Officer Columns, President's Message

Dick Gabriel Retires as Head of EMSD, Bill Thomas Succeeds Him

February 1, 2014

Dick Gabriel, who served Local 47 and the Federation in various capacities for more than 35 years, most recently as director of our Electronic Media Services Division, retired on January 16, closing a career that has benefitted thousands of professional musicians.

Orchestras Should Be a Valued Asset to Every Community

February 1, 2014

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 […]

Updates on National Music Education and Advocacy Initiatives

February 1, 2014

As your Secretary-Treasurer, it is my duty to keep you up to date on the happenings of other labor, music, and music education related organizations with interests similar to those of the AFM. My column this month covers some of these efforts. In January, Congress released a final bipartisan Omnibus Appropriations Bill to fund all […]

Update on Local 145, Vancouver

February 1, 2014

Film work in Canada, specifically music scoring, has declined significantly over the past few years. There are many reasons, but the Canadian dollar attaining par with the US dollar, producers outsourcing to Europe and Seattle, and the fact that tax credits currently do not require the postproduction to be done where the film is shot, […]

Money Makes the World Go Round

February 1, 2014

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 Art of Giving Back

January 9, 2014

Music is a gift. Those of us who can express ourselves through music are fortunate to have that creative outlet, yet sometimes we take that simple fact for granted as we wrestle with the realities of making a living in the music business. In a media-driven, short attention span world, it is easy to forget […]

Trouble with NAFTA?

January 9, 2014

As was discussed in a recent article by Liana White, the Canadian Government recently took a step forward, in my opinion, by transferring the Labour Market Opinion fees from the taxpayer to the user—meaning the club owner and/or promoter. While increasing the cost of hiring musicians from abroad, AFM members are exempt from this fee. […]

The Sad Demise of the New York City Opera

January 9, 2014

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 […]

New RMALA President to Serve L.A.’s Diverse Musician Community

January 9, 2014

I am grateful for this opportunity to introduce myself, write on behalf of the Recording Musicians Association Los Angeles (RMALA) members, and to provide some perspective on RMALA to all the members of our union. This past spring, RMALA President Pete Anthony stepped aside after years of distinguished and successful service. In September, the executive […]

If You Have Performed on a Sound Recording in the Last 50 Years, MROC May Have Money for You!

January 9, 2014

Pursuant to AFM Bylaws, the vice president from Canada sits on the Musicians’ Rights Organization Canada (MROC) Board of Directors, and given the importance of this entity to musicians, I am proud to do so. However, many members still do not know about this important source of revenue for musicians. You must register in order […]