Articles, Executive Board Members, Officer Columns

The AFM: Finding Strength in a Diverse Membership

February 19, 2019

Diversity within our union cannot be celebrated enough. While our membership runs the gamut in ethnicity, musical genre, age, and gender, the paucity of diversity within many of the workplaces in which we have representational duties continues to impede our effectiveness and growth.

Career Pathways: A Potential Bridge to Diversity

August 1, 2018

Our program, officially titled “AFM Local 47 Career Pathways Program,” launched last month with funding from the Verdugo Workforce Investment Board (or as those of us who sit on these boards call them “the WIB”).

In Troubled Times, Stand Up and Fight Back

July 18, 2018

We’re in a pivotal time in the history of the United States. We can agree to disagree on many things, but as musicians, we have to acknowledge the great wealth that immigrants brought to our country.

Are You Using the AFM Joint Venture Agreement to Protect your Intellectual Property?

July 2, 2018

The AFM Joint Venture Agreement is designed for self-contained bands who want to document their recordings and business relationship with a no-cost contract that protects everyone involved.

The MPTF Advantage: Employment, Audience Building, Recognition

June 5, 2018

The Federation’s recently concluded Sound Recording Labor Agreement (SRLA) has brought new life to both the Sound Recording Special Payments Fund (SPF) and the Music Performance Trust Fund (MPTF), which are important residual components of that agreement. As music consumption transitioned to streaming, both funds experienced declining revenue due to the precipitous drop in royalties from physical recorded product (CDs, etc.) and digital downloads, which had been the sole sources of revenue for the funds. 

Advocacy and Pension Reform Take Precedence in Washington, DC

April 16, 2018

As AFM members are confronted with the uncertainties of both tax and pension reform, AFM President Ray Hair has refocused the work of the union’s Office of Government Relations to maximize its visibility and effectiveness relating to issues that impact our jobs and lives.

Community Engagement Is Essential to Our Mission

April 2, 2018

In these complex times, it is more important than ever for all musicians and concerned citizens to remain engaged in our communities—and if possible, take things up a notch.

It’s Time for Solidarity

January 17, 2018

So, now is a time for great discipline. We need to trust what we know and not allow outside influences to distract us. We know that working together we have strength and can build. It’s a time for solidarity.

Nightlife Office and Advisory Committee

October 2, 2017

If this office is to be impactful, and if other municipalities are to follow New York City’s example, the Nightlife Office must work with locally elected community leaders and administration to develop regulatory mechanisms that empower the director to protect performers who are otherwise unsupported and unprotected.

Music Makes the World Smaller

October 2, 2017

Music brings people together under many different circumstances. It is still the common thread in the complex fabric of life in the 21st century. One way that I describe this phenomenon is to say that music makes the world smaller.