President’s Message

When we consider fair wages and working conditions
for musicians working roadshows, the Federation’s Pamphlet B and Short
Engagement Tour Agreements (SET) are the gold standard. Pamphlet B establishes
fair conditions for musicians on the road in touring theatrical musicals, where
the shows are booked for a given number of weeks. The SET contract was
structured to cover tours where most engagements are one-nighters or run for
less than a week.

Guest Column by Mike Huppe, President and CEO, SoundExchange

Below are excerpts from a keynote speech given by SoundExchange President and CEO Mike Huppe at the AFM-FIM International Streaming Conference held in Burbank, California, October 2-3. SoundExhange (www.soundexchange.com) is the world’s premier digital rights organization, and has distributed more than $5 billion to recording artists and rights owners.

Following is the text of a speech I gave October 12, in Chicago’s Daley Plaza in support of striking Lyric Opera Orchestra musicians.

Hello Sweet Home Chicago! It’s a privilege to be here with officers of our great affiliated Local 10-208, the Chicago Federation of Musicians, folks from the Chicago Federation of Labor, the Illinois State AFL-CIO, and of course, members of our Lyric Opera Orchestra.

In recent years, the rise of streaming as the preferred model of digital distribution and consumption has radically transformed the media marketplace. Worldwide, digital revenues and audiences have accelerated toward both advertiser-supported and subscription-based consumption models, benefiting digital service providers, copyright owners and producers, and other stakeholders. If current trends hold, the number of paid music subscribers worldwide will rise from more than 149 million today to 200 million by the end of this year.

I’ll have the privilege of attending the 23rd conference of the Theater Musicians Association (TMA) on August 20, at Local 47’s new offices in Burbank, California. TMA is the newest AFM player conference. It began its journey 25 years ago, and is now comprised of chapters organized among locals that negotiate local agreements with theatrical venues and presenters that book Pamphlet B tours.