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.
August 1, 2021
No Shortcuts: Organizing for Power in the New Gilded Age Drawing on her experience as a scholar and longtime organizer in student, environmental, and labor movements, Jane F. McAlevey examines cases from labor unions and social movements to pinpoint the factors that helped them succeed, or fail, to accomplish their intended goals. She ultimately concludes […]
Powerful, Detailed Sound The Sennheiser HD 200 PRO monitoring headphones deliver powerful studio sound for recording your own tunes, practicing silently, or simply enjoying your favorite music. The HD 200 PRO’s closed, around-ear headphone design reduces ambient noise, while Sennheiser’s proprietary transducers deliver stereo sound reproduction with powerful punchy bass. Soft ear cushions and the […]
New Generation of Violin Strings Thomastik-Infeld has released its new Dominant PRO DP100 violin strings, made to offer an additional, contemporary repertoire of strings to its existing Dominant lines. Ideally suited for chamber musicians, soloists, and orchestra musicians alike, the new DP100 series features a broad range of sound colors, good balance of brilliance and warmth, […]
Mod Electronics has re-released a new and improved version of the original Mod pedal, The Rattler. The Rattler Returns offers the same over-the-top fuzz as the original Rattler and features several new upgrades. The circuit has been overhauled for a wider spectrum of fuzz that is steady when used with any pickups, pedals, or amps. […]
Take Control of Your Room The new ProSoCoustic Wave Pro Series—announced at the 2021 NAMM Show—offers a blend of absorption and diffusion in one product. The diffusor pattern inside each panel allows greater absorption efficiency in the same amount of space. Wave Pro panels include machine screw inserts for easy installation, are mold and moisture […]
Authentic Sound, Compact Body Announced at the 2021 NAMM Show: The Yamaha MSP3A Powered Monitor Speaker features a 22-watt built-in amplifier and twisted flare port for clearer bass. With a variety of inputs, controls, and optional support brackets, the MSP3A is ideal for small studios, post-production, monitoring electronic instruments, and surround reproduction. Includes mounting points […]
Named for a three-tiered cave system owned by the US Forest Service, this fantasy musically explores the wonders of this “living” cave. Flavored with jazz harmonies and intricate counterpoint, the piece by T.O. Sterrett of Local 802 (New York City) brings you the shimmer, wonder, and majesty of this grand work of Nature. Blanchard Caverns […]
In her latest book, harpist Felice Pomeranz, of Local 9-535 (Boston, MA), teaches both pedal and lever players how to become a better improvising harpist. Learn basic chords, chord symbols, and harmonic progressions used in a wide range of music, as well as how to play in styles such as jazz, blues, swing, bossa nova, […]
Alongside his symphonies, chamber works, songs, and two major piano sonatas, Charles Ives wrote a number of short, groundbreaking works for solo piano. This second volume of The Complete Shorter Works for Piano of Charles Ives is the first publication of the complete extant studies for solo piano. Charles E. Ives Piano Studies: Shorter Works […]
This drama for trombone and orchestra reflects the inner turbulence of Michelangelo’s drawing Madonna del Silenzio on which the work is based. The trombone takes on many roles: from the quiet, inner voice of the Madonna as she gazes in contemplation at the child, later singing a hymn and, towards the end of the work, […]