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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Books-Resources, Products, Resources

Social Media Promotion

Social Media Promotion for Musicians: The Manual for Marketing Yourself, Your Band, and Your Music Online


This update to Bobby Owsinski’s Social Media Promotion for Musicians will teach you how to use social media to effectively promote yourself and your music.




My Years

Music to My Years: Life and Love Between the Notes


“Music to My Years,” is about Local 47 member Artie Kane’s personal life and career as a first call pianist for Hollywood studios from 1960 through 1979.




Ludwig Milde

Ludwig Milde: 25 Studies in Scales and Chords for Bassoon Op. 24


A staple of the bassoon’s pedagogical literature, Ludwig Milde’s 25 Studies, Op. 24 was previously available only in uncorrected editions lacking content beyond the etudes themselves.




A Life in Songwriting, from Willie to Whitney

I Wrote That One, Too…A Life in Songwriting, from Willie to Whitney


“I Wrote that One, Too … A Life in Songwriting, from Willie to Whitney,”
by Steve Dorff, Backbeat Books, www.backbeatbooks.com




Ray Reed Jazz Originals

Ray Reed Jazz Originals: 45 Great Compositions by The Jazz Master


Ray Reed was a first call, woodwind multi-instrumentalist who performed on hundreds of jazz recordings over a 40-plus year career, including with Stan Kenton, Johnny Mandel, Bill Holman, and Frank Zappa orchestras.




The Bass Book

The Bass Book: A Complete Illustrated History of Bass Guitars


Bass guitar has provided the solid foundation on which much of modern music is built. This third edition of The Bass Book follows the evolution of bass guitar from its introduction to today with a full lowdown of the most important bass players and makers.




Jazz in Italy

Bebop, Swing, and Bella Music: Jazz and the Italian American Experience


This book explores the contributions that Americans of Italian descent have made to jazz and also discusses the discrimination and stereotyping faced by Italian immigrants in their efforts to assimilate into American culture.




The Who Bass Tab Anthology


What began in 1964 as a simple English rock band grew to become one of the most influential bands of the 20th century.




Wisdom of the Hand

Wisdom of the Hand: A Guide to Jazz Pentatonic Scales


Using an open-air concept that asks pianists to imagine there are only black keys, readers are led through 50 etudes and 200 special exercises that will eventually allow them to soar across the widely spaced scales “position playing” and the author’s unique two-octave fingerings.




The Martin Archives

The Martin Archives: A Scrapbook of Treasures


The Martin Archives documents two centuries of guitar making and more than two million guitars.










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