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.
The QUIVR Tour Dekade Edition drumstick bag by GruvGear has all the design features of the original version plus a new, detachable drumstick sleeve allowing drummers to hang up to seven pairs on their floor tom and an additional large flat inside pocket which can be used to store up to 14 more sticks. Features […]
Capture Creativity Fast Audient’s EVO 8 USB audio interface is made for independent musicians, recordists, and podcasters. Featuring four transparent EVO preamps, class-leading AKM converters, a JFET instrument input, low latency software mixer, audio loop-back functionality, and Smartgain automatic level setting function www.evo.audio
World’s Smallest Guitar/Bass Multi-Tool GrooveTech Tools’ newest guitar and bass multi-tool, the Mini-Multi, consolidates 14 tools into a body that’s less than three inches long. Included are eight hex wrenches, four screwdrivers, and a precision ruler. And for those important moments, a bottle opener is provided. Sizes are in both meters and inches for use […]
Capsule Sound in a Wired Microphone Sennheiser is bringing the sound of its MD 9235 capsule to a wired vocal microphone. The new cardioid MD 435 large-diaphragm microphone has a shock-mounted capsule to protect it from structure-borne noise, while a hum-compensating coil protects the microphone against electromagnetic interference. The lightweight aluminum-copper voice coil ensures fast […]
Working-Man’s Guitar Fender’s new Brad Paisley Signature Esquire guitar was made in collaboration with the Grammy winning artist, a member of Local 257 (Nashville, TN). The guitar takes the elements that have made the Esquire a staple and provides subtle upgrades, including a Seymour Duncan Brad Paisley Signature “Secret Agent” neck pickup hidden under a […]
Flagship Synthesizer The Arturia PolyBrute is six pure analog voices driven by two Brute oscillators with digital Matrix precision, an innovative three-dimensional Morphée performance touchpad, and pristine stereo effects. Features include distortion, wavefolding, and FM control, shaped by dual enhanced filters for massive timbral variety. www.arturia.com
December 1, 2020
Darren Michael Boyd Wonders of the Invisible World is a 1693 book recounting the Salem Witch Trials in which the author, Cotton Mather, espoused the belief that the prosecutions of the “witches” were to gain God’s blessings over the colony. Fast-forward over three centuries, and another collection of wonders is earning a “Guitar God” his […]
Fuzzette is a hairless tarantula who assumes no one likes her for being different—until the handsome and charismatic Pancho falls in love with her for her individualism. Muczynski’s musical setting has all the charm, elegance, and jazz underpinnings of his beloved works for flute and saxophone. Fuzzette, the Tarantula (for Narrator, Flute, E♭ Alto Saxophone, […]
This poem, written in 1900 by James Weldon Johnson, was set to music by his brother, John Rosamond Johnson, five years later, and was soon adopted as the Black American National Anthem. Pianist and composer Evelyn Simpson-Curenton has arranged the piece with her own variations as a concert level entry for flute and piano. Lift […]
In this book, David M. Bynog, of Local 65-699 (Houston, TX), offers important historical and analytical information about 35 of the best-known pieces written for viola from the 18th through the 20th centuries, including works by Bach, Telemann, Mozart, and many others. The author includes biographical information about each composer and highlights key points related […]