future health of the labor movement. The US presidential election and the complete domination of the US Congress and Supreme Court by the MAGA elements have taken organized labor’s inconvenient-but-familiar laws and norms in America and stood them on their heads. What was true and dependable at 11:59 a.m. on January […]