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, Vice President from Canada

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Alan Willaert – AFM Vice President from Canada

Not What I Meant By ‘Going Viral’

2020 will be infamous in history as a virus now identified as COVID-19 effectively shut down an entire entertainment industry in an extremely sudden and devastating manner. This is not what we hoped for when using the term “going viral.”


$67 in Average Domestic Digital Royalty Payments—That’s It?

Unfortunately, the average domestic digital royalty payment per member (including songwriters, composers, producers, publishers, and other composition rights owners) was a paltry $67 in 2019.


Festival Alert! Which Ones Are Cool and Which Ones Are Not

Negotiations are underway once again for the 2020 festival year, and there are details that members need to be aware of. Please take the time to read through this list, and, if in doubt, call your local for the latest information.


As Streaming Increases, the Rights of Performers Internationally Is Making Progress

A recent article in Music Business Worldwide quoted some impressive statistics released in BuzzAngle’s yearly report. For the first time, on-demand streams in the United States eclipsed the one trillion mark, with 705.9 billion being audio and 304.1 billion video. Over the previous year, that represents a total increase of 32% in audio and 10.6% […]


2020: Fighting For the Right to Make a Living

Much has been written in the past several months, by President Hair and others, about the motion picture/TV film negotiations that have commenced once again in Los Angeles


Progress Made on Intellectual Property Rights in Europe

On October 1 and 2, President Hair and I attended the 108th Executive Committee (EC) meeting of the International Federation of Musicians (FIM) in Zurich. President Hair attends as a member of the Presidium (one of the five vice-presidents), and I represented Canada as part of the Executive Committee. Of the 60-plus member countries of […]


Canadian Content Production Rules (CCPR) – Yesterday and Today

CCPR was/is a short document, and lives as an addendum to the MP/TV Film Agreements for the production of CAVCO-certified or Canadian content in Canada.


How Does a Union Successfully Engage with Freelancers?

The renewal agreement negotiated by the Canadian Office of the American Federation of Musicians (CFM) with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) has been ratified by the members who worked under the previous agreement over the last three years.


Labour Gears Up for War

When the gavel dropped to open the May 14 meeting of the Canada Council of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), the tone was a mix of elation and trepidation.


The EU Directive on Copyright

So, what is the Directive on Copyright? It’s designed to limit how copyrighted content is shared on online platforms.








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