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.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE AFM

Executive Board Members, Music Performance Trust Fund

The Music Performance Trust Fund — Get the Picture!

If you have ever heard me speak about the mission of the Music Performance Trust Fund (MPTF), you might remember that I invariably request photos, whenever possible.


Our Music Is a Statement for Peace

On January 7, the world was once again shocked by a despicable act of terrorism, this time on the streets of Paris. And also again, the world turned to music to respond to and attempt to recover from the scenes of hatred, even though it is impossible to make sense of such heinous acts.


Midwinter Meanderings: Finding Union Resources

Roadblocks. Every now and then we have all run into them and we face a choice: stay where we are or find a detour. It sometimes seems there are roadblocks everywhere we turn. Some of them can be maneuvered around easily, where others require pretty significant detours.


Time to Be a Union

by Bruce Fife, AFM International Executive Board Member and President of Local 99 (Portland, OR) We are the union. It’s our union, and it works on a pretty simple premise that, when put into practice, can be used to create amazing outcomes. People try to make it more complicated than that, but the basis couldn’t be […]


The Too Much Information Age

The downside of the information age is that far too often there is just simply too much information. The constant barrage of images, data, and noise coming at us from every angle makes it an ongoing challenge to extract the meaningful from the trivial, but that is exactly why music, art, and creativity still matter.


Jingles, Games, Relocation and Symphonic Media

As you know, much of my time this year has been consumed by negotiations toward agreements covering the services of our union members when recording commercial spot announcements (jingles), video games, and in symphonic electronic media. At the same time, I have been busy evaluating options for the relocation of Federation headquarters when our existing […]


Develop Your Art into a Business

Musicians are among the most gifted, focused, and hardworking individuals you will ever encounter, yet many of them find themselves struggling professionally from time to time.


Orchestras Should Be a Valued Asset to Every Community

Carla Lehmeier-Tatum – Regional Orchestra Players Association President and President of Local 618 (Albuquerque, NM) News of the Minnesota Orchestra contract ratification was received by the industry with great relief for our brothers and sisters in the Twin Cities. The solidarity and endurance that these musicians displayed was remarkable. The frustrations and hardships they endured […]


Money Makes the World Go Round

Vince Trombetta – AFM International Executive Board Member and President of Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA) Throughout the last few years it has been impressed upon you the serious state of the Federation’s finances. The Federation has a number of strengths, but in years past, its finances have become its Achilles heel. Under AFM President […]


The Sad Demise of the New York City Opera

Tino Gagliardi – AFM International Executive Board Member and President of Local 802 (New York City) It is hard to believe, but it has actually come to pass. What the musicians of the New York City Opera (NYCO) Orchestra have long feared: the reckless and misguided decisions of management to move out of the opera’s […]








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