From FIM to EMF: International Collaboration and Local Activism for Fair Treatment of Musicians

August 1, 2025

Tino Gagliardi  -  AFM International President

The International Federation of Musicians’ (FIM) 23rd Congress was held from June 25-27, at the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva, Switzerland, hosted by the Swiss Musicians’ Union (SMV-USDAM). The conference brought together delegates from musician unions from around the world. I attended on behalf of the AFM along with Vice President from Canada Allistair Elliot and Symphonic Services Division Director Rochelle Skolnick.

Opening speeches emphasized the importance of social dialogue and intellectual property, with Davide Jäger (co-president of SMV-USDAM), Daniel Lampart (general secretary, SGB-USS), Frank Hagemann (director of ILO Sectoral Policies Department), Clair Ruppert (deputy director, ACTRAV), and Sylvie Forbin (deputy director general, World Intellectual Property Organization). FIM President John Smith concluded the opening ceremony, recalling FIM’s most recent accomplishments and highlighting current threats and opportunities.

The congress adopted a number of resolutions reflecting the concerns of musician unions worldwide. High-level debates took place on numerous issues, including:

Artificial Intelligence (AI): The congress agreed that AI models trained on protected content must obtain authorization from rights holders, that composers and performers receive proper credit, and that any use of their work by AI is fairly remunerated.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI): The congress agreed to create a regional network of “women’s desks” to enable member unions to better identify obstacles to equal participation in music and to share best practices. It also called for an international FIM conference on EDI in the music sector, adopted a firm stance against blackface, and demanded pay equality between permanent and substitute musicians.

Freelancers: The congress urged governments to recognize all freelance and independent musicians as workers under national labor laws.

The congress program featured three panels involving top international experts.

• Collective Bargaining for Independent Workers, moderated by Edith Katiji (FIM vice president, Zimbabwe), with panelists Karen Curtis (chief, Freedom of Association Branch ILO), Allistair Elliott (AFM vice president, Canada), Margherita Licata (technical specialist, ILO), and Naomi Pohl (general secretary, British Musicians’ Union).

• Impact of the Rise of On-demand Radio on Broadcast Royalties, moderated by Horace Trubridge (FIM vice president, United Kingdom), and featuring Tilo Gerlach (GVL, Germany), Mike Huppe (SoundExchange, USA), Peter Leathem (PPL, UK), and Pál Tomori (EJI, Hungary).

• Collective Agreements in the Field of AI, where I served as a moderator along with Beat Santschi (FIM vice president, Switzerland), Dominick Luquer (general secretary, FIA), Johannes Studinger (director, UNI MEI), and Xavier Beaudonnet (chief of collective bargaining unit, ILO).

Keynote speakers were Maité Llanos, director of the Geneva office of the ITUC, who highlighted the significance of the conclusions reached during the ILO tripartite meeting for the arts and entertainment sector in February 2023; César André Machado de Morais, general coordinator of copyright regulation at the Ministry of Culture of Brazil, who introduced the Brazilian AI bill aimed at providing creators with genuine protection; and Mike Huppe, CEO of SoundExchange, who outlined the challenges presented by AI for the music sector.

The congress elected FIM officers and an executive committee for the next four years. John F. Smith (UK) was reelected president. I was proud to be elected as a vice president along with Karin Inde (Sweden), Edith Katiji (Zimbabwe), Irene Monterroso (Costa Rica), and Beat Santschi (Switzerland).

FIM emerged from this congress strengthened in its role as a global leader in defending musicians’ rights, with updated strategic policy aims and a renewed commitment to support its members worldwide. The AFM’s robust participation in this global organization is a critical part of our work to effectively represent our members as we continue to confront challenges that know no geographic boundaries.

Eastern Music Festival Rally

Following the FIM Congress, I flew directly from Geneva to Greensboro, North Carolina, to support Eastern Music Festival (EMF) faculty and musicians. My speech at their concert and rally reflected my disappointment, frustration, and outrage with the festival’s leadership.

This year’s festival was canceled, not because there wasn’t enough money or enough students who wanted to attend. Rather, the leadership had decided to punish the musicians who only wanted to be respected and treated fairly.

The musicians came together to join the union because they wanted fair compensation, to have a voice in their workplace, and because they wanted to partner with the leadership of EMF to keep it the world-class festival it has been for so many years. However, instead of bargaining fairly, the festival’s management punished not only the talented musicians but also the students and community that benefit from their extraordinary performances and tutelage at EMF.

I call on Eastern Music Festival leadership to get back to the bargaining table and work with these committed musicians and their union and to bargain a fair agreement that ensures that this festival will continue to endure, in stature and excellence, for the students, the community, and the faculty of musicians, for generations to come.

You can read more about the struggle of the musicians of the Eastern Music Festival and their rally here.

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