FMSMF: Modernizing for the Future: Resilience, Service, and Sustainability

February 1, 2026

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by Brian Sickles, Film Musicians Secondary Markets Fund (FMSMF) Executive Director

One year after devastating wildfires swept through Los Angeles, the vibrant city that the Film Musicians Secondary Markets Fund (FMSMF) and so many in the entertainment industry call home, we have only begun the long process of healing and rebuilding. Yet, mixed in with stories of heartbreak and loss, are stories of resilience, hope, and community. Support for our community—the music and entertainment industry—became the defining theme of the fund’s activities over the past year.

Created through collective bargaining and dedicated to serving as a trusted residuals administrator for musicians working in film and TV, the fund occupies a unique position: we serve both musicians and the entertainment industry companies who employ them. From this vantage point, we consistently strive to best serve both communities. What follows are highlights from 2025, with a focus on those we are privileged to serve.

Supporting Musicians

After a decade in our Encino office, the FMSMF relocated to a new space in May 2025. Still in the greater Los Angeles area, our new office provides a more cost-effective, collaborative, and welcoming environment for fund participants and industry visitors alike.

The FMSMF continued advancing toward a digital-first operating model in 2025 by modernizing our technical systems. These systems help us manage everything required to accurately and securely produce residual payments, streamline internal processes, and provide elevated service to musicians and participants.

Our digital transformation initiatives over recent years have also helped reduce administrative costs—a benefit that flows directly to the musicians and participants we serve. Our new systems enabled us to implement and properly track an expanded paperless initiative in 2025: transitioning participants from paper checks to direct deposit, making distribution and tax statements more readily available online, and improving the new musician account creation process to eliminate paper forms and mailed correspondence. Our goal is to operate as close to fully paperless as possible within the next two years.

Supporting the Industry

Even before the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, the fund recognized that the current state of film and television production is significantly impacting the entertainment industry. Serving as an educational resource has never been more essential, and the FMSMF remains committed to making valuable information available through multiple channels.

Last June, the Columbia University Film Festival (CUFF) in Los Angeles brought approximately 30 graduate students and alumni to California to showcase their films. With support from one of the fund’s Oversight Committee members, we hosted the CUFF group at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank for an intimate conversation with the head of music, business, and legal affairs, along with two notable executives. They shared insights and answered candid questions about the realities of production budgets, original scores, and soundtracks.

Looking ahead to 2026, the fund will continue researching opportunities for events and partnerships that are local, offer interaction with a broad cross-section of industry professionals, and provide essential support to the motion picture industry. One such event is South By Southwest (SXSW). The fund returns to SXSW in March 2026 with a new approach designed to reach more attendees than our previous panel format allowed. We will host a coffee break at the Omni Hotel in Austin, Texas, providing refreshments to attendees of sessions focused on film and TV production—covering topics like budgeting, copyright and licensing, and distribution. An FMSMF representative will be on hand to answer questions, engage attendees, and make fund resources available to budding producers and composers.

In the coming year, the fund will also update its advertising program to provide resources and develop awareness on websites and in magazines that directly target musicians and independent producers. Our website will be refreshed to provide more concise, essential information for visitors while modernizing the user experience to align with current digital trends.

Looking Forward

In the spirit of community, the FMSMF is profoundly grateful for the opportunity to serve an industry that has brought music, art, entertainment, and joy to so many around the world. We wish everyone a happy and successful 2026!

Have questions, or need assistance? You can visit us at www.fmsmf.org or email us at participantservices@fmsmf.org

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