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.
November 1, 2014
IM -On Thursday, October 16, the AFM’s New York office celebrated milestone anniversaries of dedicated staff members Elizabeth Blake, Diane DePiro, Patrick Varriale, Lew Mancini, Kim Wysocki, and Judy Vizueta. The AFM-hosted luncheon acknowledged these key employees’ combined total years of service—an astounding 236 years (a number some colleagues thought was “made up”). Things have certainly changed since the mid-1960s, when some of our honorees began working at the AFM. Today computers and tablets have taken the place of the former typing pool, and phone calls are no longer routed through plugging phone cords into jacks on a switchboard. There was much reminiscing among coworkers about the AFM, and the changes New York City has undergone over the last several decades.
We extend a huge thank-you to these employees for their years of loyal service and dedication to the AFM and its members.