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.

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Officer Columns, President's Message

AMPTP and Pamphlet B Negotiation Updates

I am pleased to announce we’ve reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers Association on the most recent Basic Theatrical Motion Picture and Basic Television Motion Picture contracts. After the initial 10 days of negotiations in January, we returned to the bargaining table February 21 and 22 determined to […]


Arts Councils – Public Funding Traffic Managers

Every major city in North America has an arts council—some type of public service organization whose mission is to disburse dollars, usually public funds, in support of visual or performing arts. These fund granting councils are staffed by professionals but depend on volunteers from the community to assist in allocating those funds and deciding which […]


New School: New Agreements to Fit Today’s Music Workplace

The AFM is not what it used to be. That statement could be taken several different ways, but I am writing to tell you how it looks from my perspective. I joined the AFM in 1977, after moving to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue a career in music. Over the years, I gradually got more involved […]


Negotiations with Studios Begin the New Year and Unite Hollywood Entertainment Unions

I’m hopeful that many of our members have followed the ongoing AFM Fair Share for Musicans campaign on social media and the AFMfairshareformusicians.org website over the last few weeks. In advance of our scheduled negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), AFM members organized a kick-off rally and press conference on […]


Instrument and Band Liability Insurance History and Update

In the early mid-1980s, the administration of former AFM President Victor Fuentealba introduced a groundbreaking musical equipment insurance program designed expressly for professional musicians, and in particular, for musicians whose working environment placed their gear at higher risk—club and lounge players, traveling acts (whether steady or a series of one-nighters). These were musicians who insurance […]


What Were They Thinking?

Membership in the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM) is indicative of arrival as a professional and carries with it a certain amount of respect and pride and has infinite monetary value. Many of the collective agreements negotiated on behalf of members are also administered by the AFM, but there […]


So-so-so-solidarité!

by Dusty Kelly, International Executive Board and Executive Director Local 149 (Toronto, ON) I have been an adherent to the concept of solidarity for as long as I can remember. It’s with me when I am on the picket line, it’s with me when I am in negotiations, it’s with me when I am organizing, […]


Our Ongoing Mission to Improve the Livelihood of All Musicians 

As I write this column, orchestras and musical ensembles across the country are wrapping up their holiday concerts and preparing to spend some time with friends and loved ones. I begin 2024 with a spirit of renewed focus for an ever-improving workplace for our members, whether that is in a recording studio, on stage, in […]


Subways, New Yorkers, and Musicians 

I’m a native of the Pacific Northwest, born and bred. We of that soggy land always viewed places like New York City as evil, dark, and scary nether regions, to be avoided at all costs. So, when I moved to New York City for the first time to take a job with the AFM in […]


Unions on the March: Facing New Challenges and Opportunities 

Today there is renewed energy and determination in labor organizing efforts across North America. We may be able to attribute this to a post-pandemic response by workers who are fighting back against increasing inflation and stagnant wages. Looking at the landscape of labor unions across the nation, while our sector is mostly harmonious, recent strikes […]








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